Patent ID: 8331987
Filing Date: 2012-12-11
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for using a media player to selectively communicate with one of a plurality of long-range communications devices using a short-range communications protocol, each long-range communications device having a long-range communications protocol that enables a user of the media player to engage in a long-range communications event requiring access to a communications source, and wherein each long-range communications device circuitry for wirelessly communicating with the communications source during the long-range communications event, but each long-range communications device does not include a user interface for enabling a user to control any aspect of a long-range communications event, and wherein the media player is incapable of wirelessly communicating directly with the communications source, the method comprising: detecting whether two or more of the plurality of long-range communication devices are within a personal area network hosted by the media player; selecting one of the detected long-range communications devices for accessing that device's long-range communications protocol; providing authentication information to the selected one of the detected long-range communications device, wherein the authentication information is used to authenticate the long-range communications device to the communications source; and using the long-range communications protocol of the selected long-range communications device to enable a user to engage in a long-range communications event by directly interacting with the media player, wherein data associated with the long-range communications event is transmitted between the media player and the selected long-range communications device using the short-range communications protocol.