Device discovery for digital entertainment network

• US 20050251576A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dedicated Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Black Hills Media, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Weel, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,826,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method for playing music, the method includes providing a plurality of devices on a wireless local area network, bringing a new device into a range of the wireless local area network, and receiving a list of devices that are on the local area network at the new device from a server not on the local area network.

Claims

1. A method for playing music, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of devices on a wireless local area network or LAN based network;

bringing a new device into a range of the network; and

receiving a list of devices that are on the network at the new device from a server not on the local area network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising entering a location ID, password and node name into the new device, wherein the node name identifies the new device, the node id identifies what location that a user would like the user'"'"'s device to be a part of, the password authenticates the user to that location and the node name is the description of the device as it will be seen when the device is listed on other devices.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising controlling one device on the local area network from another device on the local area network.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising controlling one device on the local area network from another device on the local area network via only the local area network.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising controlling one device on the local area network from another device on the local area network via a wide area network.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising controlling one device on the local area network from another device on the local area network via the Internet.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the new device comprises one of a PDA, a laptop computer, and a cellular telephone.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the local area network facilitates communication of the list of devices to the new device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a wide area network facilitates communication of the list of devices to the new device.

10. A method for playing music, the method comprising:

providing a first device that repeatedly wirelessly broadcasts a location ID;

moving the first device into an area such that it can communicate wirelessly with at least one second device that repeatedly wirelessly broadcasts a unique location ID;

wherein the second device displays a list of locations received from broadcasts from the first device and the second device can select a location and enter the correct location password and join the list of devices that are part of this location; and

wherein the first device can be used to select songs to be played on the second device(s).