Receiving media content based on user media preferences

• US 10,554,781 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Yean-Nian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Aftab N.
• Application Number:
  US16/143,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20190058777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for receiving media content based on the preferences of additional users. An example implementation includes a computing device transmitting, to a service provider, a first request for media items based on media preferences associated with first user profiles for a media playback system. After transmitting the first request, the computing device determines that media preferences associated with second user profiles are to be used for requesting media items. Thereafter, the computing device transmits, to the service provider, a second request for one or more media items based on media preferences associated with (i) the first user profiles and (ii) the second user profiles. After transmitting the second request, the computing device may receive data indicating at least one media item from the service provider and cause one or more playback devices in the media playback system to play the at least one media item.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by one or more servers of a streaming audio service, the method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing a first user account of the streaming audio service, the first user account corresponding to a first control interface associated with a given media playback system, the first control interface executing on a first mobile device;

receiving, via the network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service, each second user account corresponding to a respective second control interface executing on a respective second mobile device that is in proximity to the given media playback system;

determining a playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts, wherein the one or more servers of the streaming audio service maintain the music preferences of the second user accounts in a database;

sending, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, data representing the determined playlist, wherein sending data representing the determined playlist causes the given media playback system to queue the determined playlist in a playback queue in data storage of one or more playback devices; and

streaming, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, the audio tracks of the determined playlist as the one or more playback devices of the given media playback system play back the determined playlist via one or more speakers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by the first user account, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating the one or more second user accounts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by a first user account of a social networking service, the first user account of the social networking service corresponding to the first user account of the streaming audio service, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating one or more second user accounts of the social networking service, each second user account of the social networking service corresponding to a respective second user account of the one or more second user accounts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface, respective messages from the second control interfaces, indicating that the respective second mobile devices are in proximity to the given media playback system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages representing the first audio tracks associated with the first user account, wherein the first audio tracks were selected for playback via the first control interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts comprises determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising the first audio tracks having metadata matching music preferences of the first user account.

7. A cloud computing system of a streaming audio service, the cloud computing system comprising one or more servers configured to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing a first user account of the streaming audio service, the first user account corresponding to a first control interface associated with a given media playback system, the first control interface executing on a first mobile device;

receiving, via the network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service, each second user account corresponding to a respective second control interface executing on a respective second mobile device that is in proximity to the given media playback system;

determining a playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts, wherein the one or more servers of the streaming audio service maintain the music preferences of the second user accounts in a database;

sending, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, data representing the determined playlist, wherein sending data representing the determined playlist causes the given media playback system to queue the determined playlist in a playback queue in data storage of one or more playback devices; and

streaming, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, the audio tracks of the determined playlist as the one or more playback devices of the given media playback system play back the determined playlist via one or more speakers.

8. The cloud computing system of claim 7, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by the first user account, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating the one or more second user accounts.

9. The cloud computing system of claim 7, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by a first user account of a social networking service, the first user account of the social networking service corresponding to the first user account of the streaming audio service, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating one or more second user accounts of the social networking service, each second user account of the social networking service corresponding to a respective second user account of the one or more second user accounts.

10. The cloud computing system of claim 7, wherein receiving the one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface, respective messages from the second control interfaces, indicating that the respective second mobile devices are in proximity to the given media playback system.

11. The cloud computing system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages representing the first audio tracks associated with the first user account, wherein the first audio tracks were selected for playback via the first control interface.

12. The cloud computing system of claim 7, wherein determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts comprises determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising the first audio tracks having metadata matching music preferences of the first user account.

13. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a one or more servers of a cloud computing system to cause the one or more servers to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing a first user account of a streaming audio service, the first user account corresponding to a first control interface associated with a given media playback system, the first control interface executing on a first mobile device;

receiving, via the network interface of the one or more servers, one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service, each second user account corresponding to a respective second control interface executing on a respective second mobile device that is in proximity to the given media playback system;

determining a playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts, wherein the one or more servers of the streaming audio service maintain the music preferences of the second user accounts in a database;

sending, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, data representing determined playlist, wherein sending data representing the determined playlist causes the given media playback system to queue the determined playlist in a playback queue in data storage of one or more playback devices; and

streaming, via the network interface of the one or more servers to the given media playback system, the audio tracks of the determined playlist as the one or more playback devices of the given media playback system play back the determined playlist via one or more speakers.

14. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by the first user account, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating the one or more second user accounts.

15. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing the first user account of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages comprising a request to create an event hosted by a first user account of a social networking service, the first user account of the social networking service corresponding to the first user account of the streaming audio service, and wherein receiving one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving one or more messages comprising a guest list to the event, the guest list indicating one or more second user accounts of the social networking service, each second user account of the social networking service corresponding to a respective second user account of the one or more second user accounts.

16. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the one or more messages comprising data representing one or more second user accounts of the streaming audio service comprises receiving, via the network interface, respective messages from the second control interfaces, indicating that the respective second mobile devices are in proximity to the given media playback system.

17. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the first control interface, one or more messages representing the first audio tracks associated with the first user account, wherein the first audio tracks were selected for playback via the first control interface.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising first audio tracks associated with the first user account and second audio tracks having metadata matching respective music preferences of the one or more second user accounts comprises determining the playlist of audio tracks comprising the first audio tracks having metadata matching music preferences of the first user account.