Management of media content playback

• US 10,586,567 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• 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): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US16/011,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20180301166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 techniques may involve managing playback of media content by a playback device. In an example implementation, a playback device receives, via the network interface from a control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a container of audio tracks into a queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the container of audio tracks and consists of: (a) an album, (b) a playlist, or (c) an internet radio station. While the playback device is playing back the queue and before each audio track of the playlist is played back, the playback device determines whether the respective audio track is associated with a negative preference. If the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference, the playback device advances playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue.

Claims

1. A playback device of a media playback system comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, via the network interface from a first control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a container of audio tracks into a queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the container of audio tracks consists of;

(a) an album, (b) a playlist, or (c) an internet radio station;

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device or a second control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the particular audio track is associated with a negative preference;

while the playback device is playing back the queue via one or more speakers and before each audio track of the container is played back, determining whether the respective audio track is associated with a negative preference;

when the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference, advancing playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue; and

when a given audio track in the queue was individually added to the queue, playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device or a second control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device;

before the particular audio track is played back, determining that the particular audio track is associated with the negative preference; and

overriding the negative preference associated with the particular audio track based on the particular audio track being queued individually in the queue such that the particular audio track is played back regardless of the associated negative preference.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts currently interfacing with the playback device via the network interface;

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the first control device is associated with a first user account, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the first user account; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the container of audio tracks is associated with a streaming audio service, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service registered to the media playback system;

transmitting, via the network interface to a server of the streaming audio service, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service; and

receiving, via the network interface from the server of the streaming audio service in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

6. The playback device of claim 5, wherein the playback device playing back the queue comprises the playback device streaming the audio tracks of the container from one or more servers of the streaming audio service according to playback sequence defined by the container.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to advancing playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue, transmitting, to the first control device, one or more state variables indicating the currently playing audio track.

8. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a playback device, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a first control device of a media playback system, an instruction to queue a container of audio tracks into a queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the container of audio tracks consists of;

(a) an album, (b) a playlist, or (c) an internet radio station;

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device or a second control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the particular audio track is associated with a negative preference;

while the playback device is playing back the queue via one or more speakers and before each audio track of the container is played back, determining whether the respective audio track is associated with a negative preference;

when the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference, advancing playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue; and

when a given audio track in the queue was individually added to the queue, playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device or a second control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device;

before the particular audio track is played back, determining that the particular audio track is associated with the negative preference; and

overriding the negative preference associated with the particular audio track based on the particular audio track being queued individually in the queue such that the particular audio track is played back regardless of the associated negative preference.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts currently interfacing with the playback device via the network interface;

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the first control device is associated with a first user account, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the first user account; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the container of audio tracks is associated with a streaming audio service, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service registered to the media playback system;

transmitting, via the network interface to a server of the streaming audio service, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service; and

receiving, via the network interface from the server of the streaming audio service in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the playback device playing back the queue comprises the playback device streaming the audio tracks of the container from one or more servers of the streaming audio service according to playback sequence defined by the container.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to advancing playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue, transmitting, to the first control device, one or more state variables indicating the currently playing audio track.

15. A method to be performed by a playback device, the method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the playback device from a first control device of a media playback system, an instruction to queue a container of audio tracks into a queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the container of audio tracks consists of;

(a) an album, (b) a playlist, or (c) an internet radio station;

receiving, via the network interface from the first control device or a second control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device, wherein the particular audio track is associated with a negative preference;

while the playback device is playing back the queue via one or more speakers and before each audio track of the container is played back, determining whether the respective audio track is associated with a negative preference;

when the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference, advancing playback over the respective audio track to the next audio track within the queue; and

when a given audio track in the queue was individually added to the queue, playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein playing back the given audio track regardless of whether any negative preference is associated with the given audio track comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from a control device of the media playback system, an instruction to queue a particular audio track into the queue for playback by the playback device;

before the particular audio track is played back, determining that the particular audio track is associated with the negative preference; and

overriding the negative preference associated with the particular audio track based on the particular audio track being queued individually in the queue such that the particular audio track is played back regardless of the associated negative preference.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts currently interfacing with the playback device via the network interface;

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first control device is associated with a first user account, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

transmitting, via the network interface to a media system server, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the first user account; and

receiving, via the network interface from the media system server in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the container of audio tracks is associated with a streaming audio service, and wherein determining whether the audio track is associated with the negative preference comprises:

identifying one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service registered to the media playback system;

transmitting, via the network interface to a server of the streaming audio service, a first message indicating (i) the respective audio track and (ii) the identified one or more user accounts of the streaming audio service; and

receiving, via the network interface from the server of the streaming audio service in response to the first message, a second message indicating that the respective audio track is associated with the negative preference.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the playback device playing back the queue comprises the playback device streaming the audio tracks of the container from one or more servers of the streaming audio service according to playback sequence defined by the container.