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Codeless device pairing between mobile device and particular one of a plurality of media devices

  • US 9,800,670 B2
  • Filed: 06/19/2015
  • Issued: 10/24/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A media system comprising:

  • a plurality of media devices coupled to a computer network, each of the media devices having a first processor and first memory, and including a user interface allowing initiation of a codeless pairing mode; and

    a media server coupled to the media devices via the computer network, the media server having a second processor and second memory, and including a storage device storing stored data;

    wherein a particular one of the media devices transmits a message to the media server via the computer network in response to a user initiating the codeless pairing mode on the particular media device;

    the media server accesses the stored data in the storage device to determine whether any other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode, and sends back to the particular media device a pairing-mode-on message when no other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode, wherein the media server updates the stored data to ensure that only one of the media devices is in the codeless pairing mode at any given time;

    the particular media device instructs the user to activate a network-based media function on a mobile device in response to the particular media device receiving the pairing-mode-on message from the media server, wherein the network-based media function causes the mobile device to interact with the media server via the computer network;

    the media server detects the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode and accesses the stored data to determine that the mobile device is not already paired with any of the media devices, and then updates the stored data to store an indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device and to indicate that the particular media device is no longer in the codeless pairing mode; and

    after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device, the media server causes the particular media device to play media content controlled according to the mobile device interacting with the media server via the computer network;

    wherein the mobile device is paired with the particular media device during the codeless pairing mode without requiring the user to enter any connect code into the mobile device or to accept any connect code automatically populated by default on the mobile device based on a previously performed login process.

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