BACKGROUND

Dedicated remote controls capable of controlling the operation of consumer electronic devices for receiving voice input, via use of a keypress to activate a microphone, are well known in the art and are generally each capable of controlling the operation of one type of consumer electronic device. Such a dedicated remote control is intended to primarily control the functional operations of a consumer electronic device associated with a consumer brand name. For example, a dedicated Apple brand Siri remote control for an Apple TV brand video streamer can use voice input to control the operations for volume, play, pause, rewind, stop, etc. via use of proprietary communication protocols. These dedicated remotes typically only work with the associated product that they are bundled with and lack the capability to work with other voice controlled consumer electronic devices. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a controlling device that allows a user to use voice commands to control a plurality of different types of voice controlled consumer electronic devices from a plurality of consumer brand names.

SUMMARY

Described hereinafter are examples of an apparatus, a system and a method that provides for the use of voice commands to control the operation of a plurality of different voice controlled consumer electronic devices and, more particularly, to a controlling device for use in routing a signal, based on voice input from the user, to two or more voice controlled consumer electronic devices, (hereafter referred to as “smart appliances”), from different consumer brand names.

In one example, the controlling device is used to provide formatted voice data to two or more smart appliances. The functional components of the controlling device include: an electronic storage medium having processor-readable code embodied therein for storing a plurality of device profiles, where each device profile comprises a formatting protocol for formatting voice commands received from a user in conformity with a protocol used by a particular smart appliance; a first communication interface for transmitting the formatted voice commands to at least one of the two or more smart appliances; a microphone for receiving voice input from a user; and a processor coupled to the electronic storage medium, the communication interface, and the microphone for executing the processor-readable code.

In operation, the processor-readable code causes the processor of the controlling device to: receive a first voice command via the microphone; the processor is used to determine a first smart appliance to which the first voice command is intended; identify a first formatting protocol in the electronic storage medium which is associated with the first smart appliance; format the voice command into a formatted voice command in conformance with the first formatting protocol; and transmit via the communication interface the formatted voice command to the first smart appliance.

A method is also described for providing formatted voice data to two or more smart appliances which is performed by a controlling device working in cooperation with a smart appliance where the processor of the controlling device receives, via a microphone, a first voice command from a user. The processor then determines a first smart appliance for which the voice commands is intended and identifies a first formatting protocol which is stored in an electronic storage medium and which is associated with the first smart appliance. The processor then formats the received voice command in conformance with a first formatting protocol and sends the formatted voice command to the first smart appliance via use of a communication interface. Similarly, the processor may identify a second smart appliance and send the formatted voice command to that smart appliance where in some embodiments the protocol is a proprietary protocol, a Voice over IP protocol, etc.

Also described is a method for providing formatted voice data to two or more smart appliances which is performed by a controlling device working in cooperation with a smart appliance where the processor of the controlling device receives, via a communication interface, an identification of one or more smart appliances from a smart appliance that is coupled to the controlling device. In this method, the appliance identification may include a predetermined wake-word associated with the smart appliance identification. The processor of the controlling device may store the smart appliance identification in a coupled electronic storage medium and the processor may receive at least a wake-word and a voice command from a user via use of a microphone coupled to the processor of the controlling device. The processor then determines a smart appliance identification, which is stored in the electronic storage medium, which corresponds to the received wake-word and the predetermined wake-word and where the predetermined and received wake-words match. The processor then sends the voice command to the intended smart appliance vis use of a communication interface. In some embodiments, the wake-word may be an alphanumeric consumer brand name, alphanumeric code, user dictation, etc. as needed for the particular application.

Another method is described for providing formatted voice data to two or more smart appliances, which is performed by a controlling device working in cooperation with a smart appliance. This method includes receiving, by a processor of the controlling device, via the microphone, a voice command from a user, transmitting, by the processor of the controlling device, via a communication interface, an HDMI input status request to a coupled smart appliance in response to receiving the voice command, receiving, by the processor of the smart appliance, via a communication interface of the smart appliance, the HDMI input status request whereupon the processor of the smart appliance is caused to detect an active HDMI input, the active HDMI input comprising a signal from an appliance presently being presented by the smart appliance, determine an appliance identification associated with the active HDMI input, send, via the communication interface of the smart appliance, the smart appliance identification to the controlling device at which point the processor of the controlling device receives, via the communication interface of the controlling device, the smart appliance identification and formats the voice command in accordance with a formatting protocol stored in an electronic storage medium of the controlling device associated with the appliance identification.

A system for providing formatted voice data to two or more smart appliances which is performed by a smart appliance in cooperation with a coupled remote server and a controlling device is also described. The system may include a smart appliance, having a processor readable code that causes the smart appliance to: receive a first voice command via a communication interface from a controlling device; format the voice command in conformance with a first formatting protocol; transmit, via the communication interface, the formatted voice command to a remote server where the processor of the remote server receives the formatted voice command, via a communication interface, and uses the voice command to determine a first appliance to which the first voice command is intended; receive a determination of a first appliance for which the voice command is intended from the remote server, via a communication interface, and to transmit, via the communication interface, the formatted voice command to the intended smart appliance.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the subject systems and methods will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth illustrative examples and which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention hereinafter claimed may be employed.

