INTERACTING WITH CLOUD-BASED APPLICATIONS USING UNRELATED DEVICES

• US 20120079119A1
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Velummylum, Piragash, Evans, Ethan Z., GILL, Sunbir, Bell, Brandon C., Brubaker, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 9,078,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Systems and method provide logic facilitating an interaction between a networked server and multiple, unrelated devices. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method enables a user of a device to interact with or control multiple, unrelated devices across a could computing environment using a networked server. The method includes receiving, at the networked server, an instruction from the control device. A corresponding instruction understandable by an unrelated controlled device is generated by the networked server, and the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to perform the received instruction. The networked server may transmit the corresponding instruction to the controlled device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling unrelated devices, comprising:

establishing a communications session between a networked server and a control device of a user;

establishing a communications session between the networked server and a controlled device, the controlled device being unrelated to the control device;

receiving, at the networked server, an instruction from the control device, the instruction comprising data generated by the user through an interface of the control device;

determining, at the networked server, a corresponding instruction understood by the controlled device, the corresponding instruction being operable to cause the controlled device to perform the instruction received by the networked server from the control device; and

transmitting the corresponding instruction to the controlled device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to retrieve an element of content, the element of content being associated with an identifier; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to retrieve the element of content based on at least the identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlled device is a first controlled device, and the corresponding instruction is sent to the first controlled device and a second controlled device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device of the user is a first control device, and the first control device and a second control device are enabled to control the controlled device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to display or store an element of content; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to display or store the element of content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to modify an operational state of the controlled device; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to modify the operational state.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a gesture of the user based on the instruction from the control device; and

correlating the detected gesture with a modification to the state of the controlled device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the networked server, a selection of an element of content.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

processing the selected element of content to identify one or more additional elements of content related the selected element;

retrieving, from a storage device, the one or more additional elements of content;

transmitting the one or more additional content elements to the control device, wherein the control device is configured to present the one or more additional content elements to a user; and

receiving, from the control device, a selection of at least one additional content element.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a networked server, an instruction from a control device of a user;

generating, at the networked server, a corresponding instruction understood by a controlled device, the control device being unrelated to the controlled device, and the corresponding instruction being operable to cause the controlled device to perform the instruction received by the networked server from the control device; and

transmitting the corresponding instruction to the controlled device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

establishing a communications session between the server and the control device; and

establishing a communications session between the server and the controlled device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to retrieve an element of content, the element of content being associated with an identifier; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to retrieve the element of content based on at least the identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the request to retrieve the element of content comprises a retrieval time or a retrieval date.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a storage location associated with the element of content based on at least the identifier,

wherein the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to receive the element of content from the determined storage location.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to display or store an element of content; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to display or store the element of content.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the instruction from the control device comprises a request to modify an operational state of the controlled device; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to modify the operational state.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the request to modify the operational state comprises a request to activate the controlled device or deactivate the controlled device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the request to modify the operational state comprises a request to activate or deactivate a functionality of the controlled device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the request to modify the operational state comprises one or more operational parameters of the controlled device.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a gesture of the user based on the instruction from the control device; and

correlating the detected gesture with a modification to the state of the controlled device.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the networked server, a selection of an element of content.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

processing the selected element to identify one or more additional elements of content related the selected element;

retrieving, from a storage device, the one or more additional elements of content;

transmitting the one or more additional content elements to the control device, wherein the control device is configured to present the one or more additional content elements to a user; and

receiving, from the control device, a selection of at least one additional content element.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction received from the control device comprises data generated based on at least a user command received through an interface of the control device.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction received from the control device further comprises at least one of a character string or a gestural input.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for executing program instructions; and

a memory storing the program instructions, the program instructions being executed by the processor to perform a process to;

receive, at a networked server, a first instruction from a first control device and a second instruction from a second control device, the first control device being associated with a first user, and the second control device being associated with a second user;

generate, at the networked server, based on the received first and second instructions, a corresponding instruction understandable by a controlled device, wherein;

the controlled device is unrelated to the first control device and the second control device;

the controlled device is controllable by the first control device and the second control device; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to function according to the first and second instructions; and

transmit the corresponding instruction to the controlled device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the program instructions executed by the processor are further executed to:

establish a communications session between the server and the first control device;

establish a communications session between the server and the second control device; and

establish a communications session between the server and the controlled device.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the corresponding instruction is further understandable by the first control device and the second control device; and

the program instructions executed by the processor are further executed to transmit the corresponding instruction to the first control device or the second control device.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first instruction or the second instruction comprises a request to display or store an element of content; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to display or store the element of content.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the first instruction or the second instruction comprises a request to modify an operational state of the controlled device; and

the corresponding instruction is operable to cause the controlled device to modify the operational state.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the program instructions executed by the processor are further executed to:

detect a gesture based on the first instruction or the second instruction; and

correlate the detected gesture with a modification to the state of the controlled device.