Networked Music Playback

• US 20150172756A1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Hoadley, Joni, Coburn, Arthur IV
• Granted Patent: US 9,967,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/4307 Synchronising the rendering of multiple content streams or additional data on devices, e.g. synchronisation of audio on a mobile phone with the video output on the TV screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• 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 3/12 : for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate connection to a multimedia playback network are disclosed. An example method includes detecting a first input including an identification of a playback device; detecting a second input including an identification of an item on a controller, wherein multimedia content associated with the item is retrievable from a content provider; detecting a trigger, wherein the trigger is not the first input or the second input; and sending, in response to detecting the trigger, information regarding the multimedia content from the controller to the playback device, wherein the information includes an identification of the multimedia content for playback by the playback device, and wherein the information causes (a) the playback device to retrieve, independent of the controller, the multimedia content from the content provider and (b) playback of the retrieved multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first input comprising an identification of a playback device;

detecting a second input comprising an identification of an item on a controller, wherein multimedia content associated with the item is retrievable from a content provider;

detecting a trigger, wherein the trigger is not the first input or the second input; and

sending, in response to detecting the trigger, information regarding the multimedia content from the controller to the playback device,

wherein the information comprises an identification of the multimedia content for playback by the playback device, and

wherein the information causes (a) the playback device to retrieve, independent of the controller, the multimedia content from the content provider and (b) playback of the retrieved multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content is streamed to the playback device based on the trigger via an application providing the streaming multimedia content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding, by the playback device, timing information to the multimedia content to enable synchronous playback of the multimedia content by another playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger includes a selection of a link in an application associated with the content provider and wherein selection of the link launches a second application to facilitate streaming of the multimedia content to playback device via a resource locator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger includes a selection of a link in an application associated with the content provider and wherein selection of the link provides information to a server to begin multimedia content playback via the playback device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an application running on a first device to provide the information regarding the multimedia content to the playback device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device communicates with the content provider via a proxy server and cloud.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content provider and the playback device engage in two-way communication to synchronize a playback queue.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transitioning playback of multimedia content between the controller and the playback device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method comprising:

detecting a first input comprising an identification of a playback device;

detecting a second input comprising an identification of an item on a controller, wherein multimedia content associated with the item is retrievable from a content provider;

detecting a trigger, wherein the trigger is not the first input or the second input; and

sending, in response to detecting the trigger, information regarding the multimedia content from a controller to the playback device,

wherein the information comprises an identification of the multimedia content for playback by the multimedia playback device, and

wherein the information causes (a) the playback device to retrieve, independent of the controller, the multimedia content from the content provider and (b) playback of the retrieved multimedia content.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the multimedia content is streamed to the playback device based on the trigger via an application providing the streaming multimedia content.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

adding, by the playback device, timing information to the multimedia content to enable synchronous playback of the multimedia content by another playback device.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the trigger includes a selection of a link in an application associated with the content provider and wherein selection of the link launches a second application to facilitate streaming of the multimedia content to playback device via a resource locator.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the trigger includes a selection of a link in an application associated with the content provider and wherein selection of the link provides information to a server to begin multimedia content playback via the playback device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the controller comprises an application running on a first device to provide the information regarding the multimedia content to the playback device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the playback device communicates with the content provider via a proxy server and cloud.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the content provider and the playback device engage in two-way communication to synchronize a playback queue.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

transitioning playback of multimedia content between the controller and the playback device.

19. A controller comprising:

a wireless communication interface to communicate with a playback device;

a processor to;

detect a first input comprising an identification of the playback device;

detect a second input comprising an identification of an item on the controller, wherein multimedia content associated with the item is retrievable from a content provider;

detect a trigger, wherein the trigger is not the first input or the second input; and

send, in response to detecting the trigger, information regarding the multimedia content from the controller to the playback device,

wherein the information comprises an identification of the multimedia content for playback by the playback device, and

wherein the information causes (a) the playback device to retrieve, independent of the controller, the multimedia content from the content provider and (b) playback of the retrieved multimedia content.

20. The playback device of claim 19, the processor to:

transition playback of multimedia content between the controller and the playback device.