U.S. patent application number 10/782093 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-19 for alarm clock with remote control function.
This patent application is currently assigned to Computime, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Auyang, Bernard, Ha, Wai-leung.
Application Number | 20040160337 10/782093 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24559618 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040160337 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Auyang, Bernard ; et
al. |
August 19, 2004 |
Alarm clock with remote control function
Abstract
The present invention provides an alarm clock remote control
system and a remote control system with an alarm clock system with
alarm clock circuitry that includes: a microprocessor, coupled to
the alarm clock activation circuitry, remote IR diode driving
circuitry, an internal buzzer, an alarm, a display, and a plurality
of input ports and output ports, for providing central control; the
display, coupled to the microprocessor, for displaying at least one
of: a current time and an alarm time; a speaker, coupled to the
microprocessor, the AM/FM radio unit, the internal buzzer, and the
alarm, for outputting selected audio; an AM/FM radio tuner, and
clock setup circuitry, alarm setup and activation circuitry coupled
to the microprocessor for setting the clock, setting the alarm, and
activating at least one remote device; and a programmable universal
infrared remote device control, coupled to the alarm clock
circuitry, for remote programming at least one remote device, and
having activation circuitry for activating the at least one remote
device.
Inventors: |
Auyang, Bernard; (Hong Kong,
HK) ; Ha, Wai-leung; (Stanley, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BANNER & WITCOFF, LTD.
TEN SOUTH WACKER DRIVE
SUITE 3000
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
Computime, Ltd.
Kowloon
HK
|
Family ID: |
24559618 |
Appl. No.: |
10/782093 |
Filed: |
February 17, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10782093 |
Feb 17, 2004 |
|
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|
09638336 |
Aug 14, 2000 |
|
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6714136 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
340/4.37 ;
368/10; 368/12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04G 13/021 20130101;
G04G 13/028 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/825.24 ;
368/010; 368/012; 340/825.72 |
International
Class: |
G05B 019/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An alarm clock remote control system, comprising: alarm clock
circuitry including: a microprocessor, coupled to alarm clock
activation circuitry, remote IR diode driving circuitry, an
internal buzzer, an alarm, a display, and a plurality of input
ports and output ports, for providing central control; the display,
coupled to the microprocessor, for displaying at least one of: a
current time and an alarm time; a speaker, coupled to the
microprocessor, an AM/FM radio unit, the internal buzzer, and the
alarm, for outputting selected audio; an AM/FM radio tuner; and
clock setup circuitry, alarm setup and activation circuitry coupled
to the microprocessor for setting the clock, setting the alarm, and
activating at least one remote device; and a programmable universal
infrared remote device control, coupled to the alarm clock
circuitry, for remote programming the at least one remote device,
and having activation circuitry for activating the at least one
remote device.
2. The alarm clock remote control system of claim 1 wherein the
display is one of: a light emitting diode and an LCD display.
3. The alarm clock remote control system of claim 1 wherein the
remote device is one of a plurality of remote devices controllable
by the alarm clock remote control system.
4. The alarm clock remote control system of claim 3 wherein the
plurality of remote devices includes at least one of: a television,
a video cassette recorder, an electronic device tuner, a compact
disk player, a video compact disk player, a digital video/versatile
disk player, and a video cassette recorder.
5. The alarm clock remote control system of claim 1 wherein the
selected audio is at least one of: a ringing alarm, a buzzer
output, and output of the AM/FM radio unit.
6. A remote control system that includes an alarm clock system,
comprising: alarm clock circuitry including: a microprocessor,
coupled to alarm clock activation circuitry, remote IR diode
driving circuitry, an internal buzzer, an alarm, a display, and a
plurality of input ports and output ports, for providing central
control; the display, coupled to the microprocessor, for displaying
at least one of: a current time and an alarm time; a speaker,
coupled to the microprocessor, an AM/FM radio unit, the internal
buzzer, and the alarm, for outputting selected audio; an AM/FM
radio tuner; and clock setup circuitry, alarm setup and activation
circuitry coupled to the microprocessor for setting the clock,
setting the alarm, and activating at least one remote device; and a
programmable universal infrared remote device control, coupled to
the alarm clock circuitry, for remote programming the at least one
remote device, and having activation circuitry for activating the
at least one remote device.
7. The remote control system of claim 6 wherein the display is one
of: a light emitting diode and an LCD display.
8. The remote control system of claim 6 wherein the remote device
is one of a plurality of remote devices controllable by the remote
control system.
9. The remote control system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of
remote devices includes at least one of: a television, a video
cassette recorder, an electronic device tuner, a compact disk
player, a video compact disk player, a digital video/versatile disk
player, and a video cassette recorder.
10. The remote control system of claim 6 wherein the selected audio
is at least one of: a ringing alarm, a buzzer output, and output of
the AM/FM radio unit.
11. A remote control alarm system, comprising: a
microprocessor/microcontr- oller, coupled to alarm activation
circuitry, a remote controller alarm triggering unit, an alarm, a
display, and a plurality of input ports and output ports, for
providing central control; the display, coupled to the
microprocessor/microcontroller, for displaying at least one of: a
current time and an alarm time; a speaker, coupled to the
microprocessor/microcon- troller, for outputting selected audio;
and the microprocessor/microcontro- ller, and alarm setup and
activation circuitry coupled to the remote controller alarm
triggering unit for setting the alarm, and activating at least one
remote device of a plurality of remote devices, wherein, the
microprocessor/microcontroller signals the remote controller alarm
triggering unit to trigger activation of one of the plurality of
remote devices.
12. The remote control alarm system of claim 11 wherein the display
is one of: a light emitting diode and an LCD display.
13. The remote control alarm system of claim 11 wherein the
plurality of remote devices includes at least one of: a television,
a video cassette recorder, an electronic device tuner, a compact
disk player, a video compact disk player, a digital video/versatile
disk player, and a video cassette recorder.
14. The alarm clock remote control system of claim 1, wherein the
programmable universal infrared remote device control further
comprises an input device having a plurality of input elements, and
wherein the alarm clock remote control system is programmed to
control the at least one remote devices by a user depressing at
least one of the plurality of input elements.
15. The remote control system of claim 6, wherein the programmable
universal infrared remote device control further comprises an input
device having a plurality of input elements, and wherein the alarm
clock remote control system is programmed to control the at least
one remote devices by a user depressing at least one of the
plurality of input elements.
16. A remote control alarm system of claim 11, wherein the
microprocessor/microcontroller is further coupled to an input
device having a plurality of input elements, and wherein the remote
control alarm system is programmed to control the at least one
remote device by a user depressing at least one of the plurality of
input elements.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of common-owned,
co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/638,336 ("Alarm Clock with
Remote Control Function"), naming Bernard Auyang and Wai-leung Ha
as inventors and filed Aug. 14, 2000.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
alarm clocks, and more particularly, to an alarm clock with a
universal infrared remote home device controller.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Alarm clocks have been used for a long time to awaken
sleepers, in particular to help them begin their work days. Alarm
clocks coupled with radio functions have been used to awaken people
more gently, using music from a favorite radio station. However,
the music being played by the radio station may be sleep-inducing,
and thus the alarm function may be frustrated. The snooze function
may aid in alleviating the problem of waking the sleeper, but sound
sleepers may inactive both the clock alarm and the snooze alarm,
resulting in the sleeper's oversleeping.
[0004] Where the individual has home entertainment devices that he
wishes to enjoy until a predetermined bedtime, he would find it
beneficial to have a preset time for inactivation of the selected
home entertainment device or devices so that he could sleep more
comfortably during his normal sleeping time. Though the alarm clock
serves as a wake up assistant for most people, such a device should
provide further capabilities for remote home entertainment device
management to facilitate everyday living. Thus, there is a need for
an alarm clock that may conveniently provide, in addition to alarm
clock functions, infrared remote home device management for a
plurality of home devices, including entertainment devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides an alarm clock remote control
system that includes alarm clock circuitry with a microprocessor
that is coupled to the alarm clock circuitry, the remote IR diode
driving circuitry, an internal buzzer, an alarm, a display, and a
plurality of input ports and output ports, and is used for
providing central control. The system uses a display for
displaying, as selected, a current time or an alarm time. A speaker
that is coupled to the microprocessor is also coupled to an AM/FM
radio unit, an internal buzzer, and the alarm, and outputs selected
audio. An AM/FM radio tuner may be used to tune a radio to a
particular station so that it may be activated at a chosen time.
Clock setup circuitry, alarm setup, and activation circuitry are
coupled to the microprocessor and are used for setting the clock,
setting the alarm, and activating at least one remote device.
[0006] A programmable universal infrared remote device control is
coupled to the alarm clock circuitry and may be used for remote
programming of at least one remote device. The remote device
control includes activation circuitry for activating the at least
one remote device. Typically, the display is a light emitting diode
or an LCD display. The remote devices activated may be any of a
plurality of remote devices that are controllable by the alarm
clock remote control system, such as a television, a video cassette
recorder, an electronic device tuner, a compact disk player, a
video compact disk player, a digital video/versatile disk player,
and/or a video cassette recorder. In one embodiment, a remote
device setup mode is activated/powered up by pressing the remote
power and remote sleep/off buttons simultaneously. A channel
increment button, a channel decrement button, a volume increment
button and a volume decrement button may be used to provide a
predetermined four part code entry that identifies a selected
remote device. The selected audio to be output from the speaker may
be a ringing alarm, a buzzer output, and/or output of the AM/FM
radio unit.
[0007] The present invention may also be described as a remote
control system that includes an alarm clock system wherein the
alarm clock system has a microprocessor, coupled to the alarm clock
circuitry, the remote IR diode driving circuitry, an internal
buzzer, an alarm, a display, and a plurality of input ports and
output ports, for providing central control, the display, coupled
to the microprocessor, for displaying at least one of: a current
time and an alarm time; a speaker, coupled to the microprocessor,
the AM/FM radio unit, the internal buzzer, and the alarm, for
outputting selected audio; an AM/FM radio tuner, clock setup
circuitry, alarm setup and activation circuitry coupled to the
microprocessor for setting the clock, setting the alarm, and
activating at least one remote device; and a programmable universal
infrared remote device control, coupled to the alarm clock
circuitry, for remote programming at least one remote device, and
having activation circuitry for activating the at least one remote
device.
[0008] The display for the remote control system is generally a
light emitting diode or an LCD display, and the remote device may
be any of a plurality of remote devices controllable by the remote
control system such as a television, a video cassette recorder, an
electronic device tuner, a compact disk player, a video compact
disk player, a digital video/versatile disk player, and/or a video
cassette recorder. In one embodiment, the remote device setup mode
is activated/powered up by pressing the remote power and remote
sleep/off buttons simultaneously. A channel increment button, a
channel decrement button, a volume increment button and a volume
decrement button may be used to provide a predetermined four part
code entry that identifies a selected remote device. The selected
audio may be a ringing alarm, a buzzer output, or output of the
AM/FM radio unit.
[0009] In one embodiment, the invention includes a remote control
alarm system with a microprocessor/microcontroller, coupled to
alarm activation circuitry, a remote controller alarm triggering
unit, an alarm, a display, and a plurality of input ports and
output ports, for providing central control. The display is coupled
to the microprocessor/ microcontroller and is used for displaying
at least one of: a current time and an alarm time. The speaker is
coupled to the microprocessor/microcontroller and used for
outputting selected audio. The microprocessor/microcontroller, and
alarm setup and activation circuitry are coupled to the remote
controller alarm triggering unit for setting the alarm, and
activating at least one remote device of a plurality of remote
devices, wherein, the microprocessor/microcontroller signals the
remote controller alarm triggering unit to trigger activation of
one of the plurality of remote devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a one embodiment of a flow diagram of an alarm ON
handling routine in accordance with the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is one embodiment of a clock checking routine in
accordance with the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of a
control switching system with alarm setup and activate circuitry
and a programmable universal infrared remote control for at least
one remote device with circuitry to activate the remote home
device/devices during alarm activation, a display and controlled
elements that are coupled to a microprocessor for the alarm
clock.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of an
infrared diode driving circuitry in accordance with the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an
alarm clock with a remote function in accordance with the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of a
control switching system having two microcontroller/microprocessor
units with alarm setup and activate circuitry for controlling at
least one remote device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The present invention provides an electronically-operated
alarm clock that includes infrared remote control management for a
plurality of home devices. The alarm clock typically includes a
microprocessor, a display (such as an LED or LCD display), a
speaker, an AM/FM radio tuner, clock setup circuitry including an
alarm setup and activate circuitry, a programmable universal
infrared remote control for at least one device that includes
circuitry to activate the remote home device/devices during alarm
activation. The Alarm Clock with Remote Control Function, denoted
hereafter as Alarm Clock Remote, is an alarm clock with a universal
infrared remote controller. The Alarm Clock Remote can function as
a universal remote control for one or more remote devices, and also
as an alarm clock that can turn on/off the internal alarm and/or
radio. The invention can turn on/off at least one specified remote
home device such as a television (TV), a video cassette recorder
(VCR), an electronic device tuner, a compact disk (CD) player, a
video compact disk (VCD) player, a digital video/versatile disk
(DVD) player and/or any other home devices remote from the alarm
clock, where the home device may accept input from an infrared
remote control.
[0017] FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a flow diagram of steps of an
alarm ON handling routine in accordance with the present invention.
First, the alarm is switched ON 102. Then, the microprocessor
routine checks to see if the alarm flag is in an ON position 104.
Where the alarm flag indicates that the alarm is ON, the
microprocessor routine checks to determine whether the
buzzer/ringing alarm flag is set to ON 106. Where the
buzzer/ringing alarm flag is set to ON, the microprocessor turns on
the buzzer/alarm 108, and the routine returns 120 to a ready
position wherein the routine start may be triggered 102. Where the
buzzer/ringing alarm flag fails to be set to ON, the microprocessor
determines whether a radio alarm flag is set to ON 110. Where the
radio alarm flag is set to ON, the microprocessor turns the radio
on 112, then the routine returns 120 to a ready position wherein
the routine start may be triggered 102. Where the radio alarm flag
fails to be ON, the remote alarm has been set to ON 113. The
microprocessor picks up/processes 114 a current device set code
that is input by the four buttons: .+-.channel and .+-.volume and
uses a look-up table 116 to determine which remote device is to be
activated. Upon determining the remote device to be activated, the
microprocessor sends an infrared signal 118 to the selected remote
device to activate it and then the routine returns 120 to a ready
position wherein the routine start may be triggered 102.
[0018] FIG. 2 is one embodiment of a clock checking routine which
runs every minute in accordance with the present invention. The
microprocessor utilizes the internal real-time clock update 202 to
determine whether to activate the alarm. An update display is shown
204 on the display unit. The microprocessor checks to see whether
the alarm is set to ON 206. Where the alarm fails to be set to ON,
the microprocessor proceeds to return 212 to running the internal
real-time clock update again. Where the alarm is set to ON, the
microprocessor determines whether the current time is the same time
as the time set for the alarm to be activated 208. Where the
current time fails to be the same time as the time set for the
alarm to be activated, the microprocessor proceeds to return 212 to
running the internal real-time clock update again. Where the
current time is the time set for the alarm to be activated, the
microprocessor sets the alarm flag to ON 210, which activates the
alarm/buzzer.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of a
control switching system with alarm setup and activate circuitry
and a programmable universal infrared remote control for at least
one remote device with circuitry to activate the remote home
device/devices during alarm activation, a display and controlled
elements that are coupled to a microprocessor for the alarm clock.
The microprocessor unit (MCU) 302 is coupled to a display 304,
which may, for example, be an LED display. A plurality of switches
312, which may, for example include an alarm switch SW1, a time
switch SW2, a sleep switch SW3, a snooze switch SW4, an AM/FM radio
switch SW5, a remote power switch SW6, a remote sleep switch SW7,
an hour switch SW8, a minute switch SW9, a volume increment (V+)
switch SW10, a volume decrement (V-) switch SW11, a channel
increment (Ch+) switch SW12, a channel decrement (Ch-) switch SW13,
a first switch A for a first selectable remote device SW14, a
second switch B for a second selectable remote device SW15, and a
third switch C for a third selectable remote device SW16. Clearly,
many other configurations of switches may be used. The desired
switches may be selected to activate/deactivate or
increment/decrement settings and devices as selected. Each of the
plurality of switches is configured to have an input port to
receive signals from the MCU and an output port to provide output
signals to the MCU 302. In accordance with the switch activated,
the MCU 302 sends ON/OFF control signals to the AM/FM radio 306,
the remote IR diode circuitry 308 or the internal buzzer/alarm
310.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of an
infrared diode driving circuitry 308 in accordance with the present
invention. Upon receiving an ON/OFF control signal from the MCU
302, the remote IR diode driving circuitry activates the IR1 402,
IR2 404 and/or IR3 406 LEDs in accordance with a predetermined
scheme that sends an infrared signal to the remote device selected
via the four buttons: Channel+ (channel increment button), Channel-
(channel decrement button), Volume+ (volume increment button) and
Volume- (volume decrement button).
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an
alarm clock with a remote function in accordance with the present
invention. The alarm clock 500 includes a time/alarm button 502
that is used to toggle between the time and alarm mode of
operation. When the time/alarm button 502 is first pressed, the
device enters the alarm mode. As is known in the art, the hour
button 504 and minute button 506 are then used for setting the time
for activation of the alarm, whereupon the display 526 shows the
alarm time. In one embodiment, the alarm may include an internal
buzzer or ringing alarm, AM/FM radio activation circuitry and at
least one remote device alarm that may be activated as described
below. The time/alarm button 502 is used to toggle the device back
and forth from a current time mode to the alarm and sleep/off mode.
In the time mode, the display 526 shows the current time in hours
and minutes, which are adjustable using the hour button 504 and the
minute button 506. In the alarm mode, the alarm activation time,
radio activation time and remote device activation time may be set
by the hour and minute buttons, sequentially as set forth in
greater particularity below. In an alternate embodiment, upon
selection of the alarm mode, the alarm activation time may be set,
the time/alarm button 502 may be depressed to advance to the radio
activation mode in which the radio activation time may be set, the
time/alarm button 502 may be depressed again to advance to a first
remote device mode in which the first remote device activation time
may be set, and so forth for a predetermined number of remote
device mode activations. Where desired, as shown in FIG. 5, there
may be a plurality of LEDs 522, for example, aligned immediately
above or next to a name of each remote device, wherein the LED for
the remote device being activated or deactivated lights up.
[0022] The hour button 504 is used to change the hour setting of
the current time, alarm time and/or sleep/off time. When the hour
button 504 is pressed, the current hour setting is advanced by one
hour. If the hour button 504 is pressed down for more than a first
predetermined time, e.g., two seconds, a fast mode is entered, and
the hour setting is advanced at a first predetermined rate, e.g., a
rate of one hour per second.
[0023] When the minute button 506 is pressed, the minute setting of
the current time, alarm time or sleep/off time may be changed,
i.e., the time in minutes will be advanced one minute from the
current setting. If the minute button 506 is pressed down for more
than a second predetermined time, e.g., two seconds, a fast mode is
entered, and the minute setting will be advanced at a predetermined
rate, e.g., a rate of four minutes per second.
[0024] When the sleep/off button 508 is pressed, the sleep/off
setup mode is entered. The display 526 will show the sleep/off
time, and the hour button 504 and minute button 506 will be used
for sleep/off time setup. When the sleep/off button 508 is pressed
again, it will toggle between the sleep/off mode being ON and OFF.
The process of setting the sleep/off settings follows the same
scheme as shown for the alarm routine shown in FIG. 1, except that,
rather than setting the alarm activation, the sleep/off activation
is being set.
[0025] When the snooze button 524 is ON, the snooze button 524
stops the alarm ringer/buzzer for a predetermined time. In one
embodiment, the snooze button 524 turns off the alarm ringer/buzzer
for 10 minutes, after which time the alarm buzzer and/or radio are
again activated. Clearly, the predetermined time for snoozing may
the manufacturer select any convenient time.
[0026] For convenience, the volume adjust knob 532 may be used to
adjust the volume for either the alarm buzzer volume or the radio
volume, where the alarm buzzer or radio may be selected using the
switch 530 next to the volume adjust knob 532. The AM/FM selection
switch 536 is used to select the AM or FM mode of the radio. The
AM/FM tuning knob 534 for the radio channel is used to tune to the
desired radio channel, as indicated on the AM/FM channels indicator
528. A remote power button 510 may be used to turn the power on and
off for the remote device. The remote sleep/off button 512 may be
used to set the TV or other selected remote device so that the
power is shut off for the selected remote device at a preselected
sleep time. In addition, a Channel+ button 514 may be used to
advance the channel setting for the TV (or go to a next musical
selection on a CD) and a Channel- button 516 may be used to
decrement a channel setting for the TV (or decrement to a prior
musical selection on a CD).
[0027] When the user desires to power up a remote device, pressing
the remote power and remote sleep/off buttons simultaneously will
activate a remote device setup mode, or the remote device may be
activated using the scheme shown in FIG. 1, which is described with
more particularity below. In the remote device setup mode, the
Channel+ button 514, the Channel- button 516, the Volume+ button
518 and the Volume- button 520 may be used for remote device
selection. A combination of the Channel+, Channel-, Volume+ and
Volume- buttons will form a unique code for each remote device. The
remote device selection is completed by the input of the fourth
code entry. Then the microprocessor will use the unique code to
look up each function key code for the remote control device.
[0028] When the time/alarm button 502 is used to set the alarm to
the ON mode, the microprocessor checks the current time with the
alarm time. Where the current time is equal to the alarm setup
time, the alarm is triggered. If the alarm mode is set to an
internal alarm, i.e., a buzzer and/or radio, the internal trigger
circuitry for the buzzer and/or radio will be activated. The
internal alarm can be turned off by pressing the snooze button or
the sleep/off button. If the alarm mode is set to activate the
remote device, the remote device will be turned on by sending an
infrared (IR) signal that simulates the power button, thus
activating the remote device. When the remote device has been
activated by the IR signal, the remote device can be turned off
manually or by pressing the remote sleep/off button to activate the
sleep/off process and using the hour button and minute button to
set the sleep/off time.
[0029] In one embodiment, when a process is activated, an LED next
to each button may light up to indicate that the button has
activated a process or may be unlit to indicate that the process is
inactive.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of a
control switching system having two microcontroller/microprocessor
units 602, 604 with alarm setup and activate circuitry for
controlling at least one remote device. The
microcontroller/microprocessor unit (MCU) 602, e.g., a radio clock
controller, is coupled to a display unit 606, which may, for
example, be an LCD display and a power supply 610. A plurality of
switches 608, which may, for example, include a snooze switch SW10,
an alarm switch SW11, a time switch SW12, a sleep switch SW13, an
hour switch SW14, and/or a minute switch SW15, may also be coupled
to the MCU 602. Clearly, many other configurations of switches may
be used. The desired switches may be selected to
activate/deactivate or increment/decrement settings and devices as
selected. Each of the plurality of switches is configured to be
activated or inactivated by signals from the MCU 602. In this
embodiment, an output from the alarm/radio controller MCU 602 is
coupled to an input of the remote control MCU 604 (universal remote
controller). Where the user sets up the alarm mode as a remote
alarm, the remote control MCU 604 is activated, and the remote
control MCU 604 looks up the preset device and sends out a power
signal to activate the selected remote device. Similar to the
procedure shown in Figure I, where the remote alarm has been set to
ON 113, the universal remote microcontroller 604 determines which
remote device is to be activated and sends a signal to the selected
remote device to activate it. The universal remote controller 604
may also be coupled to a power supply 610 and a plurality of
switches such as, for example, a power switch 900, a volume
increment switch (Vol+) 901, a volume decrement switch (Vol-) 902,
a channel increment switch (Ch+) 903, a channel decrement switch
(CH-) 904, and/or a mute switch 905, that may be activated by the
universal remote controller 604.
[0031] Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the invention may include a remote
control alarm system with circuitry including: a
microprocessor/microcont- roller 602 (radio clock controller),
coupled to alarm activation circuitry (circuitry for 608), a
speaker 612, a remote controller alarm triggering unit 604
(universal remote controller), an alarm (at switch S11), a display
606, and a plurality of input ports and output ports 614, for
providing central control; the display 606, coupled to the
microprocessor/microcontroller 602, for displaying at least one of:
a current time and an alarm time; the speaker 612, coupled to the
microprocessor/microcontroller, for outputting selected audio; the
microprocessor/microcontroller 602, and alarm setup and activation
circuitry 616 coupled to the remote controller alarm triggering
unit 604 for setting the alarm, and activating at least one remote
device of a plurality of remote devices; and wherein, the
microprocessor/microcontrol- ler 602 signals the remote controller
alarm triggering unit 604 to trigger activation of one of the
plurality of remote devices. Again, the display is typically a
light emitting diode or an LCD display. The plurality of remote
devices generally includes at least one of: a television, a video
cassette recorder, an electronic device tuner, a compact disk
player, a video compact disk player, a digital video/versatile disk
player, and a video cassette recorder.
[0032] Although the present invention has been described in
relation to particular preferred embodiments thereof, many
variations, equivalents, modifications and other uses will become
apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore,
that the present invention be limited not by the specific
disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
* * * * *