Patent ID: 8545331

Claim:
A method for assisting use of control devices with different content players in a network of content players, the method comprising: receiving, at a first content player of a network of content players, a first signal of a first type of signal from a control device that is configured to control the first content player wherein the control device transmitted the first signal as part of transmitting a plurality of signals indicating that a user intends to utilize the control device in a particular area, the plurality of signals further including a second signal of a second type of signal transmitted to a content player of the network of content players located in the particular area; if the first content player receives a notification from a second content player of the network of content players that the second content player has received the second signal, transmitting at least one command from the first content player to the control device commanding the control device to instruct at least one component that is associated with the second content player to activate wherein the at least one component that is associated with the second content player is a particular type of component; and if the first content player does not receive the notification from the second content player that the second content player has received the second signal and the first content player does not receive the second signal, transmitting at least one command from the first content player to the control device commanding the control device to instruct all components of the particular type of component known to the control device to be associated with any content player of the network of content players to activate.