Remote control units are used to interact with a variety of devices. Modeling of the usage of a remote control unit while interacting with a device helps in (a) redesigning the remote for better usability; (b) dynamic adapting of the remote to provide improved interactions; and (c) characterizing the usage behaviors. In particular, it is very popular to use remote control units to interact with TVs and PVR devices. A system and method for the modeling of a remote usage involves the use of both pre-defined models and discovered models. Specifically, a pattern of usage of a remote control unit is abstracted to be one of either a pre-defined model or a discovered model. The model discovery involves the process of generalization based on a set of particular remote control unit usage patterns. The labels associated with the models help in characterizing the remote control unit usage patterns.