Patent ID: 8732740

Claim:
A method of establishing content control, the method comprising: obtaining a content information of a media content at a first device, the first device containing the media content; transmitting the content information from the first device to a second device, the second device containing a plurality of content rules for a current environment of a plurality of networked devices where the first device is located; receiving a first message at the first device, wherein the first message includes an instruction about operation of the first device upon the media content, the instruction determined by comparing the content information to the plurality of content rules at the second device; playing the media content; sending a change of state from the first device to the second device, the change of state describing the media content being played by the first device; receiving the change of state at the second device; querying the plurality of content rules for the change of state; retrieving one of the plurality of content rules that is associated with the change of state; interpreting the one of the plurality of content rules to require broadcasting the change of state to all devices in the plurality of networked devices; receiving an instruction sent from the second device to the first device, the instruction requiring a broadcast of the change of state; broadcasting the state of change from the first device to all the devices in the plurality of networked devices; receiving a second message from a phone as one of the plurality of devices in the current environment, the second message instructing the first device to pause playback of the media content; determining that the first device is actively playing the media content; pausing playing the media content; comparing, periodically, a location of the first device to the plurality of content rules; and stopping playback when playback becomes impermissible because the first device enters a more restrictive device environment.