Temporary configuration of a media playback system within a place of accommodation

• US 10,698,650 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bates, Paul Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant S
• Application Number:
  US15/947,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20190310820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18

Abstract

Example techniques may involve temporary configuration of a media playback system in a place of accommodation, such as a hotel. In particular, the media playback system in a guest'"'"'s room is configured with one or more settings of the guest'"'"'s home media playback system. Example settings include user accounts of a various services, such as streaming audio services and/or voice assistant services. Other example settings include artists, albums, audio tracks, audio books, stations, and other audio content that the guest previously designated as a favorite using their home media playback system. When the guest leaves (e.g., checks-out of) of the place of accommodation, these settings are removed from the media playback system in the guest'"'"'s room.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a computing system, data indicating a guest reservation to a place of accommodation having multiple first media playback systems corresponding to respective individually bookable rooms, the guest reservation indicating (i) a user profile of a second media playback system and (ii) a booked room of the place of accommodation;

querying, via the network interface of the computing system, one or more cloud servers for a system configuration of the second media playback system, the system configuration indicating configuration of one or more second playback devices of the second media playback system into respective zones of the second media playback system;

determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system is configured with a user account of a voice assistant service such that audio playback by the second media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

during a stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface of the computing system, a particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system, wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises;

configuring, via the network interface, one or more networked microphone devices of the particular first media playback system with the user account of the voice assistant service such that playback by the particular first media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

configuring a first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of at least one zone of the second media playback system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first zone corresponds to a sleeping area of the booked room, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

based on the system configuration, determining that a first zone of the second media playback system has a zone name indicating a sleeping area; and

configuring the first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the first zone of the second media playback system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system includes multiple zones indicating respective sleeping areas, and wherein the method further comprises selecting the first zone among the multiple zones indicating respective sleeping areas based on determining that the first zone of the second media playback system that has a zone name indicating master bedroom.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular first media playback system within the booked room further comprises a second zone including a second playback device, the second zone corresponding to a bathroom area of the booked room, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

based on the system configuration of the second media playback system, determining that a second zone of the second media playback system that has a zone name indicating a bathroom area; and

configuring, via the network interface, the second zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the second zone of the second media playback system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprise an alarm configured to play audio content in the first zone of the second media playback system at a particular time of day, and wherein configuring the first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the first zone of the second media playback system comprises configuring, via the network interface, the first zone of the particular first media playback system to trigger an alarm configured to play the audio content in the first zone of the particular first media playback system at the particular time of day.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system includes multiple user profiles with respective settings, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

determining that the guest reservation indicates a particular user account of the second media playback system; and

configuring, via the network interface, the particular first media playback system with one or more settings that are particular to the particular user account of the second media playback system.

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

querying, via the network interface, one or more servers of the voice assistant service for one or more smart home settings of the user account of the voice assistant service; and

during the stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface, one or more smart home appliances within the booked room with respective smart home settings received from the query.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

modifying a given smart home setting of a smart home appliance configured with the user account of the voice assistant service to a corresponding smart home appliance within the booked room.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the given smart home setting of the smart home appliance configured with the user account of the voice assistant service comprises a pattern of illumination for one or more smart lights configured with the user account of the voice assistant service, and wherein modifying the given smart home setting of the smart home appliance configured with the user account of the voice assistant service to the corresponding smart home appliance within the booked room comprises:

during the stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface, one or more smart lights of the booked room with the pattern of illumination for one or more smart lights configured with the user account of the voice assistant service.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

during the stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface, a queue of the first zone with a curated playlist of audio tracks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system is configured with respective user accounts of multiple streaming audio services, and wherein configuring the first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the first zone of the second media playback system comprises configuring, via the network interface, the particular first media playback system with a user account of a particular one of the multiple streaming audio services.

12. A system comprising:

multiple first media playback systems corresponding to respective individually bookable rooms of a place of accommodation;

a computing system comprising a network interface, one or more processors, and data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the network interface of the computing system, data indicating a guest reservation to the place of accommodation, the guest reservation indicating (i) a user profile of a second media playback system and (ii) a booked room of the place of accommodation;

querying, via the network interface of the computing system, one or more cloud servers for a system configuration of the second media playback system, the system configuration indicating configuration of one or more second playback devices of the second media playback system into respective zones of the second media playback system;

determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system is configured with a user account of a voice assistant service such that audio playback by the second media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

during a stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface of the computing system, a particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system, wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises;

configuring, via the network interface, one or more networked microphone devices of the particular first media playback system with the user account of the voice assistant service such that playback by the particular first media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

configuring a first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of at least one zone of the second media playback system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first zone corresponds to a sleeping area of the booked room, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

based on the system configuration, determining that a first zone of the second media playback system has a zone name indicating a sleeping area; and

configuring the first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the first zone of the second media playback system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system includes multiple zones indicating respective sleeping areas, and wherein the operations further comprise selecting the first zone among the multiple zones indicating respective sleeping areas based on determining that the first zone of the second media playback system that has a zone name indicating master bedroom.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the particular first media playback system within the booked room further comprises a second zone including a second playback device, the second zone corresponding to a bathroom area of the booked room, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

based on the system configuration of the second media playback system, determining that a second zone of the second media playback system that has a zone name indicating a bathroom area; and

configuring, via the network interface, the second zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the second zone of the second media playback system.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprise an alarm configured to play audio content in the first zone of the second media playback system at a particular time of day, and wherein configuring the first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of the first zone of the second media playback system comprises configuring, via the network interface, the first zone of the particular first media playback system to trigger an alarm configured to play the audio content in the first zone of the particular first media playback system at the particular time of day.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system includes multiple user profiles with respective settings, and wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises:

determining that the guest reservation indicates a particular user account of the second media playback system; and

configuring, via the network interface, the particular first media playback system with one or more settings that are particular to the particular user account of the second media playback system.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

querying, via the network interface, one or more servers of the voice assistant service for one or more smart home settings of the user account of the voice assistant service; and

during the stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface, one or more smart home appliances within the booked room with respective smart home settings received from the query.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying a given smart home setting of a smart home appliance configured with the user account of the voice assistant service to a corresponding smart home appliance within the booked room.

18. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the computing system, data indicating a guest reservation to a place of accommodation having multiple first media playback systems corresponding to respective individually bookable rooms, the guest reservation indicating (i) a user profile of a second media playback system and (ii) a booked room of the place of accommodation;

querying, via the network interface of the computing system, one or more cloud servers for a system configuration of the second media playback system, the system configuration indicating configuration of one or more second playback devices of the second media playback system into respective zones of the second media playback system;

determining that the system configuration of the second media playback system indicates that the second media playback system is configured with a user account of a voice assistant service such that audio playback by the second media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

during a stay associated with the guest reservation, configuring, via the network interface of the computing system, a particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system, wherein configuring the particular first media playback system within the booked room with one or more settings represented in the system configuration of the second media playback system comprises;

configuring, via the network interface, one or more networked microphone devices of the particular first media playback system with the user account of the voice assistant service such that playback by the particular first media playback system is controllable via voice commands to the voice assistant service; and

configuring a first zone of the particular first media playback system with one or more settings of at least one zone of the second media playback system.