System and method to unlock hidden multimedia content

• US 7,403,743 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2004
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Welch, Michael Shannon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M
• Application Number:
  US11/026,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20060148454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/557, 455/558, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.51, 340/10.5
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A consumer electronics device comprises an interrogator and a tag is associated with an accessory for the wireless communications device. The tag stores an identifier that identifies hidden multimedia content stored in memory of the wireless communications device. When the consumer electronics device and the accessory are in close proximity to each other, the interrogator activates the tag for the identifier. A content manager disposed in the consumer electronics device unlocks the hidden multimedia content based on the received identifier.

Claims

1. A consumer electronics device comprising:

memory to store hidden multimedia content;

an interrogator to receive an identifier, from a proximate external device, that identifies the hidden multimedia content; and

a content manager communicatively connected to the memory and the interrogator, and configured to;

initiate a timer when the interrogator receives the identifier; and

unlock the hidden multimedia content when the timer expires if the external device remains in proximity to the consumer electronics device when the timer expires.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the interrogator receives the identifier responsive to an activation signal emitted by the interrogator.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the identifier is associated with an accessory device for the wireless communications device.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the identifier is a unique identity code stored on a radio frequency identification tag associated with the accessory device, and wherein the identifier identifies the hidden multimedia content stored in memory of the consumer electronics device.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the content manager validates the identifier, and unlocks the hidden multimedia content if the identifier is valid.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising a transceiver to transmit the identifier for validation to a server via a communications network.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the content manager unlocks the hidden multimedia content based on a token returned by the server.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the content manager displays a message that notifies a user that the hidden multimedia content is unlocked.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the content manager unlocks the hidden multimedia content based on the identifier and an activation code entered by the user.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the content manager generates a command signal to cause the interrogator to periodically re-read the identifier before the timer expires, and wherein the content manager validates the periodically re-read identifier.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the consumer electronics device comprises a mobile phone.

12. A method of unlocking hidden multimedia content in a consumer electronics device, the method comprising:

storing hidden multimedia content in memory of a consumer electronics device;

receiving an identifier, from a proximate external device, that identifies the hidden multimedia content;

initiating a timer when the identifier is received; and

unlocking the hidden multimedia content when the timer expires if the external device remains in proximity to the consumer electronics device when the timer expires.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving the identifier comprises receiving the identifier responsive to an activation signal transmitted by the consumer electronics device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the identifier comprises a unique identifier assigned to a radio frequency identification tag associated with an accessory device, and uniquely identifies the hidden multimedia content stored in memory of the consumer electronics device.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting the identifier to a server for validation via a communications network.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising unlocking the hidden multimedia content based on a token returned to the consumer electronics device by the server.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising unlocking the hidden multimedia content if the received identifier is valid.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising displaying a message to notify a user that the hidden multimedia content has been unlocked.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising unlocking the hidden multimedia content based on the identifier and an activation code entered by the user.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising periodically receiving the identifier, and re-validating the identifier while the timer has not expired.

21. A system for unlocking hidden multimedia content in a consumer electronics device, the system comprising:

a first member to store an identifier that identifies hidden multimedia content stored in memory of a wireless communications device;

a proximate second member to receive the identifier from the first member responsive to an activation signal emitted by the consumer electronics device; and

a content manager configured to;

initiate a timer when the second member receives the identifier; and

unlock the hidden multimedia content when the timer expires if the first member remains in proximity to the consumer electronics device when the timer expires.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the first member is associated with an accessory for the consumer electronics device, and the second member is associated with the consumer electronics device.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the first member comprises a radio frequency identification tag, and the second member comprises a radio frequency interrogator to read the tag.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the content manager unlocks the hidden multimedia content if the received identifier is valid.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the consumer electronics device comprises a transceiver to transmit the received identifier to a server via a communications network.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the server validates the identifier received from the consumer electronics device, and returns a token to the consumer electronics device based on the validation of the identifier.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the content manager unlocks the hidden multimedia content based on the token received from the server.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the content manager prompts the user to enter an activation code, and unlocks the hidden multimedia content based on the identifier and the activation code entered by the user.