PROGRAMMABLE MULTIMEDIA CONTROLLER WITH FLEXIBLE USER ACCESS AND SHARED DEVICE CONFIGURATIONS

• US 20120084472A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Locascio, Timothy R., Madonna, Robert P., McKinley, David, Silva, Michael C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

A system which includes a programmable multimedia controller is provided in which flexible user access is provided through a combination of user profiles and usernames/pas swords. A configuration for a given device which may form part of the system or may interoperate with the system may be shared by multiple similar devices. A sharable device configuration is stored by a master device and can be shared by other devices of the same type as the master device.

Claims

1. A system which includes a programmable multimedia controller that is capable of interfacing with and controlling audio, video, telecommunications, data communications and other devices, said system comprising:

a programmable multimedia controller, including a general-purpose computer, which is capable of interfacing with and controlling audio, video, telecommunications and data communications devices;

a master user profile, stored in said programmable multimedia controller, which permits a master user to have access to and control over said system;

a master username and master password which when presented to and accepted by said system causes said system to permit access to and control over said system in accordance with said master user profile;

at least one non-master user profile which permits one or more non-master users to have restricted access to and control over said system based on predetermined information stored in said non-master user profile; and

is at least one non-master username and master password which when presented to and accepted by said system cause said system to permit access to and control over said system in accordance with said non-master user profile.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein said programmable multimedia controller, including a general purpose computer, has associated therewith a plurality of universal serial bus ports interconnected to a USB hub.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 further comprising:

a memory card interface configured to accept one or more memory card formats.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 when a USB switch is employed to switch USB links to a processing subsystem.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of IEEE fire wire TM ports that are interconnected to IEEE hub and to an IEEE switch, for switching to the processing subsystem.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a micro controller being connected to a serial peripheral interface and an inter-integrated distribution circuit, which provides a serial communication interface to load data transfer rate devices.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a microcontroller that is connected to an infrared interface, an RS 232 interface and an RF interface permitting further interconnection with external devices; and

a device control interface to communicate with lighting, home automation, and loader and/or relay operated devices.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an expansion port being provided for linking several programmable multimedia controllers together to form an expanded system having a front panel display, having a touch screen with a liquid crystal display that is provided to display status, configuration, and/or other information to a user as well as to accept user input.

9. A system which includes a programmable multimedia controller based upon a general purpose computer, said system comprising:

a configuration for said programmable multimedia controller that includes a data structure having one or more fields for one or more user profiles, said user profile field s including information for identifying an appropriate user interface for a user associated with the profile.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein said user profile further having associated therewith a user name and password.

11. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein said user profile further comprises a device name, which is a name assigned to the respective device that a particular user employs to interact with the programmable multimedia controller.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein said profile name is a name assigned to a respective user profile.

13. The system as defined in claim 11 furhter comprising device capability flags indicating particular capabilities of the user'"'"'s device.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 further comprising access rights, which specify a level of access to the programmable multimedia controller that is permitted.

15. A method of gaining access by a user to control a programmable multimedia controller;

comprising;

configuring a user'"'"'s device by which a user interfaces with said programmable multimedia controller; and

receiving, at said user'"'"'s device, a device configuration that enables the device to render an appropriate user interface for interaction with a programmable multimedia controller.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

at said user'"'"'s device, discovering the programmable multimedia controller by using a Bonjour Name Service®

.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

presenting on the user'"'"'s device, a list of possible user interfaces that the device supports.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of a desired user interface, and prompting the user to enter a user name and password.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

validating, at said programmable multimedia controller, the user name and password entered by the user, by comparing the user name and password to the user name and password stored in the user'"'"'s associated user profile.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

providing, at a controller, a unique identifier for the user'"'"'s device.

21. The method according to claim 15, further comprising rendering at the user'"'"'s device an appropriate user interface, the rendered user interface being based on a selection made by the user and device configuration information previously stored in the device.

22. The method according to claim 15, further comprising issuing commands at said user device to access and control said programmable multimedia controller based on the access rights specified in the associated user profile.

23. A method of operating a programmable multimedia controller system, comprising:

configuring said programmable multimedia controller with one or more sharable device configurations; and

storing said sharable device configurations in a processing subsystem within the programmable multimedia controller.

24. A programmable multimedia controller system, comprising:

a sharable device configuration that includes graphics, layout and metadata configured to render a user interface on the device which is associated with the configuration;

a sharable device configuration data structure that includes;

i. graphics data and images that appear in the user interface;

ii. graphics layout information specifying the spatial relationships to be applied to said graphics data to properly render the user interface;

iii. system commands stored in the data structure that are valid with a particular combination of graphics data and graphics layout information; and

iv. system state information for the device associated with the configuration to communicate with a real-time system on a programmable multimedia controller.

25. The system as defined in claim 24, further comprising:

a sharable device configuration created and stored in a processing subsystem with said programmable multimedia controller.

26. The system as defined in claim 24 further comprising:

a sharable device configuration being stored such that a device may be considered a master device with respect to the other devices of the same type.

27. The system as defined in claim 24 wherein said other devices of the same type as the master device, when added to the system, obtaining and sharing a copy of the sharable device configuration of the master device, and said master device stores the sharable device configuration instead of the programmable multimedia controller storing said sharable device configuration.

28. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

distributing a shareable device configuration using a WiFi or other wireless or wired communication functionality.

29. The system according to claims 27 further comprising:

a copy of the sharable device configuration being transferred to an appropriate device, such as a mobile device.