Smart music services preferences

• US 10,452,344 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2018
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/953,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

In an example implementation, a method may involve detecting a trigger that suspends playback preference tracking of a media playback system, sending, to one or more media services registered with the media playback system, one or more requests to suspend playback preference tracking from when the trigger that suspends playback preference tracking was detected, detecting a particular trigger that resumes playback preference tracking of the media playback system, and based on detecting the particular trigger, sending, to at least one of the one or more media services registered to the media playback system, one or more requests to resume playback preference tracking of the media playback system.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:

sending, to one or more media services registered with a media playback system, playback preference tracking information;

after sending the playback preference tracking information;

determining that a first trigger occurred at a first time, wherein the first trigger comprises two or more playback devices of the media playback system entering into a group in which the two or more playback devices are configured to play back media in synchrony, and wherein the first time comprises a first boundary for suspending playback preference tracking;

determining that a second trigger occurred at a second time, wherein the second time comprises a second boundary for suspending playback preference tracking; and

sending, to the one or more media services registered with the media playback system, one or more requests to remove tracked playback preferences received between the first time and the second time.

2. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the second trigger comprises:

at least one playback device of the two or more playback devices leaving the group.

3. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the playback preference tracking information comprises at least one of a playback history indicating media items previously played by the media playback system from the one or more media service, one or more favorite media items, one or more saved playlists, one or more followed artists, one or more favorite radio stations, or one or more media item ratings.

4. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a given one of the two or more playback devices that entered into the group.

5. The computer-readable memory of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a controller device.

6. A method, comprising:

sending, via a computing device to one or more media services registered with a media playback system, playback preference tracking information;

after sending the playback preference tracking information;

determining, via the computing device, that a first trigger occurred at a first time, wherein the first trigger comprises two or more playback devices of the media playback system entering into a group in which the two or more playback devices are configured to play back media in synchrony, and wherein the first time comprises a first boundary for suspending playback preference tracking;

determining, via the computing device, that a second trigger occurred at a second time, wherein the second time comprises a second boundary for suspending playback preference tracking; and

sending, via the computing device to the one or more media services registered with the media playback system, one or more requests to remove tracked playback preferences received between the first time and the second time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second trigger comprises:

at least one playback device of the two or more playback devices leaving the group.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the playback preference tracking information comprises at least one of a playback history indicating media items previously played by the media playback system from the one or more media service, one or more favorite media items, one or more saved playlists, one or more followed artists, one or more favorite radio stations, or one or more media item ratings.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing device is a given one of the two or more playback devices that entered into the group.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing device is a controller device.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

sending, to one or more media services registered with a media playback system, playback preference tracking information;

after sending the playback preference tracking information;

determining that a first trigger occurred at a first time, wherein the first trigger comprises two or more playback devices of the media playback system entering into a group in which the two or more playback devices are configured to play back media in synchrony, and wherein the first time comprises a first boundary for suspending playback preference tracking;

determining that a second trigger occurred at a second time, wherein the second time comprises a second boundary for suspending playback preference tracking; and

sending, to the one or more media services registered with the media playback system, one or more requests to remove tracked playback preferences received between the first time and the second time.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the second trigger comprises:

at least one playback device of the two or more playback devices leaving the group.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the playback preference tracking information comprises at least one of a playback history indicating media items previously played by the media playback system from the one or more media service, one or more favorite media items, one or more saved playlists, one or more followed artists, one or more favorite radio stations, or one or more media item ratings.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a given one of the two or more playback devices that entered into the group.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a controller device.