A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a touchscreen; a memory configured to store access point (AP) information; a 1.sup.st wireless communication unit configured to perform a communication with an AP (access point); and a controller configured to control a user interface for remotely controlling an external device to be displayed on the touchscreen or to be in a displayable state when the AP connected to the 1.sup.st wireless communication unit matches the stored AP information.

In response to a detected presence of an intended target appliance within a logical topography of controllable appliances identity information associated with the intended target appliance is used to automatically add to a graphical user interface of a controlling device an icon representative of the intended target appliance and to create at a Universal Control Engine a listing of communication methods for use in controlling corresponding functional operations of the intended target appliance. When the icon is later activated, the controlling device is placed into an operating state appropriate for controlling functional operations of the intended target appliance while the Universal Control Engine uses at least one of the communication methods to transmit at least one command to place the intended target appliance into a predetermined operating state.

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances provides an interactive instruction set and associated programming which is downloadable to a controllable appliance having an associated display, such as an Internet enabled television. The programming is accessible by the controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions from the interactive instruction set to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for setting up the controlling device to communicate commands to another controllable device (e.g., a DVD, VCR, DVR, etc).

Embodiments utilize a camera on a universal remote control to automatically detect which device the remote is pointed at by the user. The image captured by the camera is compared to a database of images of known or preconfigured devices that can be controlled by the universal remote control. If the image captured by the camera matches an image in the database, then the universal remote control loads a specific key map for the preconfigured device from the database.

Disclosed is a universal remote control device including a display to provide a graphical unit interface (GUI), a controller configured to process registration requests from state machines associated with remotely controllable appliances and to manage control data transfer to and from the state machines responsive to the registration requests, and a communication module to enable communications between the device and the state machines. Additionally disclosed is a graphics interface unit (GUI) implementable on a display of a computing device operable to remotely control a plurality of appliances. The GUI includes a screen area on the display to display output information, and a plurality of sections on the display to simultaneously display input selection functions associated with different levels of a hierarchical arrangement of control functions for the plurality of appliances.

A television and system and method for providing a remote control device are disclosed. In one embodiment of the television, the television includes a processor, a memory, a tuner, a panel, and an audio driver therein in an interconnected architecture. The television may establish a pairing with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, such as a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device having a touch screen display, whereby formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions, including virtual buttons, may be transmitted to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device for display on the touch screen display to create an experience parallel to the experience on the television. The television receives and processes virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to control amenities associated with the television.

A device control method, a server, a system and a computer storage medium are provided. The method includes: receiving account information, a device identifier and a device control instruction sent by a user terminal (S101); acquiring a universal infrared controller identifier corresponding to the device identifier, and infrared pulse parameters corresponding to the device control instruction (S102); sending the infrared pulse parameters to the universal infrared controller corresponding to the universal infrared controller identifier through a home gateway corresponding to the account information; wherein the infrared pulse parameters are provided for the universal infrared controller to generate an infrared pulse instruction used to control a device corresponding to the device identifier to execute a corresponding operation (S103).

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user.

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.

A bridge device, in communication with a smart device, functions to command one or more controllable appliances in response to communications received from the smart device. The bridge device also includes input elements by which the bridge device can be used to directly command common functional operations of the one or more controllable appliances. In this manner, common functional operations, such as volume control, playback pause/resume control, etc., may be made readily available without necessitating the use of the smart device, whilst the more sophisticated GUI provided by the smart device remote control app may be advantageously utilized when more complex or less frequently used command functions are to be performed.