Inconsistent Queues

• US 20140324201A1
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Coburn, Arthur L. IV
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/00 Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may involve inconsistent queues. An example implementation may involve sending, to a playback device of a media playback system, a queue update message indicating a queue identification that indicates a first version of a playback queue at the playback device, and a playlist at the computing device. Thereafter, the implementation may involve receiving an error message indicating that the queue identification indicated in the queue update message has been superseded by a queue identification that indicates a second version of the playback queue at the playback device. Based on the received error message, the implementation may involve determining that the playlist at the computing device is different from the playback queue of the playback device. Based on the determination, the implementation may involve causing second one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with first one or more media items in the playlist.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a message indicating a playback queue at a playback device of a media playback system, wherein the playback queue includes first one or more media items queued in a first order for playback at the playback device;

thereafter, detecting, by the computing device, that a playlist at the computing device was queued for playback in the playback queue at the playback device, wherein the playlist includes second one or more media items in a second order;

thereafter, determining, by the computing device, that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order; and

based on the determination that the first one or more media items are different from the second one or more media items, causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message indicating the playback queue at the playback device of the media playback system comprises receiving a queue identification from the playback device, wherein the queue identification indicates a version of the playback queue at the playback device, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting input indicating an alteration of the playlist at the computing device, wherein the alteration of the playlist comprises one or more of (i) modifying the second one or more media items and (ii) modifying the second order of the second one or more media items;

based on the detected input indicating an alteration of the playlist at the computing device, performing the alteration of the playlist at the computing device; and

after performing the alteration of the playlist at the computing device, sending a message to the playback device indicating (i) the altered playlist at the computing device, and (ii) the received queue identification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before receiving the indication of the playback queue at the playback device, queuing the second one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device, wherein queuing the second one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device comprises;

sending, to the playback device, a queue identification which indicates a version of the playback queue at the playback device; and

sending, to the playback device, indications of the second one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media playback system comprises the playback device, the computing device, and at least one second computing device, the method further comprising:

after causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist, updating a queue identification, wherein the queue identification indicates a version of the playback queue at the playback device; and

based on updating the queue identification, causing the updated queue identification to be sent to the playback device and the at least one second computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

before updating the queue identification, detecting input indicating an alteration of the playlist at the computing device, wherein the alteration of the playlist comprises one or more of (i) modifying the second one or more media items and (ii) modifying the second order of the second one or more media items; and

deferring the alteration of the playlist at the computing device until after the queue identification is updated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message indicates a queue identification that specifies a first version of the playback queue at the playback device, and wherein determining, by the computing device, that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order comprises:

determining that the queue identification indicated in the message is different from a current queue identification at the computing device, wherein the current queue identification indicates a second version of the playback queue.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist at the computing device, receiving, from the playback device, an indication that the playback queue at the playback device matches the playlist at the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist comprises:

determining a first media item in the playback queue that is being played by the media playback system; and

before causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist, allowing the first media item to finish playback.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after replacing the second one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device with the first one or more media items in the playlist at the computing device, sending a message to the computing device indicating that the playback queue at the playback device matches the playlist at the computing device.

9. A computing device comprising:

a network interface;

a graphical display;

a processor;

a data storage; and

a program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to;

send, to a playback device of a media playback system, a queue update message indicating (i) a queue identification that indicates a first version of a playback queue at the playback device, and (ii) a playlist at the computing device, wherein the playlist indicates first one or more media items in a first order;

thereafter, receive an error message indicating that the queue identification indicated in the queue update message has been superseded by a queue identification that indicates a second version of the playback queue at the playback device;

based on the received error message indicating that the queue identification indicated in the queue update message has been superseded by the queue identification that indicates the second version of the playback queue at the playback device, determine that the playlist at the computing device is different from the playback queue of the playback device, wherein the playback queue indicates second one or more media items in a second order; and

based on the determination that the playlist at the computing device is different from the playback queue of the playback device, cause the second one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the first one or more media items in the playlist.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the program logic is further executable to:

detect input that requests an alteration to the playlist at the computing device, wherein the alteration to the playlist comprises one or more of (i) modifying the first one or more media items and (ii) modifying the first order of the first one or more media items; and

based on the detected input that requests the alteration to the playlist at the computing device, performing the alteration to the playlist at the computing device,

wherein the computing device sends the queue update message based on the performed alteration to the playlist at the computing device.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the program logic is further executable to:

after causing the first one or more media items in the playback queue to be replaced with the second one or more media items in the playlist, cause the graphical display to display an indication that first one or more media items in the playlist are in the playback queue at the playback device.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the program logic is further executable to:

before sending the queue update message, receive a queue identification update message from the media playback system indicating the queue identification which indicates the first version of the playback queue.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the program logic is further executable to:

after receiving the queue identification update message, updating a queue identification at the playback device to indicate the first version of the playback queue.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a playback device of a media playback system, a message indicating a playlist at a computing device, wherein the playlist indicates first one or more media items in a first order;

retrieving, by the playback device, a playback queue at the playback device, wherein the playback queue indicates second one or more media items queued in a second order for playback at the playback device;

thereafter, determining, by the playback device, that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order; and

based on the determination that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order, replacing the second one or more media items in the playback queue at the playback device with the first one or more media items in the playlist at the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving a queue identification that indicates a first version of the playback queue at the playback device; and

after replacing the second one or more media items in the playback queue with the first one or more media items in the playlist, updating the queue identification to indicate a second version of the playback queue at the playback device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the media playback system comprises the playback device, the computing device, and at least one second computing device, the method further comprising:

based on updating the queue identification, sending the updated queue identification to the computing device and the at least one second computing device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the message further indicates a queue identification that specifies a first version of the playback queue, and wherein determining, by the playback device, that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order comprises:

determining that the queue identification indicated in the message is different from a current queue identification at the playback device, wherein the current queue identification indicates a second version of the playback queue.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the message further indicates at least one media item to add to the playback queue, the method further comprising:

after determining that the first one or more media items in the first order are different from the second one or more media items in the second order;

sending, to the computing device, an indication that the queue identification indicated in the message has been superseded by the current queue identification that indicates the second version of the playback queue.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the playlist at the computing device is a first playlist at a first computing device, the method further comprising:

receiving a message indicating a second playlist at a second computing device, wherein the playlist indicates one or more third media items in a third order;

determine that the message indicating the second playlist at the second computing device was received before the message indicating the first playlist at the first computing device; and

based on the determination that the message indicating the second playlist at the second computing device was received before the message indicating the first playlist at the first computing device, queuing the one or more third media items in a third order in the playback queue at the playback device.