Method and apparatus for associating a client device with a hosted service
OwnerTimo Bruck, Thomas Hammerinventors
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Abstract
A set-top appliance for a video on demand service through which Internet content is available for download is identifiable through a unique identification number but becomes associated with the service (e.g., during an installation of the set-top appliance) using a pass phrase automatically generated from a database (e.g., dictionary of words and phrases) and provided to a customer of the VOD service via the set-top appliance. Use of such a pass phrase during the installation process relieves the user from having to remember the often lengthy and complex unique identification number for the set-top appliance.
Claims21
A method, comprising associating a set-top appliance identifiable with a unique identification number with a hosted service through which Internet content is available for download to the set-top appliance using a pass phrase automatically generated from a database and provided to a customer of the hosted service via the set-top appliance.
A method, comprising establishing a first communication session between a set-top appliance and a hosted service using a unique identifier associated with the set-top appliance;
- and establishing a second communication session between the hosted service and a customer thereof using a pass phrase provided to the customer as part of the first communication session.
A method of registering an appliance with a hosted service, comprising providing the hosted service with a unique identifier associated with the appliance in a first communications session;
- providing the appliance with a human readable pass phrase that is at least temporarily uniquely associated with the unique identifier;
- and providing the pass phrase to the hosted service as part of a second communications session during which registration will be completed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.