System and method for prioritizing and filtering CEC commands

• US 9,621,948 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatambeiki, Arsham
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US14/608,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 725 25, 725 80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08

Abstract

A first controllable appliance receives from a second controllable appliance a command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into a state and, in response, determines a trust level of the second controllable appliance. When it is determined that the second controllable appliance is trustworthy, the first controllable appliance executes the command. When it is determined that the second controllable appliance is untrustworthy, the first controllable appliance ignores the command. Otherwise, the first controllable appliance enters into a state in which the first controllable appliance waits for at least a predetermined period of time for a user to confirm whether or not the first controllable appliance should be caused to execute the command.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a state functional operation of a first controllable appliance, comprising:

receiving at the first controllable appliance from a second controllable appliance a command communication, the command communication comprising at least a command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into a state; and

in response to the first controllable appliance receiving the command communication, causing the first controllable appliance to automatically ignore the received command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into the first state and to automatically designate within a data store associated with the first controllable appliance the second controllable appliance as having a trust level of being untrustworthy, whereupon the first controllable appliance will automatically ignore any subsequently received commands for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into the first state as transmitted by the second controllable appliance until such time as the designation within the data store is caused to be changed, when the first controllable appliance is incapable of determining the trust level for the second controllable appliance upon receiving the command communication from the second controllable appliance and a predetermined period of time, caused to be measured by the first controllable appliance as a result of receiving the command communication from the second controllable appliance, has lapsed within which a user is requested to at least confirm whether or not the first controllable appliance is to be caused to execute the received command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into the first state.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controllable appliance attempts to determine the trust level of the second controllable appliance by determining if a trust level setting for the second controllable appliance is stored in the data store associated with the first controllable appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising using by the first controllable appliance a device identifier for the second controllable appliance included in the command communication when attempting to determine the trust level of the second controllable appliance.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising using by the first controllable appliance to an input port of the first controllable appliance from which the command communication is received from the second controllable appliance when attempting to determine the trust level of the second controllable appliance.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first controllable appliance attempts to determine the trust level of the second controllable appliance by requesting a trust level setting for the second controllable appliance from a device located remotely from the first controllable appliance.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising using the first controllable appliance a device identifier for the second controllable appliance when requesting the trust level setting for the second controllable appliance from the device located remotely from the first controllable appliance.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the device identifier for the second controllable appliance is obtained from the second controllable appliance.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the device located remotely from the first controllable appliance comprises an Internet server device having an associated data repository in which trust level settings for appliances are stored.

9. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising causing the first controllable appliance to automatically set the trust level setting for the second controllable appliance stored in the data repository associated with the first controllable appliance to trustworthy when the first controllable appliance receives a user confirmation that the first controllable appliance is to be caused to execute the command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into the first state when the first controllable appliance first determines that the second controllable appliance is neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy.

10. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising causing the first controllable appliance to automatically set the trust level setting for the second controllable appliance stored in the data repository associated with the first controllable appliance to untrustworthy when the first controllable appliance receives a user confirmation that the first controllable appliance is not to be caused to execute the command for causing the first controllable appliance to be placed into the first state when the first controllable appliance first determines that the second controllable appliance is neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state comprises a state in which a one of a plurality of audio and/or video inputs of the first controllable appliance is rendered active.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first controllable appliance comprises an audio-video receiver.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the second controllable appliance comprises an audio and/or video source device coupled to the audio-video receiver via a one of the plurality of audio and/or video inputs.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the command communication comprises a CEC command communication.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first controllable appliance comprises a television receiver.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the second controllable appliance comprises an audio and/or video source device coupled to the television receiver via a one of the plurality of audio and/or video inputs.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the command communication comprises a CEC command communication.