Systems and Methods for Managing Pairing of Remote Control Devices with a Plurality of Media Content Processing Devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016255391-A1
Application number	US-201514633058-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2015
Priority date	Feb 26, 2015
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a remote control device management system pairing a remote control device with a first media content processing device; detecting, after the pairing of the remote control device with the first media content processing device, that a second media content processing device receives an infrared (“IR”) signal transmitted from the remote control device together with a non-infra-red (“non-IR”) based wireless communication signal; determining that the remote control device is not paired with the second media content processing device by determining that the IR signal received by the second media content processing device includes an IR token that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the first media content processing device; and re-pairing, in response to the determination, the remote control device with the second media content processing device in place of the first media content processing device. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
pairing, by a remote control device management system, a remote control device with a first media content processing device included in a plurality of media content processing devices, the remote control device configured to control media content processing devices with non-infrared-based (“non-IR-based”) wireless communication signals, the pairing comprising providing the remote control device with an infrared token (“IR token”) that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the first media content processing device and that is to be transmitted by the remote control device within an infrared signal (“IR signal”) each time the remote control device transmits a non-IR-based wireless communication signal; detecting, by the remote control device management system after the pairing of the remote control device with the first media content processing device, that a second media content processing device included in the plurality of media content processing devices receives the IR signal transmitted from the remote control device together with the non-IR based wireless communication signal; determining, by the remote control device management system, that the remote control device is not paired with the second media content processing device by determining that the IR signal received by the second media content processing device includes the IR token that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the first media content processing device; and re-pairing, by the remote control device management system in response to the determination, the remote control device with the second media content processing device in place of the first media content processing device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the IR token is provided to the remote control device by way of an additional non-IR-based wireless communication signal transmitted from the first media content processing device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pairing of the remote control device with the first media content processing device includes providing the remote control device with coding information used to identify and control a display device communicatively coupled to the first media content processing device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the re-pairing of the remote control device with the second media content processing device includes providing an updated IR token to the remote control device that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the second media content processing device.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the re-pairing of the remote control device with the second media content processing device is transparent to a user of the remote control device.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
requesting, by the remote control device management system, confirmation from a user of the remote control device prior to the re-pairing of the remote control device with the second media content processing device; receiving, by the remote control device management system, the confirmation provided by the user; and performing, by the remote control device management system, the re-pairing of the remote control device with the second media content processing device in response to the user providing the confirmation.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
blocking, by the remote control device management system in response to the detecting that the second media content processing device receives the IR signal, the first media content processing device from executing a command included in the non-IR based wireless communication signal transmitted from the remote control device; and facilitating, by the remote control device management system subsequent to the re-pairing of the remote control device with the second media content processing device, execution of the command by the second media content processing device.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the facilitating of the execution of the command includes directing, by the remote control device management system, the first media content processing device to transmit the command to the second media content processing device.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the facilitating of the execution of the command includes directing, by the remote control device management system, the remote control device to retransmit the command to the second media content processing device.

10 . The method of claim 1 , embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

11 . A method comprising:
receiving, by a remote control device configured to control media content processing devices with non-infrared-based (“non-IR-based”) wireless communication signals, an infrared token (“IR token”) that identifies the remote control device as being paired with a first media content processing device included in a plurality of media content processing devices, the IR token configured to be transmitted by the remote control device within an infrared signal (“IR signal”) each time the remote control device transmits a non-IR-based wireless communication signal; attempting, by the remote control device after being paired with the first media content processing device, to control a second media content processing device by transmitting the IR signal including the IR token together with the non-IR based wireless communication signal to the second media content processing device; and receiving, by the remote control device in response to the transmitting of the IR signal to the second media content processing device, an updated IR token that identifies the remote control device as being re-paired with the second media content processing device in place of the first media content processing device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising automatically retransmitting, by the remote control device in response to the receiving of the updated IR token, the non-IR-based wireless communication signal without a user of the remote control device having to re-enter a command associated with the non-IR-based wireless communication signal.

13 . A system comprising:
at least one physical computing device that
pairs a remote control device with a first media content processing device included in a plurality of media content processing devices, the remote control device configured to control media content processing devices with non-infrared-based (“non-IR-based”) wireless communication signals, the pairing comprising providing the remote control device with an infrared token (“IR token”) that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the first media content processing device and that is to be transmitted by the remote control device within an infrared signal (“IR signal”) each time the remote control device transmits a non-IR-based wireless communication signal;
detects, after the pairing of the remote control device with the first media content processing device, that a second media content processing device included in the plurality of media content processing devices receives the IR signal transmitted from the remote control device together with the non-IR based wireless communication signal;
determines that the remote control device is not paired with the second media content processing device by determining that the IR signal received by the second media content processing device includes the IR token that identifies the remote control device as being paired with the first media content processing device; and
re-pairs, in response to the determination, the remote control de

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Noble Taber B

Classifications

• H04N21/43637

  involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114) · CPC title

• H04N21/42203

  sound input device, e.g. microphone · CPC title

• H04N2005/4426

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/42221 Primary

  Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title

• H04N21/4433

  Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP] · CPC title