Controlling application devices simultaneously

• US 8,966,561 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Van Doorn, Markus Gerardus Leonardus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDRAMUNO, FRANKLIN S
• Application Number:
  US10/500,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,460 Days
• Field of Search: 725/116, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• 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 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• 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 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

A method and a system of controlling application devices simultaneously. The application devices can be a Web tablet, a set-top box, a VCR, a TV, and PDA, a lamp, a coffee machine, a radio, a telephone, a background wall, a DVD player or an electronic information panel. The method includes four steps controlled by a server: retrieving first documents (501) from a first set of application devices; retrieving identification (502) of a user; generating (505) second documents, each comprising an instruction, on the basis of at least a part of the retrieved identification of the user and at least a part of the first documents; simultaneously sending (506) at least one of the second documents to each device of a second set of the application devices; and performing (507) for a given device of the second set one instruction from at least one of the second documents received in the given device. The step of retrieving identification by the server includes the steps of retrieving user profile (503) information based on the user identification, and retrieving context profile information (504) relating to present surroundings of the user. The said documents include Hyper Text Markup Language, Scalable Vector Graphics, Resource Description Framework and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Claims

1. A method of controlling an experience of a plurality of unique users surrounded by a plurality of application devices connected to a network, the method comprising acts of:

a server connected to the network, the server automatically

identifying one of the plurality of unique users and an environment surrounding the identified user;

receiving status of the plurality of application devices in the environment;

retrieving a profile of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and a context profile relating to the environment;

generating at least one instruction for two or more of the plurality of application devices participating in the experience based at least in part on the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and at least in part on the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment; and

each of the two or more application devices participating in the experience receiving and upon receipt performing the at least one instruction.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of:

the one or more unique users carrying at least one hand-carried application device including one of a Web tablet, a RF tag, and a bar code;

providing in the environment at least one information reader selected from IRIS scan and a device for accepting entry of a user identification,

wherein the act of identifying uses information received from at least one of the at least one hand-carried application device and the at least one information reader.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment are coded in at least one of Hyper Text Markup Language, Scalable Vector Graphics, Resource Description Framework and Extensible Markup Language.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the identification of the one user of the plurality of unique users and the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment are coded in at least one of Hyper Text Markup Language, Scalable Vector Graphics, Resource Description Framework and Extensible Markup Language.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

5. A system for controlling an experience of a plurality of unique users surrounded by a plurality of application devices, the system comprising:

a network connecting at least several application devices participating in the experience; and

a server configured to automatically

identify a one of the plurality of unique users and an environment surrounding the first user;

receive status of the plurality of application devices in the environment,

retrieve a profile of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and a context profile relating to the environment, and

generate at least one instruction for two or more of the plurality of application devices participating in the experience based at least in part on the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and at least in part on the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment,

wherein each of the two or more application devices participating in the experience is configured to receive and upon receipt perform the at least one instruction.

6. The system, according to claim 5, further comprising:

on the one or more unique users, at least one hand-carried application device including one of a Web tablet, a RF tag, and a bar code; and

in the environment, at least one information reader selected from IRIS scan and a device for accepting entry of a user identification,

wherein at least one of the at least one hand-carried application device and the at least one information reader providing information for identifying the one user of the plurality of unique users.

7. The system, according to claim 5, wherein the system is a computer system.

11. The system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

8. A computer program product comprising program code stored on a computer readable non-transitory medium for when executed by a computing device performing a method of controlling an experience of a plurality of unique users surrounded by a plurality of application devices connected to a network, the method comprising acts of automatically:

identifying one of the plurality of unique users and an environment surrounding the identified user;

receiving status of a plurality of application devices in the environment;

retrieving a profile of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and a context profile relating to the environment;

generating at least one instruction for two or more of the plurality of application devices participating in the experience based at least in part on the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and at least in part on the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment; and

each of the two or more application devices participating in the experience receiving and upon receipt performing the at least one instruction.

12. A system for controlling an experience of a plurality of unique users surrounded by a plurality applications executing on a plurality of respective devices and communicating over a network, the system comprising:

a server configured to automatically

identify one of the plurality of unique users and an environment surrounding the identified user;

receive status of the plurality of applications in the environment;

retrieve a profile of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and a context profile relating to the environment;

autonomously generate at least one instruction for two or more of the plurality of applications participating in the experience based at least in part on the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and at least in part on the received status of the plurality of applications in the environment; and

each of the two or more applications participating in the experience receiving and upon receipt performing the at least one instruction.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

on the one or more unique users, at least one hand-carried application device including one of a Web tablet, a RF tag, and a bar code; and

in the environment, at least one information reader selected from IRIS scan and a device for accepting entry of a user identification,

wherein at least one of the at least one hand-carried application device and the at least one information reader providing information for identifying the one user of the plurality of unique users.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the retrieved identification and received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment are coded in at least one of Hyper Text Markup Language, Scalable Vector Graphics, Resource Description Framework and Extensible Markup Language.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the identification of the one user of the plurality of unique users and the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment are coded in at least one of Hyper Text Markup Language, Scalable Vector Graphics, Resource Description Framework and Extensible Markup Language.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

19. The server of claim 12, wherein the plurality of application devices comprises at least one of Web tablet, set-top box, VCR, TV, PDA, lamp, coffee machine, radio, telephone, background wall, DVD player and electronic information panel.

20. A server for controlling an experience of a plurality of unique users surrounded by a plurality of application devices connected to a network, the server comprising:

a processor configured to automatically

identify a one of the plurality of unique users and an environment surrounding the identified user;

receive status of a plurality of application devices in the environment,

retrieve a profile of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and a context profile relating to the environment,

generate at least one instruction for two or more of the plurality of application devices participating in the experience based at least in part on the identification of the identified one user of the plurality of unique users and at least in part on the received status of the plurality of application devices in the environment, and

each of the two or more application devices participating in the experience receiving and upon receipt performing the at least one instruction, said at least one instruction changing parameters and/or settings of the application device to reflect one or more settings preferred by the identified one user of the plurality of unique users.