User identification and prioritization using Bluetooth

• US 8,104,066 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Colsey, Nicholas, Dawson, Thomas Patrick, Hofrichter, Klaus, Schupp, William, Thiele, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trandai, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US12/288,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433.1, 455/449, 455/435.1, 455/517, 455/456.1, 455/500, 455/522, 455/456, 348/552, 348/734, 725/9, 725/12, 725/141, 725/153
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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

In certain implementations, a method of automatically changing an attribute defining operation of a television system involves determining that a plurality of short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver devices have entered RF range of the television system, the television system having a short range RF transceiver compatible with that of the short range RF transceiver device; binding the short range RF transceiver devices to the television set to establish an identity (ID) for the short range RF transceiver devices; determining a priority of each of the plurality of identified short range RF devices; at the television system, looking up a functional attribute associated with the identity having the highest priority; and setting the television parameter according to an attribute associated with a short range RF device having highest priority. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method of automatically changing an attribute defining operation of a television system, comprising:

determining that a plurality of short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver devices have entered RF range of the television system, the television system having a short range RF transceiver compatible with that of the short range RF transceiver device;

binding the short range RF transceiver devices to the television set to establish an identity (ID) for the short range RF transceiver devices;

the television system determining by reference to stored data a priority of each of the plurality of identified short range RF devices;

at the television system, looking up a functional attribute associated with the identity having the highest priority; and

setting the television parameter according to an attribute associated with a short range RF device having highest priority.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of functional attributes are associated with the highest priority identity, and wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more usage controls and privileges attributes.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the functional attribute comprises a parental control attribute.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the short range RF transceiver comprises a Bluetooth compatible transceiver.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the short range RF transceiver forms a part of a cellular telephone.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the priority of each device is determined by its position on a stored priority list.

7. A tangible computer readable electronic storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 1.

8. The method according to claim 1, where the stored data are stored in a database.

9. The method according to claim 8, where the stored data are entered into the database by a user.

10. A method of automatically changing an attribute defining operation of a television system, comprising:

determining that a plurality of Bluetooth compatible devices are within Bluetooth radio frequency (RF) range of the television system;

binding the Bluetooth compatible cellular telephone to the television set to establish an identity (ID) for the cellular telephone;

the television system determining by reference to stored data a priority of each of the plurality of Bluetooth devices;

at the television system, looking up a plurality of functional attribute associated with the identity having the highest priority, wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more usage controls and privileges attributes; and

setting a plurality of television parameters at the television using the functional attributes while the cellular telephone is within Bluetooth RF range.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the functional attributes comprise parental control attributes.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the priority of each device is determined by its position on a stored priority list.

13. A tangible computer readable electronic storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 10.

14. The method according to claim 10, where the stored data are stored in a database.

15. A television system, comprising:

a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver device forming a part of the television system;

a programmed processor that determines that a plurality of short range RF devices are within RF range of the television system;

the processor binding the short range RF transceiver device to the television set to establish an identity (ID) for the short range RF transceiver device;

the processor determining a priority of each of the plurality of short range RF devices by reference to stored data;

the processor looking up a functional attribute associated with the identity; and

the processor setting the television parameter according to the functional attribute associated with the short range RF device having highest priority.

16. The television system according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of functional attributes are associated with the identity having the highest priority, and wherein the plurality of attributes include one or more usage controls and privileges attributes.

17. The television system according to claim 15, wherein the functional attribute comprises a parental control attribute.

18. The television system according to claim 15, wherein the short range RF transceiver comprises a Bluetooth compatible transceiver.

19. The television system according to claim 15, wherein the short range RF transceiver forms a part of a cellular telephone.

20. The television system according to claim 15, where the stored data are stored in a database.