Audio content playback management

• US 10,412,445 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bates, Paul Andrew, Kumar, Abhishek
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US15/607,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20170264943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 835 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

An example implementation involves a playback device receiving a request to add continuous automated streaming audio content to a playback queue, the request indicating a playback start time, and the playback queue indicating a plurality of audio content. The implementation further involves the playback device adding the continuous automated streaming audio content to the playback queue. The example implementation also involves the playback device determining that a duration until the playback start time is less than a duration of the given audio content before playing a given audio content in the playback queue. The example implementation involves the playback device responsively, playing the continuous automated streaming audio content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that audio content selected for addition to a playlist is an automated streaming audio content, wherein the automated streaming audio content lacks a duration;

adding the automated streaming audio content to a playback queue based on the determination, the playback queue indicating a plurality of audio content and a corresponding playback position associated with each of the plurality of audio content, wherein adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue comprises

determining a playback duration for the automated streaming audio content, and

adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue at a particular playback position in the playback queue; and

causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered at the particular playback position in the playback queue for the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is not a last playback position in the playback queue and causing the automated streaming audio content to continue to be rendered beyond the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is the last playback position in the playback queue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the audio content selected for addition to the playlist is an automated streaming audio content comprises determining whether the audio content selected for addition to the playlist has an implicit duration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated streaming audio content comprises live radio content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that other audio content selected for addition to a playlist is not an automated streaming audio content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a playback duration of the automated streaming audio content comprises receiving an indication of a playback duration of the automated streaming audio content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated streaming audio content comprises discrete automated streaming audio content, the discrete automated streaming audio content comprising an automatically compiled series of one or more discrete audio contents.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered at the particular playback position in the playback queue for the determined playback duration comprises:

upon rendering the discrete automated streaming audio content for the determined playback duration, continue rendering the discrete automated streaming audio content until playback of a presently rendered discrete audio content of the discrete automated streaming audio content is completed.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined playback duration indicates a number of discrete audio content in the discrete automated streaming audio content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a playback progress indicator representing a playback progress of the automated streaming audio content;

receiving input indicating an adjustment of the playback progress of the automated streaming audio content; and

causing the determined playback duration to be reduced according to the received input.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to perform functions comprising;

determining that audio content selected for addition to a playlist is an automated streaming audio content, wherein the automated streaming audio content lacks a duration;

adding the automated streaming audio content to a playback queue based on the determination, the playback queue indicating a plurality of audio content and a corresponding playback position associated with each of the plurality of audio content, wherein adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue comprises

determining a playback duration for the automated streaming audio content, and

adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue at a particular playback position in the playback queue; and

causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered at the particular playback position in the playback queue for the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is not a last playback position in the playback queue and causing the automated streaming audio content to continue to be rendered beyond the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is the last playback position in the playback queue.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining that the audio content selected for addition to the playlist is an automated streaming audio content comprises determining whether the audio content selected for addition to the playlist has an implicit duration.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the automated streaming audio content comprises live radio content.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising program instructions stored on the tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to perform functions comprising:

receiving a request to add subsequent audio content to a playback position after the particular playback position in the playback queue;

adding the subsequent audio content to the playback queue at the playback position after the particular playback position; and

causing rendering of the automated streaming audio content to be terminated, and the subsequent audio content to be rendered.

14. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

determining that audio content selected for addition to a playlist is an automated streaming audio content, wherein the automated streaming audio content lacks a duration;

adding the automated streaming audio content to a playback queue based on the determination, the playback queue indicating a plurality of audio content and a corresponding playback position associated with each of the plurality of audio content, wherein adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue comprises

determining a playback duration for the automated streaming audio content, and

adding the automated streaming audio content to the playback queue at a particular playback position in the playback queue; and

causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered at the particular playback position in the playback queue for the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is not a last playback position in the playback queue and causing the automated streaming audio content to continue to be rendered beyond the determined playback duration when the particular playback position is the last playback position in the playback queue.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining that the audio content selected for addition to the playlist is an automated streaming audio content comprises determining whether the audio content selected for addition to the playlist has an implicit duration.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the automated streaming audio content comprises live radio content.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the automated streaming audio content comprises discrete automated streaming audio content, the discrete automated streaming audio content comprising an automatically compiled series of one or more discrete audio contents.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the particular playback position indicates a playback time, and wherein instructions for causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered at the particular playback position in the playback queue for the determined playback duration comprises instructions to further cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

upon completion of a presently rendered audio content, determining that complete rendition of an audio content subsequent to the presently rendered audio content in the playback queue will occur after the playback time;

causing the automated streaming audio content to be rendered until at least the determined playback duration after the playback time; and

causing the subsequent audio content to be rendered upon complete rendition of the automated streaming audio content.