# US 11,122,636 B2 · Network-based user identification > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,636 B2 - Document ID: US11122636B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/459,728 - Filed: 2019-07-02 - Published: 2019-10-24 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-04 - Assignees: Roku, Inc. - Applicants: Roku, Inc. - Inventors: Ilya Asnis; Gregory M Garner; Tito Thomas; Anthony Wood - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122636B2 ## CPC - H04L 67/306: User profiles - H04L 41/08: Configuration management of networks or network elements (address allocation H04L61/50) - H04L 43/10: Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route - H04L 65/613: for the control of the source by the destination (control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637) - H04L 67/51: Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup - H04L 61/103: across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP] - H04L 2101/622: Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for network-based user identification. An embodiment operates by determining a media access control (MAC) address of each of a plurality of mobile devices that have previously interacted with a streaming media device. A discovery signal is transmit to the MAC addresses of the plurality of mobile devices. Responses indicating a network address of each of the respective responding mobile devices are received. One or more user settings of the streaming media device are determined based on identified user settings corresponding to the plurality of responding mobile devices. The streaming media device is configured based on the identified one more user settings. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining a media access control (MAC) address of each of a plurality of mobile devices corresponding to a plurality of different users that have previously interacted with a streaming media device; transmitting, by the streaming media device, a discovery signal to the MAC addresses of the plurality of mobile devices corresponding to the plurality of different users; receiving, from a plurality of responding mobile devices, responses indicating a network address of each of the respective responding mobile devices, wherein a second discovery signal is transmitted after receiving a response by at least one of the plurality of responding mobile devices; identifying which of the plurality of different users of the streaming media device are within a vicinity of the streaming media device based on the receiving responses indicating the network address; determining user settings of the streaming media device based on the identifying which of the plurality of different users are within the vicinity; and configuring the streaming media device based on the determined user settings. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address of each responding mobile device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that at least two of the plurality of responding mobile devices are within a threshold distance of the streaming media device, wherein at least one responding mobile device is beyond the threshold distance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the streaming media device maintains a record of which of the plurality of mobile devices responded to the discovery signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the user settings comprises determining the user settings based on a most recent time of interaction between the responding mobile devices and the streaming media device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the user settings comprises: determining a union between first user settings of a first user of the plurality of different users identified within the vicinity of the streaming media device and second user settings of a second user of the plurality of different users identified within the vicinity of the streaming media device, wherein the streaming media device is configured based on the union. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the user settings comprises: determining an intersection between first user settings of a first user of the plurality of different users identified within the vicinity of the streaming media device and second user settings of a second user of the plurality of different users identified within the vicinity of the streaming media device, wherein the streaming media device is configured based on the intersection. ### Claim 8 A system comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform operations comprising: determining a media access control (MAC) address of each of a plurality of mobile devices corresponding to a plurality of different users that have previously interacted with a streaming media device; transmitting, by the streaming media device, a discovery signal to the MAC addresses of the plurality of mobile devices corresponding to the plurality of different users; receiving, from a plurality of responding mobile devices, responses indicating a network address of each of the respective responding mobile devices, wherein a second discovery signal is transmitted after receiving a response by at least one of the plurality of responding mobile devices; identifying which of the plurality of different users of the streaming media device are within a vicinity of the streaming media device based on the receiving responses indicating the network address; determining user settings of the streaming media device based on the identifying which of the plurality of different users are within the vicinity; and configuring the streaming media device based on the determined user settings. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address of each responding mobile device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising: determining that at least two of the plurality of responding mobile devices are within a threshold distance of the streaming media device, wherein at least one responding mobile device is beyond the threshold distance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the streaming media device maintains a record of which of the plurality of mobile devices responded to the discovery signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the determining the user settings comprises determining the user settings based on a most recent time of interaction between the responding mobile devices and the streaming media device. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising: determining a media access control (MAC) address of each of a plurality of mobile devices corresponding to a plurality of different users that have previously interacted with a streaming media device; transmitting, by the streaming media device, a discovery signal to the MAC addresses of the plurality of mobile devices corresponding to the plurality of different users; receiving, from a plurality of responding mobile devices, responses indicating a network address of each of the respective responding mobile devices, wherein a second discovery signal is transmitted after receiving a response by at least one of the plurality of responding mobile devices; identifying which of the plurality of different users of the streaming media device are within a vicinity of the streaming media device based on the receiving responses indicating the network address; determining user settings of the streaming media device based on the identifying which of the plurality of different users are within the vicinity; and configuring the streaming media device based on the determined user settings. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address of each responding mobile device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising: determining that at least two of the plurality of responding mobile devices are within a threshold distance of the streaming media device, wherein at least one responding mobile device is beyond the threshold distance. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the streaming media device maintains a record of which of the plurality of mobile devices responded to the discovery signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the determining the user settings comprises determining the user settings based on a most recent time of interaction between the responding mobile devices and the streaming media device.