초록 ▼

A remote control uses IR (infrared) commands to control various consumer appliances made by various manufactures. The remote control is low-cost, consumer-friendly, programmable, has its own graphical display so it does not interfere with a TV or other viewing screen, and is capable of interacting w

A remote control uses IR (infrared) commands to control various consumer appliances made by various manufactures. The remote control is low-cost, consumer-friendly, programmable, has its own graphical display so it does not interfere with a TV or other viewing screen, and is capable of interacting with the internet or other data source to provide a rich set of functionality.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method of limiting a user's access to programs that are played by a device that responds to infrared (IR) commands comprising the steps of:providing a programmable remote control capable of sending IR commands that control the device, the remote control having a memory,

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method of limiting a user's access to programs that are played by a device that responds to infrared (IR) commands comprising the steps of:providing a programmable remote control capable of sending IR commands that control the device, the remote control having a memory, a graphical display, and integrated software that is programmed to present to the user on the graphical display information that activates the remote control for use by the user;loading title-based descriptions into the memory of the remote control;programming the remote control to determine the identity of the user based upon predetermined information entered into the memory of the remote control to gain access to the information that activates the remote control for use by the user; andprogramming the remote control to present to the user on the graphical display a predetermined subset of the title-based descriptions, said subset being determined based upon the identity of the user.