Assisting use of control devices with different content players in a network

• US 8,545,331 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Reams, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/249,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 323/237
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 21/43615 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

In various implementations, a remote transmits a first signal to a currently controlled first content player of a network of content players and a second signal to a proximate content player. If the first player is notified that a second player received the second signal, the first player may command the remote to activate a display associated with the second player. However, if the first player is not notified, the first player may command the remote to activate all known displays. In addition, the first player may also instruct the remote to configure which player the remote controls. In some implementations, the remote stores a table transmitted by a player of the network of players including entries corresponding to players and including commands for associated components. In such implementations, control configuration may include configuring which entry of the table is utilized.

Claims

1. A method for assisting use of control devices with different content players in a network of content players, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first content player of a network of content players, a first signal of a first type of signal from a control device that is configured to control the first content player wherein the control device transmitted the first signal as part of transmitting a plurality of signals indicating that a user intends to utilize the control device in a particular area, the plurality of signals further including a second signal of a second type of signal transmitted to a content player of the network of content players located in the particular area;

if the first content player receives a notification from a second content player of the network of content players that the second content player has received the second signal, transmitting at least one command from the first content player to the control device commanding the control device to instruct at least one component that is associated with the second content player to activate wherein the at least one component that is associated with the second content player is a particular type of component; and

if the first content player does not receive the notification from the second content player that the second content player has received the second signal and the first content player does not receive the second signal, transmitting at least one command from the first content player to the control device commanding the control device to instruct all components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players to activate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of signal comprises at least one radio frequency signal and the second type of signal comprises at least one infrared signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of signals further includes at least one third signal transmitted to at least one component of the particular type of component that is associated with the first content player instructing the at least one component of the particular type of component that is associated with the first content player to activate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content player receives the notification from the second content player that the second content player has received the second signal, further comprising if the first content player receives a response to a confirmation to utilize the control device with the second content player presented by the at least one component that is associated with the second content player, instructing the control device to configure to control the second content player.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the control device includes at least one table of control entries received from at least one content player of the network of content players wherein each of the control entries correspond to a content player of the network of content players and include a set of command codes for at least one component associated with the content player and wherein said instructing the control device to configure to control the second content player further comprises instructing the control device to utilize the control entry that corresponds to the second content player.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content player does not receive the notification from the second content player that the second content player has received the second signal and the first content player does not receive the second signal, further comprising:

receiving a response to a confirmation to utilize the control device with a particular content player of the network of content players associated with one of the components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players; and

instructing the control device to configure to control the particular content player.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the particular content player is determined based on which of the components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players presented the confirmation to which the response responded.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the control device includes at least one table of control entries received from at least one content player of the network of content players wherein each of the control entries correspond to a content player of the network of content players and include a set of command codes for at least one component associated with the content player and wherein said further instructing the control device to configure to control the particular content player comprises instructing the control device to utilize the control entry corresponding to the particular content player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content player receives the notification from the second content player that the second content player has received the second signal and wherein the at least one command includes at least one command code for the at least one component that is associated with the second content player.

10. A system for assisting use of control devices with different content players in a network of content players, comprising:

a first content player configured as part of a network of content players, comprising;

at least one receiver component that receives a first signal of a first type of signal from a control device that is configured to control the first content player wherein the control device transmitted the first signal as part of transmitting a plurality of signals indicating that a user intends to utilize the control device in a particular area, the plurality of signals further including a second signal of a second type of signal transmitted to a content player of the network of content players located in the particular area;

at least one communication component configured to receive notifications from other content players of the network of content players; and

at least one least one processing unit configured to;

if the at least one communication component receives a notification from a second content player of the network of content players that the second content player has received the second signal, transmit at least one command to the control device via the at least one communication component commanding the control device to instruct at least one player-associated component that is associated with the second content player to activate wherein the at least one player-associated component that is associated with the second content player is a particular type of component; and

if the at least one communication component does not receive the notification that the second content player has received the second signal and the content player first has not received the second signal, transmit at least one command to the control device via the at least one communication component commanding the control device to instruct all components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players to activate.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one communication component does not receive the notification that the second content player has received the second signal and the content player first has not received the second signal and wherein:

the at least one communication component receives a response to a confirmation to utilize the control device with a particular content player of the network of content players associated with one of the components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players wherein the particular content player is determined based on which of the components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players presented the confirmation to which the response responded, and

the first content player instructs the control device to configure to control the particular content player.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control device includes at least one table of control entries received from at least one content player of the network of content players wherein each of the control entries correspond to a content player of the network of content players and include a set of command codes for at least one component associated with the content player and wherein the first content player instructs the control device to configure to control the particular content player by instructing the control device to utilize the control entry corresponding to the particular content player.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one communication component receives a notification from a second content player of the network of content players that the second content player has received the second signal and wherein:

the at least one communication component receives a response to a confirmation to utilize the control device with the second content player presented by the at least one component that is associated with the second content player, and

the first content player instructs the control device to configure to control the second content player.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control device includes at least one table of control entries received from at least one content player of the network of content players wherein each of the control entries correspond to a content player of the network of content players and include a set of command codes for at least one component associated with the content player and wherein the first content player instructs the control device to configure to control the second content player by instructing the control device to utilize the control entry corresponding to the second content player.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first type of signal comprises at least one radio frequency signal and the second type of signal comprises at least one infrared signal.

16. A method for assisting use of control devices with different content players in a network of content players, the method comprising:

constructing, utilizing at least one content player of a network of content players, at least one table of control entries for at least one control device utilizing information received from at least one other content player of the network of content players wherein each of the control entries correspond to a content player of the network of content players and include a communication identifier for the content player and a set of command codes that are stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium for at least one component associated with the content player;

determining, utilizing the at least one content player, to transmit the at least one table of control entries to the at least one control device wherein the at least one control device is operable to and configured to control one of the content players of the network of content players by utilizing the control entry that the one of the content players corresponds to; and

transmitting the at least one table of control entries from the at least one content player to the at least one control device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising configuring the at least one control device to control the one of the content players of the network of content players by instructing the at least one control device to utilize the control entry that corresponds to the one of the content players.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving information from at least one other content player of the network of content players to include in the at least one table of control entries.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the communication identifier comprises at least one radio frequency communication identifier and the set of command codes comprises at least one set of infrared command codes.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, utilizing the at least one content player, that information included in the at least one table of control entries has changed; and

instructing, utilizing the at least one content player, the at least one control device to update the at least one table of control entries.