Patents Assigned to Universal Electronics Inc.
  • User interface for a remote control application
    Patent number: 9310976
    Abstract: A hand-held electronic device having a remote control application user interface that functions to displays operational mode information to a user. The graphical user interface may be used, for example, to setup the remote control application to control appliances for one or more users in one or more rooms, to perform activities, and to access favorites. The remote control application is also adapted to be upgradeable. Furthermore, the remote control application provides for the sharing of operational mode information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steve LanPing Huang, Cheryl Scott, Wayne Scott
  • System and method for optimized appliance control
    Patent number: 9307178
    Abstract: A device receives a request from a controlling device, such as a remote control, smart phone, or the like, where the request is intended to have one or more target devices perform one or more functional operations. The device responds to the request by applying the optimum methodology to propagate one or more commands to each intended target appliance to cause each intended target appliance to perform the intended one or more functional operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D. Arling, Brian Barnett, Dan N. McKay
  • Simulated weapon
    Patent number: 9291420
    Abstract: A simulated weapon or firearm is provided that is formed with a mechanical operating or firing mechanism similar to that of an actual firearm. The firing mechanism is formed with components found in an actual firearm that are interconnected with components of an electronic mechanism that can monitor and control the mechanical operation of the simulated firearm. This allows for the mechanical operating mechanism to function in a manner similar to that of an actual firearm, while the electronic mechanism can introduce various mechanical failures that do not otherwise occur in the electronics-only operating mechanisms of prior simulated firearms. In addition, the operational cycles of the mechanical and electronic mechanisms are synchronized to provide a highly realistic feel to the simulated weapon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Rick A. Jensen, Jared R. Orvis
  • System and methods for enhanced remote control functionality
    Patent number: 9285888
    Abstract: A hand-held device having a touch sensitive surface uses a relative distance from an origin location to each of a plurality of touch zones of the touch sensitive surface activated by a user to select a one of the plurality of touch zones as being intended for activation by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Arsham Hatambeiki, Jeffrey Kohanek, Naimisaranya D. Busek
  • System and method for saving and recalling state data for media and home appliances
    Patent number: 9271033
    Abstract: A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D. Arling, Christopher Chambers, Wayne Scott, Mark Momot
  • System and method for saving and recalling state data for media and home appliances
    Patent number: 9271032
    Abstract: A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D. Arling, Christopher Chambers, Wayne Scott, Mark Momot
  • System and method for automatically setting up a universal remote control
    Patent number: 9257037
    Abstract: A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick H. Hayes, James N. Conway, Jr., Robert P. Lilleness, Paul D. Arling
  • System and method for configuration of network-capable appliances
    Patent number: 9258186
    Abstract: A controlling device is used to configure a target device for wireless network communications through use of a setup wizard. The setup wizard is used to obtain information required to perform communications on a wireless network via a wireless network router and a digital representation of the information obtained through use of the setup wizard is provided to the target device via use of the controlling device. The target device will use the digital representation of the information to configure itself for wireless network communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Negron, Patrick H. Hayes
  • System and method for managing communication links
    Patent number: 9203579
    Abstract: A system and method for managing a communication link between a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with at least one peripheral. The communication link is managed using a controller that is associated with the consumer electronic device that functions to assign communication slots to the peripheral to facilitate communications between the peripheral and the consumer electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Alan Chambers
  • System and method for optimizing memory usage in a universal controlling device
    Patent number: 9167288
    Abstract: A method for optimizing memory usage in a device having a universal controlling application includes receiving into the device data for use in configuring the universal controlling application wherein the data is used to identify from within a library of command code sets stored in a memory of the device a command code set that is appropriate for use in commanding functional operations of the appliance and causing a non-identified one or more of the command code sets of the library of command code sets stored in the memory of the device to be discarded to thereby create freed space in the memory of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Arsham Hatambeiki
  • System and method for managing communication links
    Patent number: 9160501
    Abstract: A system and method for managing a communication link between a consumer electronic device adapted for two-way, wireless communications with at least one peripheral. The communication link is managed using a controller that is associated with the consumer electronic device that functions to assign communication slots to the peripheral to facilitate communications between the peripheral and the consumer electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Alan Chambers
  • System and method for identifying social media influencers
    Patent number: 9154838
    Abstract: Data indicative of first and second members of a social group, a media content accessed by the first and second members of the social group, and a time at which the media content was accessed by the first and second members of the social group is collected. A system then compares the received data to determine if the second member of the social group accessed the same media content as the first member of the social group and if the second member of the social group accessed the same media content within a predetermined amount of time. When the second member of the social group accessed the same media content as the first member of the social group within the predetermined amount of time the first member of the social group is identified as a social influencer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Paul D. Arling
  • System and method for providing a low power remote control
    Patent number: 9146611
    Abstract: To conserve power in a controlling device having a processing device in communication with an input element and a transmitting device the processing device is caused to be placed into a low-power state for at least a portion of a transmission inactive interval intermediate the transmission of at least a pair of command frames. The command frames are caused to be transmitted by the transmitting device in response to an activation of the input element sensed via the processing device to thereby command a functional operation of an intended target device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Arsham Hatambeiki, Christopher Lee Sommerville, Weidong William Wang
  • System and method for controlling device location determination
    Patent number: 9026141
    Abstract: A controlling device such as a remote control has programming for transmitting a signal response to a plurality of control environments, each environment including a signaling device. Each signaling device in receipt of the signal request sends a signal response having a unique ID which is chosen to be characteristically attenuated by the surroundings of the environment. Because the controlling device can only be in one environment at a given time, and given the attenuation characteristics of the signal response from each signaling device, only one signal response will be received by the controlling device in each environment. Location definitions associated with the received unique ID may be used by programming in the controlling device to recall saved devices states, commands sets, macros, and even to dynamically generate commands based on the location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Stephan de Clercq, Christopher A. Chambers, Wayne Scott, Allen Yuh, Paul D. Arling, Robert Lilleness
  • System and method for configuring controlling device functionality
    Patent number: 9019435
    Abstract: A controlling device is automatically configured to issue a communication directly to a first controllable appliance to control a functional operation of the first controllable appliance in the event that the first controllable appliance is determined to be unresponsive to a command communication transmitted to the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link or to issue a communication to a second controllable appliance to control the functional operation of the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link in the event that first controllable appliance is determined to be responsive to a command communication transmitted to the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Barnett, Arsham Hatambeiki, Rex Xu, Jesus Perez
  • System and method for using image data in connection with configuring a universal controlling device
    Patent number: 9020968
    Abstract: Data indicative of topography of an object of interest is received at a recognition system having an associated database in which is stored topography data for a plurality of reference objects each of which is cross-referenced to configuration information for a universal controlling device. The reference system uses the received data and the topography data for the plurality of reference objects to discern one or more reference objects as being a match for the object of interest. At least a subset of the configuration information that has been cross-referenced to the one or more reference objects discerned by the recognition system as being a match for the object of interest is then used to configure the universal controlling device to enable the universal controlling device to communicate commands to one or more target appliances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Lim, Joseph Lee Haughawout
  • Combat simulation gaming system
    Patent number: 9011223
    Abstract: The present invention is a system for conducting a combat simulation game in which each player is outfitted with equipment enabling data concerning the game play ability of the player to be transmitted to a local server for use in computing a player performance data for individual players in comparison with all other players having data stored within the system. The equipment transmits various data to the server which is utilized by the server to update the player performance data in a real-time manner that can be accessed and viewed by other players from remote locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Rick Jensen
  • Graphical user interface and data transfer methods in a controlling device
    Patent number: 8997002
    Abstract: A smart device is provided with a main remote control application that may be configured using information obtained from a QR code. The main remote control application may present images of original remote controls corresponding to devices which are controllable by the configured main remote control application. In connection with a presented image of an original remote control, the display may present icons that are representative of a subset of the buttons of the original remote control. The user interface also allows a user to select amongst the images of the original remote controls to change which appliances are to be controlled via the user interface. A pop-up remote control widget may also be provided which may be invoked without switching to the main remote control application provisioned on the smart device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Marcel Hilbrink, Rex Xu, Cesar Alvarado, Paul D. Arling, Patrick H. Hayes
  • System and methods for interacting with a control environment
    Patent number: 8997020
    Abstract: A system and methods for facilitation of user interactions with an electronic device. A number of user interface methods are described and may be used alone or in combination with one another to present an enhanced interface to a user. A method of providing user interaction using a compact status indicator is described. A method for providing a virtual scroll wheel to a user for interaction with content sets is described. A method for allowing a user to dynamically modify a scalable user interface is described. A method for providing gesture based input to a user via a virtual gesture pad is described. A method of providing an interactive graphic search query interface is described. A method for indicating and selecting available content type is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Chambers, Wayne Scott, Cheryl Scott, Allen Yuh, Paul D. Arling
  • Device that manages power provided to an object sensor
    Patent number: 8976114
    Abstract: A hand-held device with a sensor for providing a signal indicative of a position of the hand-held device relative to an object surface enables power to the sensor at a first time interval when the hand-held device is indicated to be in a position that is stationary and adjacent relative to the object surface, enables power to the sensor at a second time interval shorter than the first time interval when the hand-held device is indicated to be in a position that is moving and adjacent relative to the object surface, and enables power to the sensor at a third time interval when the hand-held device is determined to be in a position that is removed relative to the object surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Universal Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Brian Gates, Jeremy K. Black