Playback queue control

• US 10,454,700 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2019
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Reimann, Robert, Kumar, Abhishek, Bates, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, David L
• Application Number:
  US16/295,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20190207782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

Example techniques involve control of playback queues. A computing device may display a media controller that includes a queue area. When representations of one or more audio tracks are moved into a particular location within the queue area, they are added to the queue. The audio tracks are added to the beginning of the queue, end of the queue, or at a specific position with the queue based on the particular location within the queue area.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a computing device, the method comprising:

displaying, via a display of the computing device, a media controller;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a command to display a first control interface of the media controller;

in response to receiving the input data to display the first control interface, displaying, via the display of the computing device, the first control interface, wherein the first control interface comprises a queue area including a graphical representation of a playback queue, the queue area divided into three non-overlapping regions comprising (i) a first region indicating the playback queue, (ii) a second region to a side of the first region, and (ii) a third region vertically-aligned underneath the second region;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a movement of one or more audio tracks into a particular location of the queue area of the first control interface;

in response to receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the queue area, adding the one or more audio tracks to the playback queue, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the playback queue at a position corresponding to the particular location when the particular location is within the first region, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the beginning of the playback queue when the particular location is within the second region, and wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the end of the playback queue when the particular location is within the third region; and

causing playback of audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control interface further comprises a media source region indicating audio tracks available for playback, and wherein the receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area of the first control interface comprises receiving input data representing a drag-and-drop movement of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks from the media source region to the particular location of the queue area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area comprises receiving touch-input data representing a touch-selection of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks and a drag-and-drop touch-input to the particular location of the queue area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region of the queue area is horizontally-aligned with the vertically-aligned second and third regions of the queue area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display defines a two-dimensional coordinate system, and wherein the particular location corresponds to a particular set of coordinates in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein causing playback of the audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers comprises:

streaming data representing a given audio track represented in the playback queue from one or more servers of a streaming audio service; and

causing one or more playback devices to play back the streamed data representing the given audio track, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise the one or more speakers and the one or more audio amplifiers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein causing playback of the audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers comprises:

causing the first playback device and the second playback device to play back the given audio track represented in the playback queue via the one or more speakers and the one or more audio amplifiers.

8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when performed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform functions comprising:

displaying, via a display of the computing device, a media controller;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a command to display a first control interface of the media controller;

in response to receiving the input data to display the first control interface, displaying, via the display of the computing device, the first control interface, wherein the first control interface comprises a queue area including a graphical representation of a playback queue, the queue area divided into three non-overlapping regions comprising (i) a first region indicating the playback queue, (ii) a second region to a side of the first region, and (ii) a third region vertically-aligned underneath the second region;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a movement of one or more audio tracks into a particular location of the queue area of the first control interface;

in response to receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the queue area, adding the one or more audio tracks to the playback queue, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the playback queue at a position corresponding to the particular location when the particular location is within the first region, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the beginning of the playback queue when the particular location is within the second region, and wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the end of the playback queue when the particular location is within the third region; and

causing playback of audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first control interface further comprises a media source region indicating audio tracks available for playback, and wherein the receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area of the first control interface comprises receiving input data representing a drag-and-drop movement of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks from the media source region to the particular location of the queue area.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area comprises receiving touch-input data representing a touch-selection of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks and a drag-and-drop touch-input to the particular location of the queue area.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first region of the queue area is horizontally-aligned with the vertically-aligned second and third regions of the queue area.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the display defines a two-dimensional coordinate system, and wherein the particular location corresponds to a particular set of coordinates in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein causing playback of the audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers comprises:

streaming data representing a given audio track represented in the playback queue from one or more servers of a streaming audio service; and

causing one or more playback devices to play back the streamed data representing the given audio track, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise the one or more speakers and the one or more audio amplifiers.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein causing playback of the audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers comprises:

causing the first playback device and the second playback device to play back the given audio track represented in the playback queue via the one or more speakers and the one or more audio amplifiers.

15. A computing device comprising:

a display;

a network interface;

one or more processors;

data storage storing instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

displaying, via the display, a media controller;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a command to display a first control interface of the media controller;

in response to receiving the input data to display the first control interface, displaying, via the display, the first control interface, wherein the first control interface comprises a queue area including a graphical representation of a playback queue, the queue area divided into three non-overlapping regions comprising (i) a first region indicating the playback queue, (ii) a second region to a side of the first region, and (ii) a third region vertically-aligned underneath the second region;

receiving, via the media controller, input data representing a movement of one or more audio tracks into a particular location of the queue area of the first control interface;

in response to receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the queue area, adding the one or more audio tracks to the playback queue, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the playback queue at a position corresponding to the particular location when the particular location is within the first region, wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the beginning of the playback queue when the particular location is within the second region, and wherein the one or more audio tracks are added to the end of the playback queue when the particular location is within the third region; and

causing playback of audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first control interface further comprises a media source region indicating audio tracks available for playback, and wherein the receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area of the first control interface comprises receiving input data representing a drag-and-drop movement of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks from the media source region to the particular location of the queue area.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein receiving the input data representing the movement of one or more audio tracks into the particular location of the queue area comprises receiving touch-input data representing a touch-selection of one or more graphical representations of the one or more audio tracks and a drag-and-drop touch-input to the particular location of the queue area.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first region of the queue area is horizontally-aligned with the vertically-aligned second and third regions of the queue area.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the display defines a two-dimensional coordinate system, and wherein the particular location corresponds to a particular set of coordinates in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein causing playback of the audio tracks represented in the playback queue via one or more speakers and one or more audio amplifiers comprises:

streaming data representing a given audio track represented in the playback queue from one or more servers of a streaming audio service; and

causing one or more playback devices to play back the streamed data representing the given audio track, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise the one or more speakers and the one or more audio amplifiers.