Method and apparatus for managing a playlist by metadata

• US 20130254207A1
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Coburn, Arthur L. IV, Millington, Nicholas A. J., Wren, Paul, Schulert, Andrew J., Lambourne, Robert A., Lang, Jonathan P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,268,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

Techniques for managing a playlist in a multimedia system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the techniques, the playlist is structured to be able to include as many items as desired. To facilitate the manageability of such playlist, the playlist is built with a plurality of items. Each of the items is associated with metadata that includes information related to, for example, artist, album, genre, composer, and track number. The metadata for each item may be parsed, updated or logically operated upon to facilitate the management of the playlist. In another embodiment, each of the items is either a single item or a group item. A single item contains metadata of a corresponding source. A group item contains metadata of accessing other constituent items, which again may be single items or group items. As a result, the playlist can accommodate as many items as desired in a limited memory space without compromising the manageability of the playlist. Each of the items can be removed from, added to, or moved around in the playlist without concerning that an item may further include many items therein.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A method of facilitating playback of a play queue by a playback device, the method comprising:

the playback device traversing the play queue for playback, the play queue comprising a plurality of items, at least one of the plurality of items inserted into the play queue from a playlist, and wherein the plurality of items comprise at least a playable single item and a non-playable group item;

the playback device determining whether a traversed item to be played from the play queue is the playable single item or the non-playable group item;

if the traversed item is the playable single item, the playback device using metadata associated with the playable single item to initiate playback of the playable single item; and

if the traversed item is the non-playable group item, the playback device using metadata associated with the non-playable group item to (1) identify one or more member items associated with the non-playable group item, and (2) initiate playback of the one or more member items.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item includes a set of expressions or logic operations to be parsed to indicate the one or more member items in the group.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the set of expressions or logic operations indicate how the one or more member items are related to a type and how the one or more member items are arranged in the play queue.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item includes an identifier of a content directory and an identifier of each member item in the content directory.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the play queue is received by the playback device via at least one of a controller and an additional playback device.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein a plurality of additional playback devices receive the play queue, at least one of the plurality of additional playback devices receiving the play queue do not traverse the play queue.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the controller device is separate from the playback device, and wherein the play queue is saved on the controller device.

48. The method of claim 41, wherein playback of the playable single item comprises:

determining from the metadata a location for the source; and

retrieving the source for playback from a device.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the location is one of uniform resource locator, an address, and a file name.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein the source is streamed over a network.

51. The method of claim 41, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item indicates a number of single items included in the non-playable group item.

52. The method of claim 41, wherein the non-playable group item includes a plurality of other non-playable group items arranged in a hierarchical structure.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein an operation of deleting, adding, or moving one of the other non-playable group items in the play queue triggers a search through metadata associated with each of the other non-playable group items.

54. The method of claim 52, further comprising traversing the hierarchical structure of the non-playable group item by:

loading metadata for N items from the hierarchical structure into a cache at a playback device;

determining locations of playable single items in the N items; and

playing the playable single items via the playback device.

55. The method of claim 41, further comprising executing the play queue in a predetermined order according to at least one of a shuffle mode, a normal mode, and a repeat mode.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein, when the play queue is executed in a shuffle mode, the executing of the play queue comprises counting a total number N of single playable items in the play queue and indexing the single playable items;

generating a random number between 0 and N-1, inclusively;

scanning all items in the play queue to locate a playable single item that matches the random number;

fetching a container that includes the playable single item;

storing metadata of the single playable item; and

playing the single playable item by retrieving the source.

57. The method of claim 47, wherein the controller device controls at least two playback devices in communication over a local area network.

58. The method of claim 41, wherein each playable single item in the play queue relates to an audio track or a video source.

59. The method of claim 41, wherein metadata associated with one or more items in the play queue includes one or more Boolean expressions to include or exclude items relating to a certain type.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the type includes one or more of an artist, an album, a genre, a composer, and a track number.

61. The method of claim 41, wherein the metadata associated with one or more items in the play queue is to be at least one of parsed, updated, and logically operated to execute an action.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the action includes at least one of deleting and inserting at least one of a single playable item and a non-playable group item in the play queue.

63. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements a method of facilitating playback of a play queue, the method comprising:

traversing the play queue for playback via a playback device, the play queue comprising a plurality of items, at least one of the plurality of items inserted into the play queue from a playlist, and wherein the plurality of items comprise at least a playable single item and a non-playable group item;

determining whether a traversed item to be played from the play queue is the playable single item or the non-playable group item;

if the traversed item is the playable single item, using the metadata associated with the playable single item to initiate playback of the playable single item; and

if the traversed item is the non-playable group item, using metadata associated with the non-playable group item to (1) identify one or more member items associated with the non-playable group item, and (2) initiate playback of the one or more member items.

64. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item includes a set of expressions or logic operations to be parsed to indicate the one or more member items in the group.

65. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 64, wherein the set of expressions or logic operations indicate how the one or more member items are related to a type and how the one or more member items are arranged in the play queue.

66. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item includes an identifier of a content directory and an identifier of each member item in the content directory.

67. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the play queue is received via at least one of a controller and an additional playback device.

68. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein a plurality of additional playback devices receive the play queue, at least one of the plurality of additional playback devices receiving the play queue does not traverse the play queue.

69. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein the controller device is separate from the playback device, and wherein the play queue is saved on the controller device.

70. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein playback of the playable single item comprises:

determining from the metadata a location for the source; and

retrieving the source for playback from a device.

71. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the location is one of uniform resource locator, an address, and a file name.

72. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the source is streamed over a network.

73. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the metadata for the non-playable group item indicates a number of single items included in the non-playable group item.

74. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the non-playable group item includes a plurality of other non-playable group items arranged in a hierarchical structure.

75. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 74, wherein an operation of deleting, adding, or moving one of the other non-playable group items in the play queue triggers a search through metadata associated with each of the other non-playable group items.

76. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 74, wherein the method further comprises traversing the hierarchical structure of the non-playable group item by:

loading metadata for N items from the hierarchical structure into a cache at a playback device;

determining locations of playable single items in the N items; and

playing the playable single items via the playback device.

77. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the method further comprises executing the play queue in a predetermined order according to at least one of a shuffle mode, a normal mode, and a repeat mode.

78. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein, when the play queue is executed in a shuffle mode, the executing of the play queue comprises:

counting a total number N of single playable items in the play queue and indexing the single playable items;

generating a random number between 0 and N-1, inclusively;

scanning all items in the play queue to locate a playable single item that matches the random number;

fetching a container that includes the playable single item;

storing metadata of the single playable item; and

playing the single playable item by retrieving the source.

79. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein the controller device controls controlling at least two playback devices in communication over a local area network.

80. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein metadata associated with one or more items in the play queue includes one or more Boolean expressions to include or exclude items relating to a certain type.