System and method for user login to a multimedia system using a remote control

• US 8,595,793 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kashyap, Praveen, Ozawa, Toshiro, Tran, Dang Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, HEE K
• Application Number:
  US12/371,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20100212001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 726 3- 7, 345/744, 725 27- 30, 725/131
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• 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 21/4755 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

Embodiments include systems and methods for user login to a multimedia system. In one embodiment, a method of logging in one or more user profiles on a multimedia system includes associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device each with a user profile, each user profile having one or more characteristics for outputting multimedia content, the characteristics affecting multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the user'"'"'s multimedia experience, communicating a first signal corresponding to one of the one or more actuation sequences from the remote control device to a multimedia system to identify a first user profile for login, logging in the first user profile as an active user profile on the multimedia system based on the first signal, and controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on the active user profile.

Claims

1. A method of logging in one or more user profiles on a multimedia system, the method comprising:

associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device each with a user profile, wherein a first actuation on the remote control is associated with a first user profile and a second actuation on the remote control is associated with a second user profile;

communicating a first signal corresponding to one of the first actuation sequence from the remote control device to a multimedia system to identify the first user profile for login;

logging in the first user profile as an active user profile on the multimedia system based on the first signal;

communicating a second signal from the remote control device to the multimedia system to identify the second user profile for login while the first user profile is logged in;

logging in the second user profile on the multimedia system based on the second signal; and

controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on forming a joint user profile using the logged in first user profile and the logged in second user profile, wherein each user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the user'"'"'s multimedia experience.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actuation sequences comprises an ordered sequence of actuating the one or more buttons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actuation sequences comprises actuating a combination of the one or more buttons.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the combination of the one or more buttons are actuated simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the first signal a second time from the remote control device to the multimedia system while the first user profile is logged in; and

logging out the first user profile from the multimedia system based on receiving the first signal a second time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first actuation on the remote control comprises actuating a first button and the second actuation on the remote control comprises actuating a second button.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first button comprises a first color button and the second button comprises a second color button such that the first button and the second button are distinguishable based on color.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device each with a user profile comprises:

associating a first button actuation on the remote control device with a first user profile;

associating a second button actuation on the remote control device with a second user profile;

associating a third button actuation on the remote control device with a third user profile; and

associating a fourth button actuation on the remote control device with a fourth user profile.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first, second, third and fourth buttons are colored differently on the remote control device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first, second, third and fourth buttons are each configured in a different shape.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth buttons each comprise red, green, yellow, or blue coloring.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device with one or more user profiles comprises associating one button or two button actuation sequences of the one or more buttons on the remote control with up to four different user profiles.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device with one or more user profiles comprises associating one button or two button actuation sequences of the one or more buttons on the remote control with up to sixteen different user profiles.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the output system comprises a visual output component.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the visual output component comprises a display.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the output system further comprises an audio component comprising one or more speakers.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia system comprises a television.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a new joint user profile is formed based a plurality of logged on users and on a change in a number of logged on users.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a new joint user profile is formed based on a user logging off and more than one users remaining logged on.

18. The method of clam 1, wherein the characteristics associated with a user profile comprise one or more of a favorite channel, a favorite genre, a personal bookmark, instant messaging, a rating limit, picture configuration, sound configuration, and screen design.

21. A method of logging in a user profile having one or more characteristics for outputting multimedia content, the characteristics affecting multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize a user'"'"'s multimedia experience, the method comprising:

selecting a first user profile for login as an active user profile by performing a first button actuation sequence on a remote control device, the first button actuation sequence comprising actuating one or more buttons on the remote control device in a first sequence associated with the first user profile, wherein the remote control comprises multiple differently colored buttons for selecting an active user profile;

providing a first signal corresponding to the first user profile for login to the multimedia system;

logging in the first user profile as the active user profile;

selecting a second user profile by performing a second button actuation sequence on the remote control device, the second button actuation sequence comprising actuating one or more buttons in a second sequence on a remote control device in communication with the multimedia system, the second actuation sequence being associated with the second user profile;

providing a second signal indicating the second user profile for login to the multimedia system;

processing the second signal indicating the second user login to login the second user profile;

forming a joint user profile based on the first user profile and the second user profile;

providing multimedia content to an output system of the multimedia system, wherein the multimedia content provided to the output system is controlled by the joint user profile, wherein each user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by the multimedia system to personalize a user'"'"'s multimedia experience.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more characteristics associated with a user profile comprise one or more of favorite channels, favorite genre, personal bookmarks, instant messaging client identify, rating limits, picture configurations, sound configurations, and screen design.

23. The method of 21, wherein the remote control device comprises four differently colored buttons for selecting an active user profile.

24. A computer-program product for selecting a user profile on a multimedia system, the product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon codes executable by at least one processor to;

associate a first button on a remote control device with a first user profile and a second button on the remote control with a second user profile, each user profile having one or more characteristics for outputting multimedia content, the characteristics affecting multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize a user'"'"'s multimedia experience;

apply one or more of the user profiles as an active user profile based on a signal from an input device;

form a joint user profile from at least two user profiles; and

provide multimedia content to an output system of the multimedia system, at least some of the multimedia content provided to the output system being controlled by the joint user profile.

25. A system for controlling selection and application of a user profile, comprising:

means for associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device each with a user profile, each user profile having one or more characteristics for outputting multimedia content, the characteristics affecting multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the user'"'"'s multimedia experience, wherein the remote control comprises multiple differently colored buttons for selecting an active user profile;

means for communicating a signal corresponding to one of the one or more actuation sequences from the remote control device to a multimedia system to identify a first user profile for login;

means for logging in the first user profile as an active user profile on the multimedia system based on the signal;

means for communicating a second signal from the remote control device to the multimedia system to identify a second selected user profile for login while the first user profile is logged in, the signal corresponding to one of the one or more actuation sequences;

means for logging in the second desired user profile on the multimedia system based on the second signal;

means for forming a joint user profile based on logged in user profiles;

means for controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on the joint user profile, wherein each user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the user'"'"'s multimedia experience.

26. A method of logging in one or more user profiles on a multimedia system, the method comprising:

identifying particular user profiles according to at least a single button actuation on a remote control;

logging in a first user profile as an active user profile on the multimedia system based on a first button actuation;

logging in the second user profile on the multimedia system based on a second button actuation;

forming a joint user profile based on the logged in first user profile and second user profile;

controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on the joint user profile, wherein the joint user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the first user and second user multimedia experience, wherein a new joint user profile is formed based a plurality of logged on users and on a change in a number of logged on users.

27. A method comprising:

forming a joint user profile based on a logged in first user profile and a logged in second user profile, wherein the first user profile is associated with a first actuation sequence of a remote control, and the second user profile is associated with a second actuation sequence of the remote control;

controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on the joint user profile, wherein the joint user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize multimedia experience,

wherein a new joint user profile is formed based a plurality of logged on users and on a change in a number of logged on users.

28. A method comprising:

forming a joint user profile based on a number of logged in user profiles; and

controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of a multimedia system based on the joint user profile; and

forming a new joint user profile based on a plurality of logged on users and on a change in a number of logged on users,

wherein a formed joint user profile comprises a plurality of characteristics that affects multimedia content provided by the multimedia system to personalize multimedia experience,

wherein each of the number of logged in user profiles is associated with a different actuation sequence of a remote control.