Systems and methods for associating communication devices with output devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for pairing user devices to selected output devices are provided. Pairing can include providing information identifying a user device to a system authority, such as a remote communication interface server. In response to verifying that a user associated with the identified user device is authorized to use a selected output device, the information identifying the user device and a local player connected to the selected output device is provided to a local controller or server. The local controller then creates and maintains an association between the user device and the local player, allowing a user of the user device to cast content to an output device associated with the paired local player.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for connecting devices, comprising:
 connecting a user device to a first server using a first network;   connecting a local player to the first server using a second network;   providing information identifying the user device to the first server;   pairing the user device to the local player, wherein the first server associates the user device with the local player;   passing data from the user device to the local player via the first network, the first server, and the second network.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing the information identifying the user device to the first server by a guest Internet access controller.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 connecting the local player to an output device;   requesting a pairing code from a headend server, wherein the request for a pairing code is at least one of generated by or transmitted through the local player;   providing a pairing code from the headend server to the local player for display on the output device, wherein pairing the user device to the local player includes:
 displaying the pairing code on the output device; 
 entering the pairing code at the user device. 
   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 connecting the local player to an output device;   launching an app on the local player, wherein the app establishes a connection with a network authority to obtain a pairing code;   displaying the pairing code on the output device, wherein pairing the user device to the local player includes entering the pairing code at the user device.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second networks are virtual networks. 
     
     
         6 . A communication system, comprising:
 a first network;   a user device, wherein the user device is connected to the first network;   an output device;   a second network;   a local player, wherein the local player is connected to the second network and to the output device;   a first server, wherein the first server is connected to the first and second networks, wherein the first server is operable to pair the user device and the local player in response to receiving information identifying the user device, and wherein the local player is operable to receive content from the user device and to provide the content to the output device.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the local player is an over the top device. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the first network is a wireless network associated with a first SSID, and wherein the second network is a wireless network associated with a second SSID. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a network authority server;   an app running on the local player, wherein the app is operable to obtain a pairing code from the network authority server and to display the pairing code on the output device.   
     
     
         10 . A method for pairing a user device to an output device, comprising:
 launching an app on a local player;   requesting a pairing code from a network authority;   providing the pairing code from the network authority to the local player;   entering the pairing code in an app running on a user device;   in response to receiving the pairing code from the user device, providing an identifier of the user device and local player from the network authority to a local server;   pairing the user device with the local player, wherein following the pairing the user device can output content through the output device connected to the local player.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 obtaining by the local player information regarding a location of the local player.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pairing code is requested from the network authority after the local player has obtained the information regarding a location of the local player. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 the network authority generating the pairing code after receiving the request from the local player.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 displaying the pairing code by an output device connected to the local player.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 maintaining a table on the local server, wherein the table includes a record of the pairing between the user device and the local player.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 casting content from the user device to the local player, wherein the content is directed to the local player associated with the user device by the local server.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the content that is cast to the local player is obtained from a content provider server. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the content that is cast to the local player is obtained from the user device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the table includes a record of pairings between other local players and local devices. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 discontinuing the pairing between the user device and the local player.