Media preference database

• US 10,129,599 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: van der Heide, Maarten
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Ashish
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ohba, Mellissa M.
• Application Number:
  US14/263,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

Example techniques for populating a preference database affiliated with a media playback system with preferences received for media items are provided. A preference may be associated with a media item from a service provider account, and may be stored in the preference database in association with the service provider account. The service provider account may be associated with multiple user profiles used to access a media playback device, and the preference may be associated with one of the user profiles associated with the service provider account, and stored in association with the user profile. Further, the preference may be received from a user account different from a user account used to access the media item. In this case, the preference may be stored in association with the user account providing the preference. The stored preferences may be used to manage media content playback by the media playback system.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a media playback system comprising one or more playback devices, the method comprising:

receiving, via the media playback system from a first control device connected to the one or more playback devices via a local area network, an instruction to play back a first audio track on the one or more playback devices, the first control device associated with a first user profile of the media playback system;

in response to the instruction, causing, via the media playback system, the one or more playback devices to play back the first audio track;

receiving, via the media playback system from the first control device, a first preference for the first audio track that is being played by the one or more playback devices, wherein the one or more playback devices of the media playback system are configured to stream the first audio track using a first user account of the particular streaming media service provider, and wherein the first user profile of the media playback system is associated with the first user account of the particular streaming media service;

sending, from the media playback system to a second control device connected to the one or more playback devices via the local area network, an indication of the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back, the second control device associated with a second user profile of the media playback system, wherein the second user profile is associated with a second user account of the particular streaming media service provider;

while the one or more playback devices are streaming the first audio track from the particular streaming media service provider using the first user account and playing back the first audio track via one or more speakers, receiving, via the media playback system from the second control device, a second preference for the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back;

storing, in a preference database affiliated with the media playback system, (i) the first preference for the first audio track in association with the first user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the first preference in association with the first user profile, and (iii) information associated with the first audio track, wherein the information associated with the first audio track comprises a service-provider identification for the first audio track corresponding to the particular streaming media service provider;

storing, in the preference database affiliated with the media playback system, (i) the second preference in association with the second user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the second preference in association with the second user profile, and (iii) the information associated with the first audio track;

sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the first preference for the first audio track and an indication of the first user account, wherein sending the first preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream a recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track; and

causing, via the media playback system, the one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference for the first audio track.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference database affiliated with the media playback system is stored in a remote server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, via the particular streaming media service provider, another audio track using the first preference.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the first preference from a first preference format that is native to the media playback system to a second preference format that is used by the particular streaming audio service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the first preference corresponding to the first audio track comprises receiving data indicating one or more of the following:

(a) a positive preference for the first audio track, (b) a negative preference for the first audio track, (c) a selection of the first audio track, (d) a skipping of the first audio track, and (e) a rating of the first audio track.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the media playback system from the second control device, a first preference for a third audio track, wherein the third audio track is streamable to the media playback system from the particular streaming media service provider, and wherein the media playback system is configured to stream the third audio track using the second user account of the particular streaming media service provider;

while the one or more playback devices are streaming the third audio track from the particular streaming media service provider using the second user account and playing back the first audio track via one or more speakers, receiving, via the media playback system from the first control device, a second preference for the third audio track;

sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the first preference for the third audio track and an indication of the second user account, wherein sending the first preference for the third audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream a recommended fourth audio track for the second user account based on the first preference for the third audio track; and

causing, via the media playback system, the one or more playback devices to play the recommended fourth audio track based on the first preference for the third audio track.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein causing, via the media playback system, one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track comprises:

causing, via the media playback system, two or more playback device to synchronously play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

when the second control device is connected to the media playback system, sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the second preference for the first audio track, wherein sending the second preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream the recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track and the second preference for the first audio track.

9. A computing device of a media playback system comprising one or more playback devices, the computing device comprising:

a network interface;

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable via the processor to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, via the network interface from a first control device connected to the one or more playback devices via a local area network, an instruction to play back a first audio track on the one or more playback devices, the first control device associated with a first user profile of the media playback system;

in response to the instruction, causing the one or more playback devices to play back the first audio track;

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device, a first preference for the first audio track that is being played by the one or more playback devices, wherein the one or more playback devices of the media playback system are configured to stream the first audio track using a first user account of the particular streaming media service provider, and wherein the first user profile of the media playback system is associated with the first user account of the particular streaming media service;

causing the media playback system to send an indication of the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back to a second control device, the second control device associated with a second user profile of the media playback system, wherein the second user profile is associated with a second user account of the particular streaming media service provider;

while the one or more playback devices are streaming the first audio track from the particular streaming media service provider using the first user account and playing back the first audio track via one or more speakers, receiving, via the network interface from the second control device, a second preference for the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back;

storing, in a preference database, (i) the first preference for the first audio track in association with a user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the first preference in association with the first user profile, and (iii) information associated with the first audio track, wherein the information associated with the first audio track comprises a service-provider identification for the first audio track corresponding to the particular streaming media service provider;

storing, in the preference database affiliated with the media playback system, (i) the second preference in association with the second user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the second preference in association with the second user profile, and (iii) the information associated with the first audio track;

sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the first preference for the first audio track and an indication of the first user account, wherein sending the first preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream a recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track; and

causing the one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference for the first audio track.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

converting the first preference from a first preference format that is native to the media playback system to a second preference format that is used by the particular streaming audio service.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein causing, via the media playback system, one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track comprises:

causing, via the media playback system, two or more playback device to synchronously play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

when the second control device is connected to the media playback system, sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the second preference for the first audio track, wherein sending the second preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream the recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track and the second preference for the first audio track.

13. Tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device of a media playback system to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a first control device connected to one or more playback devices of the media playback system via a local area network, an instruction to play back a first audio track on one or more playback devices of the media playback system, the first control device associated with a first user profile of the media playback system;

in response to the instruction, causing the one or more playback devices to play back the first audio track;

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device, a first preference for the first audio track that is being played by the one or more playback devices, wherein the one or more playback devices of the media playback system are configured to stream the first audio track using a first user account of the particular streaming media service provider, and wherein the first user profile of the media playback system is associated with the first user account of the particular streaming media service;

causing the media playback system to send an indication of the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back to a second control device, the second control device associated with a second user profile of the media playback system, wherein the second user profile is associated with a second user account of the particular streaming media service provider;

while the one or more playback devices are streaming the first audio track from the particular streaming media service provider using the first user account and playing back the first audio track via one or more speakers, receiving, via the network interface from the second control device, a second preference for the first audio track that the one or more playback devices are playing back;

storing, in a preference database, (i) the first preference for the first audio track in association with a user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the first preference in association with the first user profile, and (iii) information associated with the first audio track;

storing, in the preference database affiliated with the media playback system, (i) the second preference in association with the second user account of the particular streaming media service provider, (ii) the second preference in association with the second user profile, and (iii) the information associated with the first audio track, wherein the information associated with the first audio track comprises a service-provider identification for the first audio track corresponding to the particular streaming media service provider;

sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the first preference for the first audio track and an indication of the first user account, wherein sending the first preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream a recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track; and

causing the one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference for the first audio track.

14. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

converting the first preference from a first preference format that is native to the media playback system to a second preference format that is used by the particular streaming audio service.

15. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the preference database is stored in a remote server.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the information associated with the first audio track comprises a service-provider identification for the first audio track corresponding to the particular streaming media service provider.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein causing, via the media playback system, one or more playback devices to play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track comprises:

causing, via the media playback system, two or more playback device to synchronously play the recommended second audio track based on the first preference corresponding to the first audio track.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

when the second control device is connected to the media playback system, sending, from the media playback system to the particular streaming media service provider, the second preference for the first audio track, wherein sending the second preference for the first audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream the recommended second audio track for the first user account based on the first preference for the first audio track and the second preference for the first audio track.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, from the second control device, a first preference for a third audio track, wherein the third audio track is streamable to the media playback system from the particular streaming media service provider, and wherein the media playback system is configured to stream the third audio track using the second user account of the particular streaming media service provider;

while the one or more playback devices are streaming the third audio track from the particular streaming media service provider using the second user account and playing back the first audio track via one or more speakers, receiving, from the first control device, a second preference for the third audio track;

sending, to the particular streaming media service provider, the first preference for the third audio track and an indication of the second user account, wherein sending the first preference for the third audio track causes the particular streaming media service provider to stream a recommended fourth audio track for the second user account based on the first preference for the third audio track; and

causing the one or more playback devices to play the recommended fourth audio track based on the first preference for the third audio track.