Immersive positioning and paring

• US 9,380,443 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Sallas, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US13/796,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems, methods, software, and data structures that provide dynamic lighting are described herein. The light sources, or other position-dependent devices may be paired to a device controller using near field communications (NFC) or other extremely short range radio technology, to share both pairing information and position information in a unified process.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device controller and from a transfer device using radio frequency (RF) communications, pairing and position information for each of a plurality of lighting devices, wherein the transfer device is a separate device from each of the plurality of lighting devices;

associating the device controller with each of the plurality of lighting devices based on the pairing and position information for each of the plurality of lighting devices received from the transfer device; and

based on the associating, dynamically altering display of the plurality of lighting devices in synchronization with video and audio programming.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information is based on an order in which the pairing information was obtained from each of the plurality of lighting devices by the transfer device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device controller comprises a lighting controller.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the order based on user input identifying a layout of the plurality of lighting devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving pairing and position information comprises receiving data via near field communications (NFC) when the transfer device is proximately located to the device controller, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, by the transfer device, pairing information associated with the device controller, to each of the plurality of lighting devices via an NFC exchange when the transfer device is proximally located to each of the plurality of lighting devices in the determined order, wherein during each NFC exchange the respective lighting device provides pairing information for that lighting device to the transfer device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the pairing information for each of the plurality of lighting devices to the device controller via an NFC exchange when the transfer device is proximately located to the device controller subsequent to the NFC exchanges with each of the plurality of lighting devices.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a transfer device and from a device controller, first pairing information associated with the device controller;

sending, by the transfer device, the first pairing information to each of a plurality of position-dependent lighting devices;

receiving, by the transfer device and from each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices, second pairing information associated with each of the plurality of position-dependent devices;

sending, by the transfer device, position information and the second pairing information received from each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices to the device controller, wherein the position information comprises a sequential order of the second pairing information received from each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices; and

causing the device controller, based on the position information and the second pairing information, to dynamically alter display of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices in synchronization with video and audio programming.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the device controller is a lighting controller, and each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices comprises a dynamic light source configured to generate a color of visible light responsive to instructions received from the lighting controller after pairing with the lighting controller.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the second pairing information comprises receiving data via near field communications (NFC).

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second pairing information for each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices comprises pairing and configuration information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration information comprises one or more capabilities of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising, causing the device controller to pair with each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices based on the second pairing information received from each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices.

13. An apparatus,

comprising:

a transceiver;

a device controller;

a processor; and

memory storing machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform;

identifying a plurality of position-dependent lighting devices to be controlled by the device controller;

determining a layout of the position-dependent lighting devices;

transmitting pairing information to a transfer device via the transceiver

during a first communication session;

receiving ordered pairing information for each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices from the transfer device via the transceiver during a second communication session subsequent to the first communication session;

determining an association of each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices to the layout based on the ordered pairing information; and

based on the association, dynamically altering display of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices in synchronization with video and audio programming.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is a near field communications (NFC) transceiver.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to perform:

outputting for display a plurality of layout candidates, wherein determining the layout comprises receiving user input selecting one of the layout candidates.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to perform:

outputting for display a depiction of the selected layout with order information identifying an order for pairing the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the device controller is a lighting controller, and wherein each of the position-dependent lighting devices comprises a dynamic light source configured to generate a color of visible light responsive to instructions received from the lighting controller after pairing with the lighting controller.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the lighting controller comprises a Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics (RF4CE) compliant transceiver.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ordered pairing information comprises pairing information received in a reverse order from which each of the plurality of position-dependent lighting devices was paired.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ordered pairing information comprises a numerical value associated with pairing information for each position-dependent lighting device.