Systems and methods for associating communication devices with output devices

• US 10,327,035 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Zerr, Derin M., Zdepski, Joel Walter, Marko, Shaun Eugene, Anderson, Andy Loren
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/459,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods for pairing user devices to selected output devices are provided. Pairing can include providing information identifying a user device to a system authority, such as a remote communication interface server. In response to verifying that a user associated with the identified user device is authorized to use a selected output device, the information identifying the user device and a local player connected to the selected output device is provided to a local controller or server. The local controller then creates and maintains an association between the user device and the local player, allowing a user of the user device to cast content to an output device associated with the paired local player.

Claims

1. A method for pairing a user device to an output device, comprising:

launching an app on a local player;

in response to being launched, the app making a web service call to a local server;

in response to the web service call to the local server, the local server returning information to the local player, wherein the information includes an identification of a room in which the local player is located;

after the information is returned from the local server, the app making a web service call to a network authority;

in response to the web service call to the network authority, the network authority providing a pairing code to the local player;

entering the pairing code in an app running on a user device;

in response to receiving the pairing code from the user device, providing an identifier of the user device from the network authority to the local server;

in response to receiving the identifier of the user device at the local server, the local server applying the identifier of the user device and the identification of the room in which the local player is located to create a pairing between the user device and the local player, wherein following the pairing the user device can output content through the output device connected to the local player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing code is requested from the network authority after the local player has obtained the information regarding a location of the local player.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

the network authority generating the pairing code after receiving the request from the local player.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying the pairing code by an output device connected to the local player.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining a table on the local server, wherein the table includes a record of the pairing between the user device and the local player.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

casting content from the user device to the local player, wherein the content is directed to the local player associated with the user device by the local server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the content that is cast to the local player is obtained from a content provider server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the content that is cast to the local player is obtained from the user device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the table includes a record of pairings between other local players and local devices.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

discontinuing the pairing between the user device and the local player.