Personalized media playback at a discovered point-of-sale display

• US 10,296,884 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan, Dubois, Deborah
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Racic, Milena
• Application Number:
  US14/042,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 705 16, 700 94, 381104
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information

Abstract

Embodiments are described herein that allow for personalized media playback at a discovered point-of-sale display. In one aspect, a method is provided that involves discovering a point-of-sale display by a portable computing device. The point-of-sale display comprises at least one media playback device. The method further involves receiving, over a wireless network by the portable computing device, a software application and a system identifier of the point-of-sale display. The system identifier to automatically configure the software application to control the at least one media playback device at the discovered point-of-sale display. The method further involves joining the software application on the portable computing device to the point-of-sale display using the system identifier. The method further involves sending from the portable computing device via the configured software application one or more commands to control the at least one media playback device.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating media playback by a first media playback system in a retail environment, the method comprising:

discovering a point-of-sale display via a portable computing device, wherein the point-of-sale display comprises the first media playback system on a first wireless network, wherein the first media playback system comprises (i) a first set of two or more media playback devices that are connected via a local area network and configured as one or more zones of the first media playback system and (ii) a control device that displays a control interface on a graphical display, and wherein discovering the point-of-sale display via the portable computing device comprises receiving data indicating an electronic address of a software application hosted at a server;

after discovering the point-of-sale display, receiving, at the portable computing device from the server via the electronic address, the software application and a first system identifier that uniquely identifies the first media playback system from other media playback systems;

in response to receiving the software application and the first system identifier, configuring the software application with the first system identifier, wherein the portable computing device controls the first set of two or more media playback devices via a control interface of the software application displayed on a graphical display of the portable computing device when the software application is configured with the first system identifier; and

after configuring the software application with the first system identifier, sending, via the control interface of the software application displayed on the graphical display of the portable computing device, one or more playback commands to play back a particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices, wherein the at least one media playback device updates the control interface displayed on the graphical display of the control device to indicate that the particular audio track is playing back on the at least one media playback device via one or more state variables sent from the at least one media playback device to the control device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the portable computing device, display data from the point-of-sale display that comprises audio content available for playback by the first media playback system;

displaying, within the control interface of the software application on the graphical display of the portable computing device, an indication of the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system; and

receiving, via the control interface of the software application, input indicating a selection of the particular audio track from among the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system, wherein the one or more playback commands to play back the particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices are sent in response to receiving the selection of the particular audio track.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving via the portable computing device, display data from the point-of-sale display that comprises summary information of the first media playback system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the summary information includes identification of at least one media playback device of the first set of two or more media playback devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of two or more media playback devices is configured into two or more zones with respective media playback devices;

and wherein the summary information includes identification of the two or more zones.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indexing audio content on the portable computing device, wherein the audio content can be played by the first media playback system subsequent to indexing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

terminating access to the first media playback system after a predefined duration of time after discovering the point-of-sale display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing back audio on the portable computing device via the software application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale display is configured to display a barcode, wherein the barcode comprises a hyperlink, and wherein the hyperlink indicates the electronic address of the software application, and wherein discovering the point-of-sale display comprises receiving, via the portable computing device, an image of the barcode.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the point-of-sale display via the portable computing device further comprises receiving, via the portable computing device, a map identifying a particular location of the first media playback system in the retail environment.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the point-of-sale display via the portable computing device further comprises receiving, via the portable computing device, directions to a particular location of the first media playback system in the retail environment.

10. Tangible, non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a portable computing device to perform operations for facilitating media playback by a first media playback system in a retail environment, the operations comprising:

discovering a point-of-sale display, wherein the point-of-sale display comprises the first media playback system on a first wireless network, wherein the first media playback system comprises (i) a first set of two or more media playback devices that are connected via a local area network and configured as one or more zones of the first media playback system and (ii) a control device that displays a control interface on a graphical display, and wherein discovering the point-of-sale display via the portable computing device comprises receiving a hyperlink for a software application hosted at a server;

after discovering the point-of-sale display, receiving, at the portable computing device from the server via the hyperlink, the software application and a first system identifier that uniquely identifies the first media playback system from other media playback systems;

in response to receiving the software application and the first system identifier, configuring the software application with the first system identifier, wherein the portable computing device controls the first set of two or more media playback devices via a control interface of the software application displayed on a graphical display of the portable computing device when the software application is configured with the first system identifier; and

after configuring the software application with the first system identifier, sending, via the control interface of the software application displayed on the graphical display of the portable computing device, one or more playback commands to play back a particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices, wherein the at least one media playback device updates the control interface displayed on the graphical display of the control device to indicate that the particular audio track is playing back on the at least one media playback device via one or more state variables sent from the at least one media playback device to the control device.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

receiving display data from the point-of-sale display that comprises audio content available for playback by the first media playback system;

displaying, within the control interface of the software application on the graphical display of the portable computing device, an indication of the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system; and

receiving, via the control interface of the software application, input indicating a selection of the particular audio track from among the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system, wherein the one or more playback commands to play back the particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices are sent in response to receiving the selection of the particular audio track.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

receiving display data from the point-of-sale display that comprises summary information of the first media playback system.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the summary information includes identification of the at least one media playback device of the first set of two or more media playback devices.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the first set of two or more media playback devices is configured into two or more zones with respective media playback devices;

and wherein the summary information includes identification of the two or more zones.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

indexing audio content on the portable computing device, wherein the audio content can be played by the first media playback system subsequent to indexing.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

terminating access to the first media playback system after a predefined duration of time after discovering the point-of-sale display.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

playing back audio on the portable computing device via the software application.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale display is configured to display a barcode, wherein the barcode comprises the hyperlink, and wherein the hyperlink indicates a network address of the software application, and wherein discovering the point-of-sale display comprises receiving, via the portable computing device, an image of the barcode.

21. A portable device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the portable device to perform operations for facilitating media playback by a first media playback system in a retail environment, the operations comprising;

discovering a point-of-sale display, wherein the point-of-sale display comprises the first media playback system on a first wireless network, wherein the first media playback system comprises (i) a first set of two or more media playback devices that are connected via a local area network and configured as one or more zones of the first media playback system and (ii) a control device that displays a control interface on a graphical display, and wherein discovering the point-of-sale display comprises receiving data indicating an electronic address of a software application hosted at a server;

after discovering the point-of-sale display, receiving, from the server via the electronic address, the software application and a first system identifier that uniquely identifies the first media playback system from other media playback systems;

in response to receiving the software application and the first system identifier, configuring the software application with the first system identifier, wherein the portable computing device controls the first set of two or more media playback devices via a control interface of the software application displayed on a graphical display of the portable computing device when the software application is configured with the first system identifier; and

after configuring the software application with the first system identifier, sending, via the control interface of the software application displayed on the graphical display of the portable computing device, one or more playback commands to play back a particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices, wherein the at least one media playback device updates the control interface displayed on the graphical display of the control device to indicate that the particular audio track is playing back on the at least one media playback device via one or more state variables sent from the at least one media playback device to the control device.

22. The portable device of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

receiving, via the portable computing device, display data from the point-of-sale display that comprises audio content available for playback by the first media playback system;

displaying, within the control interface of the software application on the graphical display of the portable computing device, an indication of the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system; and

receiving, via the control interface of the software application, input indicating a selection of the particular audio track from among the audio content available for playback by the first media playback system, wherein the one or more playback commands to play back the particular audio track on at least one media playback device of the first set of one or more media playback devices are sent in response to receiving the selection of the particular audio track.

23. The portable device of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

indexing audio content on the portable computing device, wherein the audio content can be played by the first media playback system subsequent to indexing.

24. The portable device of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

terminating access to the first media playback system after a predefined duration of time after discovering the point-of-sale display.