A system displays a representation of an original equipment remote control device for a target device to be controlled using a macro button of a configurable controlling device. The displayed representation of the original equipment remote control device includes representations of buttons that would be used on the original equipment remote control device to control controllable functions of the target device. The system accepts input by which one or more of the displayed representations of buttons are selected. The macro button is then configured whereby an activation of the macro button will cause a transmission of commands from the configurable controlling device to control those controllable functions of the target devices that correspond to the one or more of the displayed representations of buttons that were selected.

Improved systems and techniques are disclosed for controlling the security states of anti theft security systems such as product display assemblies using security fobs. The tasks relating to fob authentication are offloaded to a computer system, and these authentications can be based on identifiers for the different security fobs. The computer system can maintain a list of identifiers for authorized security fobs that is easily updated when new security fobs are added to or existing security fobs are de-authorized from the system.

A method includes receiving, by a first computing device (110) and from a second computing device (118), using a short-range wireless communication unit of the first computing device (110), data including state information of the second computing device (118) and identification information for the second computing device (118). The method also includes, responsive to a distance between the first computing device (110) and the second computing device (118) satisfying a threshold distance, determining a particular template graphical user interface from a plurality of template graphical user interfaces. The method also includes determining one or more operations the second computing device (118) is configured to perform. The method further includes outputting a graphical user interface (114) associated with the remote computing device (118). The method includes receiving a user input selecting a particular graphical element (130, 132, 134) of the graphical user interface (114) and transmitting, to the second computing device (118), an indication of an operation corresponding to the particular graphical element.

A method of joining a lighting device (3′) to a network (2) and pairing the lighting device with a remote control device (7), the method comprising: transmitting a joining code to one or more lighting devices (3′) using an electromagnetic radiation signal (31); selecting a lighting device (3′) to be joined to a network (2) and paired with a remote control device (7) by directing a directional beam of electromagnetic radiation (30) onto a sensor (2) of a lighting device (3′); in response to receipt of the directional beam of electromagnetic radiation and of the joining code from the electromagnetic radiation signal, by the selected device, joining the selected device to the network if the received joining code is an access code for the network and pairing the joined device (3) with a remote control device (7) such that the joined device is controllable, on the network, by the remote control device (7).

An environment is provided that allows a user deemed likely to control an electronic device to preferentially control the electronic device (10) without requiring a cumbersome preliminary operation such as assignment of a priority to each user when multiple users remotely control the electronic device (10), using respective control terminals (30). When additional control information is issued from one of the control terminals (30) to the electronic device (10), whether content of the additional control information should be notified to each of the other control terminals (10) is determined on the basis of previous control information, and the content of the additional control information is notified to each of the control terminals for which notification has been determined to be necessary.

A remote control apparatus is provided. The remote control apparatus includes a directional antenna, a communicator, and a processor configured to, based on a wireless signal being received from an external device through the directional antenna, identify an angle at which the wireless signal is received, based on the angle being within a predetermine range, obtain identification information of the external device by parsing the wireless signal, based on the identification information, identify whether the external device is registered to a server and based on identifying that the external device is not registered to the server, transmit a signal for requesting registration to the external device through the communicator.

In accordance with some implementations of the disclosed subject matter, mechanisms for providing a remote control interface are provided. In some implementations, a method for providing a remote control interface is provided, the method comprising: receiving an image of a user input interface associated with a media playback device; identifying the user input interface from a plurality of user input interfaces based on image recognition; determining a code library associated with the identified user input interface; and transmitting the code library to a mobile device that provided the image of the user input interface, wherein the code library allows a mobile device to control the media playback device.

A system and method whereby an user interface editing device is used to create a user interface for a controlling device, the created user interface including user interface elements that are associated with functional operations of a virtual equivalent of an appliance. After the created user interface is transferred to the controlling device, the virtual equivalent of an appliance is caused to be linked to an intended target appliance whereupon activation of those user interface elements of the graphical user interface that were associated with functional operations of the virtual equivalent of an appliance will cause the controlling device to transmit commands to control corresponding functional operations of the intended target appliance.

A universal programming station with orientable blocks includes several blocks that can have variable orientations on a support. The orientations of the blocks determine programming instructions applicable to various devices. Such a programming station is intuitive and can be used easily. Moreover, connecting the station with a management platform, via a communication network, promotes the universal character of same with respect to the devices to be programmed.

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.