Creation and control of channels that provide access to content from various audio-provider services

• US 10,402,153 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Raphael, Seth, Murdoch, Ben, Tait, Matthew David, Sumter, Cody
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant S
• Application Number:
  US15/807,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20180067716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77, 709201-207, 709217-248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Example implementations may relate to creation and control of channels. In particular, a computing device may receive a first channel-addition request indicating content from a first audio-provider service and may responsively send to a server an instruction to establish a first channel that provides access to content from the first audio-provider service via an application-program account. With this arrangement, a subsequent second channel-addition request may then similarly lead to establishment of a second channel that provides access to content from the second audio-provider service via the application-program account. After channel-additions, the device may determine a first selection of the added first channel and may responsively cause content from the first audio-provider service to be output by an audio output device. Then, the device may determine a second selection of the added second channel and responsively cause content from the second audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

an audio output device;

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the one or more processors to;

cause content from an audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device;

while causing content from the audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device, determine that an audible notification is to be outputted by the audio output device;

in response to determining that the audible notification is to be outputted by the audio output device, determine a type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service;

based on the determined type of content, make a determination of whether (i) to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device or (ii) to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at a reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device; and

after making the determination, cause the audio output device to output the audible notification in accordance with the determination, wherein determining the type of content occurs during a communication session with a server.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a screenless wearable device.

3. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising at least one input device operable to receive input data, wherein the at least one input device comprises one or more of the following devices:

at least one microphone, at least one touch-based interface, and at least one mechanical interface, wherein the program instructions are further executable to;

determine that the input data indicates selection of a channel that provides content from the audio-provider service, and

wherein causing content from the audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device is responsive to determining that the input data indicates selection of the channel.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the audible notification is a notification of an incoming call.

5. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the audible notification is a notification of an incoming text message.

6. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is music, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being music, making a determination to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device.

7. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is an audio book, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being an audio book, making a determination to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device.

8. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device, and

wherein causing the audio output device to output the audible notification in accordance with the determination comprises causing the audio output device to output the audible notification at a particular volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at an increased volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, cause the audio output device to resume outputting content from the audio-provider service.

11. A server comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the one or more processors to;

send, to a computing device, an instruction to output content from an audio-provider service via an audio output device of the computing device;

determine a type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service;

determine that an audible notification is to be outputted via the audio output device of the computing device;

in response to determining that the audible notification is to be outputted and based on the determined type of content, make a determination of whether (i) to instruct the computing device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device while the audible notification is being outputted via the audio output device or (ii) to instruct the computing device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at a reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted via the audio output device; and

after making the determination, transmit, to the computing device, a further instruction in accordance with the determination to output the audible notification.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a screenless wearable device.

13. The server of claim 11, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

determine, in association with the computing device, selection of a channel that provides content from the audio-provider service, and responsively send, to the computing device, the instruction to output content from the audio-provider service.

14. The server of claim 11,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises receiving, from an audio-provider server that stores content from the audio-provider service, information that specifies the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service.

15. The server of claim 11, wherein determining that the audible notification is to be outputted via the audio output device of the computing device comprises receiving, from the computing device, an indication that the audible notification is to be outputted via the audio output device of the computing device.

16. The server of claim 11,

wherein the audible notification is a notification of an incoming call or a notification of an incoming text message.

17. The server of claim 11,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is music, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being music, making a determination to instruct the computing device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted via the audio output device.

18. The server of claim 11,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is an audio book, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being an audio book, making a determination to instruct the computing device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device while the audible notification is being outputted via the audio output device.

19. The server of claim 11,

wherein the determination is to instruct the computing device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted via the audio output device, and

wherein transmitting, to the computing device, the further instruction in accordance with the determination comprises transmitting the further instruction to cause the audio output device to output the audible notification at a particular volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

20. The server of claim 11,

wherein the determination is to instruct the computing device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted via the audio output device, and

wherein the further instruction also instructs the computing device to, after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at an increased volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

21. The server of claim 11,

wherein the determination is to instruct the computing device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device while the audible notification is being outputted via the audio output device, and

wherein the further instruction also instructs the computing device to, after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, resume outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device.

22. A method comprising:

causing, by a computing device comprising an audio output device, content from an audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device;

while causing content from the audio-provider service to be output by the audio output device, determining, by the computing device, that an audible notification is to be outputted by the audio output device;

in response to determining that the audible notification is to be outputted by the audio output device, determining, by the computing device, a type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service;

based on the determined type of content, making a determination, by the computing device, of whether (i) to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device or (ii) to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at a reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device; and

after making the determination, causing, by the computing device, the audio output device to output the audible notification in accordance with the determination, wherein determining the type of content occurs during a communication session with a server.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the audible notification is a notification of an incoming call or a notification of an incoming text message.

24. The method of claim 22,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is music, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being music, making a determination to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device.

25. The method of claim 22,

wherein determining the type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service comprises determining that the type of content is an audio book, and

wherein making the determination based on the determined type of content comprises, based on the determined type of content being an audio book, making a determination to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device.

26. The method of claim 22,

wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device, and

wherein causing the audio output device to output the audible notification in accordance with the determination comprises causing the audio output device to output the audible notification at a particular volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at the reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted by the audio output device, the method further comprising:

after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, causing, by the computing device, the audio output device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service at an increased volume that is greater than the reduced volume.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the determination is to cause the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device, the method further comprising:

after the audible notification is outputted by the audio output device, causing, by the computing device, the audio output device to resume outputting content from the audio-provider service.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein causing the audio output device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device comprises pausing content from the audio-provider service while the audible notification is being outputted by the audio output device.

30. A method comprising:

sending, by a server and to a computing device, an instruction to output content from an audio-provider service via an audio output device of the computing device;

determining, by the server, a type of content associated with content from the audio-provider service;

determining, by the server that an audible notification is to be outputted via the audio output device of the computing device;

in response to determining that the audible notification is to be outputted and based on the determined type of content, making a determination, by the server, of whether (i) to instruct the computing device to stop outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device while the audible notification is being outputted via the audio output device or (ii) to instruct the computing device to continue outputting content from the audio-provider service via the audio output device at a reduced volume while the audible notification is also being outputted via the audio output device; and

after making the determination, transmitting, by the server and to the computing device, a further instruction in accordance with the determination to output the audible notification.