Inclusion of device permissions and access in a remote control

• US 20080136664A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elsasser, Gary, Walker, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US11/635,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a limited access remote control system. Embodiments of the invention can include a remote device (202) including logic configured to transmit a control signal to a device (200) to be controlled and logic configured to transmit an access signal to the device (200) to determine an access level available to the remote control (202) that transmits the control and access signals. Embodiments can further include logic configured to receive the control signal (204), logic configured to receive the access signal and/or process the access signal (210) and logic configured to limit the operation (208) of the control signal in accordance with the access level indicated by the access signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

logic configured to transmit a control signal to a device to be controlled; and

logic configured to transmit an access signal to the device to determine an access level available to a remote control that transmits the control and access signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access signal is transmitted as part of the control signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access signal is transmitted as a separate signal from the control signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the access signal is transmitted in a different mode than the control signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the access signal is transmitted as an RF signal and the control signal is transmitted as an IR signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

logic configured to receive the control signal;

logic configured to receive the access signal; and

logic configured to process the access signal and limit the operation of the control signal in accordance with the access level indicated by the access signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the logic configured to receive the control signal and logic configured to receive the access signal are integrated into one device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the logic configured to receive the control signal is IR based and the logic configured to receive the access signal is RF based.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic configured to receive the access signal is an RFID receiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a permission server operably coupled to the device to be controlled.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting a control signal to a device to be controlled; and

transmitting an access signal to the device to determine an access level available to a remote control that transmits the control and access signals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the access signal is transmitted as part of the control signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the access signal is transmitted as a separate signal from the control signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the access signal is transmitted in a different mode than the control signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the access signal is transmitted as an RF signal and the control signal is transmitted as an IR signal.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the control signal and the access signal; and

processing the access signal and limiting the operation of the control signal in accordance with the access level indicated by the access signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the access signal is transmitted as an RF signal and the control signal is transmitted as an IR signal.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

periodically transmitting the access signal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving the access signal; and

processing the access signal and limiting the device to be controlled the in accordance with the access level indicated by the access signal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

continuing to limit the device for a predetermined time after the access signal is no longer received.