System and method for negotiating control of a shared audio or visual resource

• US 10,541,885 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2017
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rostaing, Andrew E., Lee, Eric S., Chapman, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bartels, Christopher A
• Application Number:
  US15/785,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/24 using dedicated network management hardware

Abstract

Systems and methods for negotiating control of a shared audio or visual resource are disclosed. A request for control of a shared audio or visual resource is received at an arbiter. The arbiter maintains existing state information for ownership of the shared audio or visual resource and ownership transition conditions of the shared audio or visual resource. The request is received from one of a process executing on an embedded system and a process executing on a mobile computing device. New state information regarding ownership of the shared audio or visual resource is determined based at least in part on the request for control and the ownership transition conditions. The new state information indicates which of the processes controls output of the shared audio or visual resource.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining information regarding control of at least one shared resource, wherein;

the at least one shared resource includes a resource that is shared by a plurality of devices comprising a mobile computing device and one or more other computing devices or systems; and

the information regarding control of the at least one shared resource comprises one or more transition conditions that indicate one or more conditions under which the at least one shared resource is allowed to experience a transfer of control such that only the device of the plurality of devices to which control has been transferred can control the at least one shared resource;

determining new state information regarding control of the at least one shared resource, wherein the determining the new state information is based at least in part on the one or more transition conditions; and

communicating the new state information to one or more of;

the mobile computing device;

at least one of the one or more other computing devices or systems;

or

a controller interface of the at least one shared resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information regarding control of the at least one shared resource further comprises existing state information that indicates current control of the at least one shared resource; and

the determining the new state information is based at least in part on the existing state information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for control of the at least one shared resource, wherein;

the receiving the request for control comprises;

receiving the request for control from a process executing on the mobile computing device;

or

receiving the request for control from a process executing on one of the one or more computing devices or systems; and

the request for control comprises;

a request to borrow control of the at least one shared resource;

or

a request to take control of the at least one shared resource;

wherein the determining the new state information is based at least in part on the request for control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one shared resource comprises one or more shared resources of a home automation system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the home automation system comprises a computing hub configured to communicate with at least the mobile computing device to arbitrate among requests for control of the at least one shared resource; and

the communicating the new state information is performed by the computing hub of the home automation system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one shared resource comprises one or more shared resources of a public space.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the public space comprises an embedded computer system configured to communicate with the mobile computing device and the one or more other computing devices or systems to arbitrate among requests for control of the at least one shared resource; and

the communicating the new state information is performed by the embedded computer system of the public space.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one shared resource comprises a first shared resource and a second shared resource;

the determining the new state information regarding control of the at least one shared resource comprises;

determining first new state information regarding control of the first shared resource; and

determining second new state information regarding control of the second shared resource.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the mobile computing device is a first mobile computing device;

the one or more other computing devices or systems comprises a second mobile computing device;

the method further comprises;

transferring, based at least in part on the determining first new state information, control of the first shared resource to the first mobile computing device; and

transferring, based at least in part on the determining the second new state information, control of the second shared resource to the second mobile computing device.

10. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing an arbiter that is executable on the one or more processors to;

maintain information regarding control of at least one shared resource, wherein;

the at least one shared resource includes a resource that is shared by a plurality of devices comprising a mobile computing device and one or more other computing devices or systems; and

the information regarding control of the at least one shared resource comprises one or more transition conditions that indicate one or more conditions under which the at least one shared resource is allowed to experience a transfer of control such that only the device of the plurality of devices to which control has been transferred can control the at least one shared resource;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more transition conditions, new state information regarding control of the at least one shared resource; and

communicate the new state information to one or more of;

the mobile computing device;

at least one of the one or more other computing devices or systems;

or

a controller interface of the at least one shared resource.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the information regarding control of the at least one shared resource further comprises existing state information that indicates current control of the at least one shared resource; and

the new state information is determined based at least in part on the existing state information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one shared resource comprises one or more shared resources of a home automation system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the home automation system comprises a computing hub configured to communicate with at least the mobile computing device to arbitrate, via the arbiter, among requests for control of the at least one shared resource.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more shared resources of the home automation system comprise one or more of:

a speaker;

a display screen;

a media player;

a projector;

a microphone;

a motor;

or

an actuator.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one shared resource comprises one or more shared resources of a public space.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile computing device is a first mobile computing device;

the one or more other computing devices or systems comprise a second mobile computing device; and

the public space comprises an embedded computer system configured to communicate with the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device to arbitrate among requests for control of the at least one shared resource.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more shared resources of the public space comprise one or more of:

a speaker;

a display screen;

one or more resources of a gaming pod;

or

an audiovisual system aboard a vehicle.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the public space comprises:

a gym;

a gaming pod;

a plane;

a train;

or

a ferry.

19. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions executable on one or more processors to:

cause a computing device to maintain information regarding control of at least one shared resource, wherein;

the at least one shared resource includes a resource that is shared by a plurality of devices comprising a mobile computing device and one or more other computing devices or systems; and

the information regarding control of the at least one shared resource comprises one or more transition conditions that indicate one or more conditions under which the at least one shared resource is allowed to experience a transfer of control such that only the device of the plurality of devices to which control has been transferred can control the at least one shared resource;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more transition conditions, new state information regarding control of the at least one shared resource; and

cause the computing device to communicate the new state information to one or more of;

the mobile computing device;

at least one of the one or more other computing devices or systems;

or

a controller interface of the at least one shared resource.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

the at least one shared resource comprises;

one or more shared resources of a home automation system;

or

one or more shared resources of a public space.