Device discovery for digital entertainment network

• US 9,178,946 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dedicated Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Black Hills Media, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Weel, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US12/019,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,840 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 455/426, 455/1, 455/432, 455/435.1, 455/66.1, 340/901, 701/45, 701/51, 701/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method for playing music, the method includes providing a plurality of devices on a wireless local area network, bringing a new device into a range of the wireless local area network, and receiving a list of devices that are on the local area network at the new device from a server not on the local area network.

Claims

1. A method of discovering devices for playing media items, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of devices on a local area network, each device having a communication interface being operably connected to a server on a wide area network via the local area network;

bringing a new device unknown to the local area network and the plurality of devices into proximity of at least one device on the local area network; and

while in the proximity of the local area network, wirelessly receiving, by at least one processor of the new device, via a wireless interface of the new device, via the wide area network, a list identifying the plurality of devices from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a location ID and a password from the new device to the server via the wide area network, wherein the location ID identifies a realm, and the password authenticates the new device to the realm.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a password from the new device to the server via the wide area network, wherein the password is associated with a location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each device in the list of devices is associated with a realm.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, via user input, a selection of a device from the list of devices; and

controlling the selected device from the new device via a communication which traverses a path from the new device over the wide area network through the server to the selected device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling the selected device further comprises causing the selected device to render at least a portion of a media item.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the controlling the selected device further comprises downloading a media item from the selected device to the new device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each device in the list of devices is operatively connected to the local area network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the new device comprises at least one of a PDA, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, and a cellular telephone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of devices further comprises an indication of whether each device in the list of devices is a local device or a remote device.

15. The method of playing media items of claim 1, wherein the new device comprises a cellular telephone and the wide area network comprises a cellular network adapted to provide data communication services to the cellular telephone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the cellular telephone is not a member of the local area network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the new device comprises a stereo.

12. A mobile device for effecting the playing of a media item, comprising:

a display;

a wireless interface operative to communicate over a wide area network;

at least one processor;

memory containing software executable by the at least one processor, whereby when executed, the at least one processor is configured to;

receive information from a server on the wide area network regarding at least one other device via the wireless interface when the mobile device comes within proximity of the at least one other device, the at least one other device being on a local area network which is coupled to the server, wherein the mobile device was unknown to the local area network and the at least one other device, the display operative to convey a representation of the at least one other device;

enable a selector operative to select the representation of the at least one other device; and

control at least one function of the at least one other device via a communication which traverses a path from the mobile device over the wide area network through the server to the at least one other device.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the wireless interface, a list of device IDs, and the selector is further operative to select one device ID from the list of device IDs.

18. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular telephone and the wide area network comprises a cellular network adapted to provide data communication services to the cellular telephone.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the cellular telephone is not a member of the local area network.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the new device comprises a stereo.