NETWORK-WIDE REMOTE PARENTAL CONTROL

• US 20160142776A1
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Meijer, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• 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: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08

Abstract

A master or administrative device may be used to control and manage a particular media content lock on other devices within a particular network. When a new device is registered, the new device may be set-up to be configured so as to comply with the particular media content lock.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting, by a computing system that is connected to a local area network, connection of a particular computing device to the local area network;

determining whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available; and

sending when available information associated with a particular resource restriction profile to the particular computing device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile designates at least one resource to be disabled by the particular computing device when exhibited by the particular computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting connection of another particular device to the local area network; and

sending when available information associated with the particular resource restriction profile to the another particular device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile designates the at least one resource to be disabled by the another particular device when exhibited by the another particular device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending to another particular device a message that indicates that the particular computing device is to be registered with the computing system, wherein the computing system is configured to implement a network-wide remote parental control.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the at least one resource selected from a particular hardware resource of the particular computing device and a particular software resource of the particular computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available based on a user credential received from the particular computing device when connecting to the local area network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available based on information specific to the particular computing device received from the particular computing device when connecting to the local area network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the particular computing device an indication of activation of a resource of the particular computing device;

determining that the resource is listed within the particular resource restriction profile; and

sending data to the particular computing device to output a display that prompts for input of a particular alphanumeric password, wherein the particular alphanumeric password when entered indicates to the particular computing device to permit access to the particular resource.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input corresponding to a plurality of configuration information to populate the resource restriction profile.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically or at least intermittently sending when available information associated with the particular resource restriction profile to the particular computing device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile is stored to the particular computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the local area network is a home area network.

11. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

detect connection of a particular computing device to a network;

determine whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available; and

send when available information associated with a particular resource restriction profile to the particular computing device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile designates at least one resource to be disabled by the particular computing device when exhibited by the particular computing device.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect connection of another particular device to the local area network; and

send when available information associated with the particular resource restriction profile to the another particular device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile designates the at least one resource to be disabled by the another particular device when exhibited by the another particular device.

13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to send to another particular device a message that indicates that the particular computing device is to be registered with the computing system, wherein the computing system is configured to implement a network-wide remote parental control.

14. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to select the at least one resource from a particular hardware resource of the particular computing device and a particular software resource of the particular computing device.

15. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available based on a user credential received from the particular computing device when connecting to the network.

16. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available based on information specific to the particular computing device received from the particular computing device when connecting to the network.

17. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect receipt from the particular computing device an indication of activation of a resource of the particular computing device;

determine that the resource is listed within the particular resource restriction profile; and

send data to the particular computing device to output a display that prompts for input of a particular alphanumeric password, wherein the particular alphanumeric password when entered indicates to the particular computing device to permit access to the particular resource.

18. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect receipt of input corresponding to a plurality of configuration information to populate the resource restriction profile.

19. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to periodically or at least intermittently send when available information associated with the particular resource restriction profile to the particular computing device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile is stored to the particular computing device.

20. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

detect connection of a particular computing device to a home area network;

determine whether a resource restriction profile that is associated with the particular computing device is available; and

send when available information associated with a particular resource restriction profile to the particular computing device, wherein the information associated with the particular resource restriction profile designates at least one resource to be disabled by the particular computing device when exhibited by the particular computing device.