Private Queue for a Media Playback System

• US 20140181107A1
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: COBURN, Arthur L. IV, SCHULERT, Andrew J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,501,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• 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 17/30017 Multimedia data retrieval; Retrieval of more than one type of audiovisual media retrieval of image data G06F17/30244; retrieval of video data G06F17/30781; retrieval of audio data G06F17/3074; editing or indexing of data stored based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Embodiments are discussed for providing private playback queues in a media playback system such that users without access rights to the playback queue may not access the contents of the playback queue. The embodiments may involve receiving at a playback device of a network media system a playlist responsive to an instruction via a first controller interface, adding the playlist to a playback queue associated with the zone, receiving a request from a second controller interface for the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, determining that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, and providing the information identifying a subset of the one or more items in the playback queue to the second controller interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network media system, a playlist responsive to an instruction provided via a first controller interface, the network media system comprising a zone that comprises a playback device and a playback queue, the playlist identifying one or more media items that are available for playback;

adding, by the network media system, the one or more media items identified by the playlist to the playback queue of the zone, wherein the playback queue contains information identifying one or more media items to be played by the zone;

receiving, by the network media system via a second controller interface, for the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue;

determining, by the network media system, that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue; and

providing, by the network media system to the second controller interface, information identifying a subset of the one or more media items in the playback queue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the subset of the one or more media items in the playback queue comprises information identifying a media item currently being played by the zone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the subset of the one or more items in the playback queue comprises information identifying a media item to be played next by the zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the subset of the one or more items in the playback queue comprises information identifying a media item in the playback queue that is not in the playlist.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the subset of the one or more items in the playback queue comprises information identifying media items in the playback queue that are not in the playlist and information identifying a media item in the playlist currently being played by the zone.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information identifying the subset of the one or more items in the playback queue further comprises information identifying a media item in the playlist that is next in the playback queue.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue further comprises:

receiving a credential from the second controller interface; and

comparing the credential received from the second controller interface to a credential of the first controller interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the received playlist on one or more of the following;

(a) a remote server accessible over the Internet, (b) a device providing the second controller interface, (c) a device providing the first controller interface, and (d) a playback device in the zone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist is received from one or more of the following:

(a) a remote server accessible over the Internet, (b) a device providing the first controller interface, (c) a device providing the second controller interface, and (d) a playback device in the network media system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist comprises pointers to the one or more media items that are available for playback.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more media items are stored on one or more of the following:

(a) a remote server accessible over the Internet, (b) a device providing the first controller interface, (c) a device providing the second controller interface, and (d) a playback device in the network media system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback queue of the zone is stored on the playback device in the zone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the request from for the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue comprises a request for a state variable of one or more devices in the zone.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential identifies a music service identifier associated with the one or more media items in the playback queue.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential identifies a user identifier associated with the first controller interface.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the network media system via a third controller interface, a request for information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue;

determining, by the network media system, that the third controller interface has a credential to receive data associated with each of the one or more media items in the playback queue; and

providing, by the network media system to the third controller interface, information identifying the one more media items in the playback queue.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controller interface is associated with a music service accessible by the network media system to provide the one or more media items in the playlist, and the second controller interface is associated with the network media system.

2. (canceled)

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, by a network media system, a playlist responsive to an instruction provided via a first controller interface, the network media system comprising a zone that includes comprises a playback device and a playback queue, the playlist identifying one or more media items that are available for playback;

adding, by the network media system, the one or more media items identified by the playlist to the playback queue of the zone, wherein the playback queue contains information identifying one or more media items to be played by the zone;

receiving, by the network media system via a second controller interface, a request for the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue;

determining, by the network media system, that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue; and

providing, by the network media system to the second controller interface, information identifying a subset of the one or more media items in the playback queue.

20. A media system comprising:

a zone comprising a playback device and a playback queue;

a processor; and

computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the media system to perform functions comprising;

receiving a playlist responsive to an instruction provided via a first controller interface, the playlist identifying one or more media items that are available for playback;

adding the one or more media items identified by the playlist to the playback queue of the zone, wherein the playback queue contains information identifying one or more media items to be played by the zone;

receiving from a second controller interface a request for the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue;

determining that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more media items in the playback queue; and

providing to the second controller interface information identifying a subset of the one or more media items in the playback queue.

21. The media system of claim 20, wherein the credential identifies a music service identified associated with the one or more media items in the playback queue.