Playback Queue Transfer in a Media Playback System

• US 20140310597A1
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: TRIPLETT, Mark W., REIMANN, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for using a user interface to transfer a playback queue from one playback zone to another within a network media system. The interface may provide a first zone representation of a playback zone, and a first queue representation of a first group of playable items in a particular relative position. The particular relative position of the first queue representation may indicate that the playback queue associated with the first playback zone includes the first group of playable items. The interface may receive an input indicating a movement of a second queue representation to the particular relative position. In response, the first queue representation may be removed from the particular relative position and the second queue representation may be provided in the particular relative position, indicating that the playback queue now comprises a second group of playable items represented by the second queue representation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first zone representation of a playback zone on an interface, wherein the playback zone comprises one or more playback devices, and wherein the playback zone is associated with a playback queue comprising playable items to be played by the playback zone;

providing a first queue representation of a first one or more playable items in a particular position relative to the first zone representation on the interface, wherein the particular position of the first queue representation indicates that the playback queue associated with the first playback zone comprises the first one or more playable items;

receiving an input via the interface causing a second queue representation of a second one or more playable items to be moved to the particular position relative to the first zone representation; and

after receiving the input, modifying the interface to remove the first queue representation from the particular position relative to the first zone representation, and providing the second queue representation in the particular position relative to the first zone representation and thereby indicating that the playback queue associated with the playback zone now comprises the second one or more playable items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback queue associated with the playback zone is stored on a device, the method further comprising:

after receiving the input, sending a message to the device to cause the playback queue to be updated to comprise the second one or more playable items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is one of the one or more playback devices in the first playback zone.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is a remote server accessible over the Internet.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the playback queue stored on the device comprises one or more uniform resource identifiers (URIs) of the playable items in the first playback queue to be played by the first playback zone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving the input, providing on the interface a graphical indication that the first one or more playable items has been stored as a playlist.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

prior to providing the graphical indication, providing on the interface a prompt for an indication of whether the first one or more playable items should be stored as the playlist; and

receiving a second input indicating that the first one or more playable items in the playback queue should be stored as a playlist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a second playback zone is associated with a second playback queue comprising the second one or more playable items, the method further comprising:

when the second playback zone is currently playing the second one more playable items in the second playback queue, causing the playback zone to play the second one or more playable items in the playback queue in substantial synchrony with the second playback zone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input causing the movement of the second queue representation to the particular location relative to the first zone representation comprises a drag-and-drop interaction with the interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input causing the movement of the second queue representation to the particular location relative to the first zone representation comprises a swiping interaction with the interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the swiping interaction comprises:

causing the first zone representation to move such that the second queue representation is in the particular position relative to the first zone representation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first queue representation indicates the first one or more playable items are currently being played by the first zone group.

13. A device comprising:

a processor;

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the device to perform functions comprising;

providing a first zone representation of a playback zone on an interface, wherein the playback zone comprises one or more playback devices, and wherein the playback zone is associated with a playback queue comprising playable items to be played by the playback zone;

providing a first queue representation of a first one or more playable items in a particular position relative to the first zone representation on the interface, wherein the particular position of the first queue representation indicates that the playback queue associated with the first playback zone comprises the first one or more playable items;

receiving an input via the interface causing a second queue representation of a second one or more playable items to be moved to the particular position relative to the first zone representation; and

after receiving the input, modifying the interface to remove the first queue representation from the particular position relative to the first zone representation, and providing the second queue representation in the particular position relative to the first zone representation and thereby indicating that the playback queue associated with the playback zone now comprises the second one or more playable items.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the playback queue associated with the playback zone is stored on a device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

after receiving the input, sending a message to the device to cause the playback queue to be updated to comprise the second one or more playable items.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

after receiving the input, providing on the interface a graphical indication that the first one or more playable items has been stored as a playlist.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the input causing the movement of the second queue representation to the particular location relative to the first zone representation comprises a drag-and-drop interaction with the interface.

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

providing a first zone representation of a playback zone on an interface, wherein the playback zone comprises one or more playback devices, and wherein the playback zone is associated with a playback queue comprising playable items to be played by the playback zone;

providing a first queue representation of a first one or more playable items in a particular position relative to the first zone representation on the interface, wherein the particular position of the first queue representation indicates that the playback queue associated with the first playback zone comprises the first one or more playable items;

receiving an input via the interface causing a second queue representation of a second one or more playable items to be moved to the particular position relative to the first zone representation; and

after receiving the input, modifying the interface to remove the first queue representation from the particular position relative to the first zone representation, and providing the second queue representation in the particular position relative to the first zone representation and thereby indicating that the playback queue associated with the playback zone now comprises the second one or more playable items.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein a second playback zone is associated with a second playback queue comprising the second one or more playable items, and where the functions further comprise:

when the second playback zone is currently playing the second one more playable items in the second playback queue, causing the playback zone to play the second one or more playable items in the playback queue in synchrony with the second playback zone.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the input causing the movement of the second queue representation to the particular location relative to the first zone representation comprises a swiping interaction with the interface.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first queue representation indicates the first one or more playable items are currently being played by the first zone group.