Cloud queue synchronization

• US 10,462,119 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Coburn, IV, Arthur L., Beckhardt, Steven, Schulert, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US16/143,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20190028452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 : Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 : involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 : for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 : by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 : using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 : directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 : Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 : Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 : Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

Example implementations involve cloud queue synchronization. An example implementation may involve a playback device sending a request for a window of media items from a cloud queue of media items that is accessible to the playback device via a wide area network, the request including (i) an indication of a reference media item, (ii) a first parameter indicating a number of media items preceding the reference media item to include in the window and (iii) a second parameter indicating a number of media items subsequent to the reference media item to include in the window. The playback device receives, in response to the request for the window of media items, an indication of a particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items and incorporates the media items of the particular window into a local queue of media items.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

a network interface;

at least one processor;

a data storage; and

a program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the at least one processor to perform functions comprising;

sending, to a remote server over the network interface, a request for a window of media items from a cloud queue of media items that is accessible to the playback device via a wide area network, the request including (i) an indication of a reference media item and (ii) one or more parameters indicating a number of media items to include in the window;

receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of media items, an indication of a particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes;

(a) a window of media items preceding the reference media item, the window of media items preceding the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, (b) a window of media items subsequent to the reference media item, the window of media items subsequent to the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, or (c) a window of media items including the reference media item, the window of media items including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters; and

incorporating respective indications of the media items within the particular window into a local queue of media items, wherein the local queue is stored in data storage of the playback device.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the particular window of media items includes sequential media items from the cloud queue of media items, the sequence indicated by the cloud queue.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the reference media item corresponds to a playhead indicating the currently playing media item of the local queue, wherein playback of the local queue is (a) paused or (b) in progress.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein sending the request for the window of media items from the cloud queue of media items further comprises sending, to the remote server over the network interface, an identifier indicating the cloud queue from among one or more cloud queues.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the particular window is a first window of media items from the cloud queue, and wherein the functions further comprise:

sending, to a remote server over the network interface, a request for a window of subsequent media items from the cloud queue of media items, the request including an indication of another reference media item; and

receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of subsequent media items, an indication of a second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes media items subsequent to the another reference media item in the cloud queue.

6. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the program logic is further executable to perform functions further comprising:

after receiving the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, sending, to one or more additional playback devices over the network interface, an indication of the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items to cause the media items of the particular window to be incorporated into respective local queues of the one or more additional playback devices.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items comprises receiving uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of media items of the particular window.

8. The playback device of claim 1, wherein respective indications of the media items of the particular window comprise uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window, and wherein incorporating respective indications of the media items within-the particular window into the local queue of media items comprises incorporating, into the local queue, the uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window.

9. A method comprising:

a playback device sending, to a remote server over a network interface, a request for a window of media items from a cloud queue of media items that is accessible to the playback device via a wide area network, the request including (i) an indication of a reference media item and (ii) one or more parameters indicating a number of media items to include in the window;

the playback device receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of media items, an indication of a particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes;

(a) a window of media items preceding the reference media item, the window of media items preceding the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, (b) a window of media items subsequent to the reference media item, the window of media items subsequent to the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, or (c) a window of media items including the reference media item, the window of media items including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters; and

the playback device incorporating respective indications of the media items within the particular window into a local queue of media items, wherein the local queue is stored in data storage of the playback device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular window of media items includes sequential media items from the cloud queue of media items, the sequence indicated by the cloud queue.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the reference media item corresponds to a playhead indicating the currently playing media item of the local queue, wherein playback of the local queue is (a) paused or (b) in progress.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein sending the request for the window of media items from the cloud queue of media items further comprises sending, to the remote server over the network interface, an identifier indicating the cloud queue from among one or more cloud queues.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular window is a first window of media items from the cloud queue, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, to a remote server over the network interface, a request for a window of subsequent media items from the cloud queue of media items, the request including an indication of another reference media item; and

receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of subsequent media items, an indication of a second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes media items subsequent to the another reference media item in the cloud queue.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

after receiving the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, sending, to one or more additional playback devices over the network interface, an indication of the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items to cause the media items of the particular window to be incorporated into respective local queues of the one or more additional playback devices.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the indication of the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items comprises receiving uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of media items of the particular window.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein respective indications of the media items of the particular window comprise uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window, and wherein incorporating respective indications of the media items within-the particular window into the local queue of media items comprises incorporating, into the local queue, the uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window.

17. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a playback device to perform a method comprising:

sending, to a remote server over a network interface, a request for a window of media items from a cloud queue of media items that is accessible to the playback device via a wide area network, the request including (i) an indication of a reference media item and (ii) one or more parameters indicating a number of media items to include in the window;

receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of media items, an indication of a particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes;

(a) a window of media items preceding the reference media item, the window of media items preceding the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, (b) a window of media items subsequent to the reference media item, the window of media items subsequent to the reference media item including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters, or (c) a window of media items including the reference media item, the window of media items including the number of media items indicated by the one or more parameters; and

incorporating respective indications of the media items within the particular window into a local queue of media items, wherein the local queue is stored in data storage of the playback device.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the particular window of media items includes sequential media items from the cloud queue of media items, the sequence indicated by the cloud queue.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the reference media item corresponds to a playhead indicating the currently playing media item of the local queue, wherein playback of the local queue is (a) paused or (b) in progress.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein sending the request for the window of media items from the cloud queue of media items further comprises sending, to the remote server over the network interface, an identifier indicating the cloud queue from among one or more cloud queues.

21. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the particular window is a first window of media items from the cloud queue, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, to a remote server over the network interface, a request for a window of subsequent media items from the cloud queue of media items, the request including an indication of another reference media item; and

receiving, over the network interface in response to the request for the window of subsequent media items, an indication of a second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items, wherein the second window of media items from the cloud queue of media items includes media items subsequent to the another reference media item in the cloud queue.

22. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein receiving the indication of the particular window of media items from the cloud queue of media items comprises receiving uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of media items of the particular window.

23. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein respective indications of the media items of the particular window comprise uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window, and wherein incorporating respective indications of the media items within the particular window into the local queue of media items comprises incorporating, into the local queue, the uniform resource identifiers indicating respective network locations of each media item of the media items of the particular window.