Commercial TV Dongle Virtual Remote Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The hospitality lodging industry faces challenges in providing enhanced content in an easy-to-use platform for commercial televisions while managing costs, especially in a competitive market where upgrading equipment across all rooms is costly.
Innovation Solution
A commercial television-interfacing dongle with a wireless transceiver, processor, memory, storage, control interface, and USB interface is used to connect with a wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, enabling remote control functionality and access to a program guide, thereby providing enhanced content and control to commercial televisions without the need for additional remote controls or costly set-top boxes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If enhanced content and control features are provided to commercial televisions, then guest experience is improved, but equipment upgrade costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dongle as an intermediary device that connects between the existing commercial television and the enhanced content delivery system. This dongle receives content from external sources, processes it locally, and outputs to the television, thereby avoiding the need to replace the entire television system while still providing enhanced functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the television system into separate functional components: the existing commercial television handles display output, while the dongle handles content reception, processing, and control. This segmentation allows the television to remain unchanged while the dongle provides enhanced features, reducing overall system upgrade costs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If costly set-top boxes or additional remote controls are deployed, then enhanced content delivery is achieved, but equipment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dongle is designed as a universal device that can interface with various commercial television models and support multiple content delivery formats. It consolidates functions that would otherwise require separate set-top boxes, remote controls, and other equipment into a single multi-functional unit, reducing the total quantity of equipment needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functions (content reception, processing, control signaling, and output to television) into a single dongle device. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate equipment pieces such as set-top boxes and additional remote controls, thereby reducing equipment quantity and costs.
3Quantity of substance
If existing devices are utilized as remote controls, then equipment costs are reduced, but control functionality may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical remote controls with a software-based virtual remote control implemented on mobile devices or computers. This substitution uses digital communication protocols instead of infrared or radio frequency mechanical signaling, enabling more versatile control functionality while reducing physical equipment quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control functionality is made dynamic and adaptable through software rather than fixed hardware buttons. The virtual remote control can be customized and modified via software updates, allowing the system to adapt to different content types and television models without requiring additional physical equipment, thereby maintaining versatility while reducing equipment quantity.
Data Source
AI summary
A commercial television-interfacing dongle and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wireless transceiver is located within a housing, which also interconnectively includes a television input, television output, a processor, memory, a control interface, and a universal serial bus (USB) interface. The control interface and the USB interface connect to the commercial television. The commercial television interfacing dongle may establish a pairing with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device having a display and receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device. Following receipt and processing of the virtual remote control functionality input instructions, the commercial television-interfacing dongle sends a command to the commercial television via a commercial television control protocol.