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US 9,178,946 B2Granted
Device discovery for digital entertainment network
AssigneeBlack Hills Media, LLC
InventorMartin Weel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for playing music, the method includes providing a plurality of devices on a wireless local area network, bringing a new device into a range of the wireless local area network, and receiving a list of devices that are on the local area network at the new device from a server not on the local area network.
Claims20
A method of discovering devices for playing media items, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of devices on a local area network, each device having a communication interface being operably connected to a server on a wide area network via the local area network;
- bringing a new device unknown to the local area network and the plurality of devices into proximity of at least one device on the local area network;
- and
- while in the proximity of the local area network, wirelessly receiving, by at least one processor of the new device, via a wireless interface of the new device, via the wide area network, a list identifying the plurality of devices from the server.
1 more element
A mobile device for effecting the playing of a media item, comprising:
- a display;
- a wireless interface operative to communicate over a wide area network;
- at least one processor;
- memory containing software executable by the at least one processor, whereby when executed, the at least one processor is configured to:
- receive information from a server on the wide area network regarding at least one other device via the wireless interface when the mobile device comes within proximity of the at least one other device, the at least one other device being on a local area network which is coupled to the server, wherein the mobile device was unknown to the local area network and the at least one other device, the display operative to convey a representation of the at least one other device;
- enable a selector operative to select the representation of the at least one other device;
- and
- control at least one function of the at least one other device via a communication which traverses a path from the mobile device over the wide area network through the server to the at least one other device.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.