Systems and Methods for Networked Music Playback Including Remote Add to Queue

• US 20130343567A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Triplett, Mark, Lang, Jonathan P., Gossain, Hrishikesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate discovery and remote configuration of content for playback via a multimedia playback network are disclosed. An example method includes facilitating identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself. An example method includes relaying at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.

Claims

1. A method to provide content to a local playback network, the method comprising:

facilitating identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself; and

relaying at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking with the playback system to determine if the content is already available for playback at the playback system and, if the content is not already available for playback, facilitating access to the content at the playback system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely adding the content to a playlist at the playback system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the content in the cloud for playback at the playback system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first user is to request identification of the multimedia content and relay of the content to the first user'"'"'s playback system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a first user is to request identification of the multimedia content and relay of the content to a second user'"'"'s playback system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a content provider service is to request relay of the multimedia content to a subscribing user'"'"'s playback system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying authorization to add the multimedia content to the playback system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein authorization is configured based on group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identification and relay are facilitated via a portable device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable device is to store the multimedia content until the portable device is within range of a playback network associated with the playback system.

12. A computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method to provide content to a local playback network, the method comprising:

facilitating identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself; and

relaying at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises checking with the playback system to determine if the content is already available for playback at the playback system and, if the content is not already available for playback, facilitating access to the content at the playback system.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises remotely adding the content to a playlist at the playback system.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises storing the content in the cloud for playback at the playback system.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a first user is to request identification of the multimedia content and relay of the content to the first user'"'"'s playback system.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a first user is to request identification of the multimedia content and relay of the content to a second user'"'"'s playback system.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a content provider service is to request relay of the multimedia content to a subscribing user'"'"'s playback system.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises verifying authorization to add the multimedia content to the playback system.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein authorization is configured based on group.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein identification and relay are facilitated via a portable device.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the portable device is to store the multimedia content until the portable device is within range of a playback network associated with the playback system.

23. A multimedia playback device comprising:

a wireless communication interface to communicate with a local playback network and a multimedia content source;

a processor to;

facilitate identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself; and

relay at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.