System and method for controlling a rendering device based upon detected user proximity

• US 10,044,733 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: D&M Holdings Incorporated (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: D&M Holdings Incorporated (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Murrells, Nicholas, Celinski, Peter, Wachter, Martin Richard, Brogestam, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US15/785,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 7, 713168-170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

A method is disclosed for generating a media playlist by a media rendering device having a proximity detector. The proximity detector detects a first identification device, receives a first identification associated with the first identification device, and selects a first preference list associated with the first identification. The proximity detector detects a second identification device, receives a second identification associated with the second identification device, and selects a second preference list associated with the second identification. The media player generates a combined preference list based upon the first preference list and the second preference list and generates a playlist of songs based on the combined preference list.

Claims

1. A method for generating a media playlist by a media rendering device comprising a proximity detector, comprising the steps of:

detecting, with the proximity detector, a first identification device;

receiving by the proximity detector, a first identification associated with the first identification device;

selecting a first preference list associated with the first identification;

detecting, with a proximity detector, a second identification device;

receiving by the proximity detector, a second identification associated with the second identification device;

selecting a second preference list associated with the second identification;

generating a combined preference list based upon the first preference list and the second preference list; and

generating a playlist comprising a plurality of songs based on the combined preference list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the playlist further comprises selecting a first song for the playlist based upon the first preferences list and selecting a second song for the playlist based upon the second preferences list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the playlist further comprises selecting a song based upon the first preferences list and/or the second preferences list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of omitting from the playlist a song of the plurality of songs based upon an unfavorable preference from the first preference list and/or the second preference list.

5. A media rendering system, comprising:

a first user identification device configured to provide a first user identity identifying the first user identification device;

a second user identification device configured to provide a second user identity identifying the second user identification device;

a proximity detecting device co figured to detect and receive the first user identity from the first user identification device when the first user identification device is located within a proximity detecting region of the proximity detecting device and to detect and receive the second user identity from the second user identification device when the second user identification device is located within a proximity detecting region of the proximity detecting device; and

a media rendering device configured to render a media source, wherein the media rendering device is in communication with the proximity detecting device and configured to receive the first user identity and the second user identity from the proximity detecting device and access a first user preference associated with the first user identity and a second user preference associated with the second user identity, and

wherein the media rendering device is configured to operate according to a first operating manner derived from the first user preference, the media rendering device is configured to operate according to a second operating manner derived from the second user preference, and the media rendering device is configured to operate according to a third operating manner derived from the first user preference and the second user preference.

6. A media rendering system, comprising:

a proximity detecting device configured to detect and receive a first user identity from a first and a second user identity from a second user; and

a media rendering device in communication with the proximity detecting device configured to render a media source,

wherein the proximity detecting device is configured to detect the first and second user identity via facial recognition and/or voice-print analysis, and the media rendering device is configured to receive the first user identity and the second user identity from the proximity detecting device and to render media according to an operating manner determined at least in part by the first user identity and/or second user identity, and

wherein the media rendering device is configured to access a first user preference associated with the first user identity and a second user preference associated with the second user identity, and

wherein the media rendering device is configured to operate according to a first operating manner derived from a first user preference associated with the first user identity,

wherein the first media rendering device is configured to operate according to a second operating manner derived from a second user preference associated with the second user identity; and

wherein the first media rendering device is configured to operate according to a third operating manner derived from the first user preference and the second user preference.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first, second and/or third operating manner consists of one of the group consisting of:

selecting a media file to add to a playlist for rendering by the media rendering device;

selecting a streaming media source for rendering by the media rendering device; and

adjusting a rendering parameter,

wherein the rendering parameter is selected from a group consisting of an audio volume level, an audio equalization curve, a video brightness setting, a video color ratio, a number of audio channels, an audio speaker configuration, a video resolution, a video aspect ratio, a delay setting, a channel down mix, a channel expansion, a dynamic range ratio, and two or three dimensional video presentation.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first, and/or second user preference is specific to one of a group consisting of a location of the media rendering device, a time of day, a type of media rendering device, and a previous behavior associated with the first and/or second user.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the third operating manner comprises selecting a media source to add to a playlist for rendering by the media rendering device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the first user preference comprises a first media preference;

the second user preference comprises a second media preference; and

selecting the media source further comprises combining the first preference with the second preference.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the third operating manner consists selecting a media file to omit from the playlist for rendering by the media rendering device.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the first user identification device and the proximity detecting device are in communication via a communication network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the group consisting of the first user identification device, the proximity detecting device, and the media rendering device is configured to store the one or more user preference.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the media rendering device is configured to access the one or more user preference via a server in communication with the communication network.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the media rendering device is in communication with a media source via the communication network.

16. A method for configuring a media rendering system, comprising the steps of:

detecting, with a proximity detector, a first user identity via facial recognition and/or voice-print analysis;

receiving by the proximity detector, a first identification associated with the first user identity;

communicating the first identification to a first media rendering device;

obtaining, by the first media rendering device, a first preference list comprising one or more preferences associated with the first identification;

configuring the media rendering device based at least in part on one or more preferences of the first preference list;

detecting, with the proximity detector, a second user identity via facial recognition and/or voice-print analysis;

receiving by the proximity detector, a second identification associated with the second user identity;

communicating the second identification to the first media rendering device;

obtaining, by the first media rendering device, a second preference list comprising one or more preferences associated with the second identification;

configuring the first media rendering device based at least in part on one or more preferences of the second preference list.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein configuring the media rendering device further comprises selecting a media source for rendering.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of rendering the media source by the first rendering device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

generating a combined preference list based upon the first preference list and the second preference list; and

generating a playlist from the combined preference list.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

favoring common favorable preferences from the first preference list and the second preference list in the combined preference list; and

omitting unfavorable preferences from the first preference list or the second preference list from the combined preference list.