Device Registration Using a Wireless Home Entertainment Hub

• US 20080064396A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Technology Patents & Licensing Incorporated
• Inventors: Igoe, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,146,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/08 by combining tones G10H1/14, G10H1/16 take precedence; chord G10H1/38
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440209 for formatting on an optical medium, e.g. DVD
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of managing a power state of devices in a home entertainment system using a wireless home entertainment hub comprises obtaining a registration of a plurality of devices, where the plurality of devices includes at least one sink device and at least one source device. A selection of one of the source devices is received for presentation of program content to a user in the home entertainment system. A subset of the at least one sink device is determined for presentation of the program content to the user based on the selection of the source device. Each sink device in the subset of the at least one sink device is ensured to be active.

Claims

1. A method of registering a device with a wireless home entertainment hub, the method comprising:

(a) broadcasting by a wireless home entertainment hub a request for a reply from one or more coordinated devices, the one or more coordinated devices forming a home entertainment system produced by a manufacturer for sale as a substantially complete set;

(b) receiving the reply from each of the one or more coordinated devices, the reply including a coordinated identifier that is unique for each device of the one or more coordinated devices;

(c) automatically completing a registration of each of the one or more coordinated devices with the wireless home entertainment hub based on the coordinated identifier received in the replies in step (b); and

(d) storing an indication of the registrations completed in step (c).

(e) facilitating the presentation of program content by the one or more coordinated devices to a user of the home entertainment system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating the presentation of the program content includes transmitting at least one instruction to a subset of sink devices included in the devices registered in step (c) to receive program content transmitted from a source device included in the devices registered in step (c).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating the presentation of the program content includes receiving the program content from at least one source device included in the devices registered in step (c) and transmitting the program content to a subset of sink devices included in the devices registered in step (c).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more coordinated devices are wireless devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinated identifier is recognizable by the wireless home entertainment hub.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinated identifier is set by the manufacturer of the wireless home entertainment hub and the one or more coordinated devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein capabilities of a device of the one or more coordinated devices are obtained by the wireless home entertainment hub based on the coordinated identifier corresponding to the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more coordinated devices include at least one of an audio source device, a video source device, an audio sink device, and a video sink device.

9. The method of claim 1, where in the broadcasting in step (a) is initiated after a power on of the wireless home entertainment hub and the one or more coordinated devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting is step (a) is automatically initiated at a predetermined interval by the wireless home entertainment hub.

11. A method of registering a device with a wireless home entertainment hub in a home entertainment system, the method comprising:

(a) recognizing by a device a broadcast request for a reply from the wireless home entertainment hub;

(b) transmitting to the wireless home entertainment hub a reply in response to the to the request, the reply including a coordinated identifier that is uniquely identifies the device to the wireless home entertainment hub;

(c) storing an indication of a registration of the device with the wireless home entertainment hub; and

(d) facilitating the presentation of program content to a user of the home entertainment system in response to information received from the wireless home entertainment hub.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is included in a set of coordinated devices, the set of coordinated devices produced by a manufacturer for sale as a substantially complete set.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a registration of the device with the wireless home entertainment hub is not obtained prior to the broadcasting in step (a).

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is a wireless device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the reply includes capabilities of the device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is a source device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein facilitating the presentation of the program content includes transmitting program content by the source device in response to an instruction by the wireless home entertainment hub.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is a sink device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein facilitating the presentation of the program content includes receiving the program content by the sink device from at least one source device included the devices registered in step (c) in response to receiving an instruction from the wireless home entrainment hub.

20. A method of registering a wireless device with a wireless home entertainment hub in a home entertainment system, the method comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining a registration of two or more wireless devices by the wireless home entertainment hub in response to a placement of the two or more wireless devices in a proximity of the wireless home entertainment hub, thereby forming the home entertainment system, and a power on of the wireless home entertainment hub and the two or more wireless devices; and

(b) facilitating a presentation of program content to a user of the home entertainment system by transmitting a set of instructions to the two or more devices registered in step (a).

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each wireless device of the two or more wireless devices contains in a memory included in the wireless device a coordinated identifier recognizable by the wireless home entertainment hub.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the coordinated identifier is assigned by a manufacturer of the at least one wireless device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the coordinated identifier for each wireless device is stored in a memory included in the wireless home entertainment hub.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the two or more wireless devices include a set of wireless speakers.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein each wireless speaker in the set of wireless speakers includes a position label indicating the relative placement of the speaker in the home entertainment system.