Mobile Device Remote Control for Hotel Media Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hotel media systems become increasingly complex, making it difficult for guests to operate sophisticated entertainment systems, especially for frequent travelers who encounter different systems at various hotels, leading to a negative guest experience due to the need to learn multiple interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A media system controller that allows remote operation of controllable devices through a mobile device, using a passkey system to associate the device with the controller, enabling intuitive control and customized content access, while ensuring security through authentication and de-authentication processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hotel media systems are designed to be more sophisticated to meet guest expectations, then entertainment quality is improved, but system complexity increases making it harder for guests to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary control interface between the guest and the complex media system. The mobile device application provides a simplified, intuitive interface that abstracts away the underlying system complexity while maintaining access to sophisticated entertainment features. The media system controller receives commands from the mobile device and translates them into appropriate device operations, effectively mediating between user simplicity and system capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If each hotel uses different hardware vendors for media systems, then customization options increase, but frequent travelers must learn multiple different interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal mobile device application that can operate across different hotel media systems regardless of hardware vendor. The application provides consistent functionality and interface elements across diverse systems, allowing frequent travelers to operate any hotel media system in a familiar way. The system achieves this by establishing a standardized communication protocol between the mobile device and various controllable devices, making the interface universal while maintaining backend diversity.
3Ease of operation
If remote control functionality is added to mobile devices, then guest convenience is improved, but security risks increase requiring authentication mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication actions that must be completed before remote control functionality is activated. The system generates unique passkeys that are displayed on in-room devices, requiring guests to transfer these passkeys to their mobile devices as proof of physical presence and authorization. This preliminary authentication step ensures that only authorized guests can access remote control features, maintaining security while enabling convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the media system controller monitors and tracks the status of authentication, authorization, and active control sessions. The system provides feedback by displaying passkeys on authorized devices, confirming successful authentication, and tracking which mobile devices have active control rights. This feedback loop ensures security constraints are maintained while enabling convenient operation.
4Reliability
If passkey authentication system is implemented, then security is improved, but the authentication process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service authentication approach where the system itself generates and displays the passkey on the in-room device, eliminating the need for manual security configuration. The guest simply needs to physically access the device to view the passkey and then transfer it to their mobile device using standard device-to-device transfer mechanisms. This self-service approach maintains strong security through unique passkeys while keeping the user experience simple and intuitive.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device is configurable by a controller to remotely operate a target controllable device, the controller and the target controllable device being part of a hospitality media system. A communication module establishes a connection to the controller and performs data transfer between the mobile device and the controller. A customization module receives customization information from the controller and customizes a user interface of the mobile device accordingly. A status information regarding the target controllable device is received from the controller and displayed on the user interface of the mobile device. A user of the mobile device thereafter issues a command via the user interface to the controller, the command containing instruction intended for the target controllable device. The controller receives the command and operates the target controllable devices in dependence upon instruction contained in the command received from the mobile device.