APPLIANCE SYSTEMS PROVIDING USER-FRIENDLY SHARED MUSIC PLAYLIST EDITING

• US 20150200977A1
• Filed: 01/13/2014
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wait, Keith Wesley
• Granted Patent: US 9,372,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast

Abstract

Appliance systems providing user-friendly shared music playlist editing are provided. An example method of operating an appliance includes identifying a plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over one or more local area networks. The method includes uploading data identifying the plurality of audio files to a server. The method includes providing an access code to a user computing device. The access code allows the user computing device to communicate with the server to select one or more of the plurality of audio files for playback. The method includes receiving from the server data identifying a first audio file selected for playback. The method includes causing one or more speakers to play the first audio file.

Claims

1. A method for operating an appliance, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over one or more local area networks;

uploading data identifying the plurality of audio files to a server;

providing an access code to a user computing device, wherein the access code allows the user computing device to communicate with the server to select one or more of the plurality of audio files for playback;

receiving from the server data identifying a first audio file selected for playback; and

causing one or more speakers to play the first audio file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access code to the user computing device comprises providing the access code to the user computing device in a fashion that does not require manual entry of the access code into the user computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically generating the access code based at least in part on the hash of the current time such that the access code provides one-time access for the user computing device to communicate with the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access code comprises a uniform resource locator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the uniform resource locator includes a username associated with the appliance.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a password based at least in part on a hash of a current time, wherein the uniform resource locator further includes the password.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over the one or more local area networks comprises scanning one or more shared computer hard drives for files having an audio file format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over the one or more local area networks comprises operating the appliance as a Universal Plug and Play media server control point.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over the one or more local area networks comprises operating the appliance as a common internet file system client to query a master browser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data identifying the plurality of audio files comprises metadata identifying, for each of the plurality of audio files, an artist and a song title.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access code to the user computing device comprises displaying a QR code on a display of the appliance, wherein the QR code encodes the access code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access code to the user computing device comprises displaying text of the access code on a display of the appliance, wherein the user computing device receives the access code using optical character recognition.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access code to the user computing device comprises transmitting the access code to user computing device using a near field communication signal, an audio signal, or an infrared signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the one or more speakers to play the first audio file comprises streaming the first audio file from its respective network location.

15. A system comprising:

an appliance; and

a server accessible by the appliance over a wide area network;

wherein the appliance is configured to perform appliance operations, the appliance operations comprising;

identifying a plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over one or more local area networks;

sending data identifying the plurality of audio files to the server;

providing an access code to a user computing device;

receiving from the server data identifying a first audio file; and

streaming the first audio file for playback via one or more speakers; and

wherein the server is configured to perform server operations, the server operations comprising;

receiving the access code from the user computing device;

identifying the appliance based at least in part on the access code;

providing a playlist management interface to the user computing device, wherein the playlist management interface allows the user computing device to specify one or more of the plurality of audio files; and

sending to the appliance the data identifying the first audio file.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the playlist management interface further allows the user computing device to upload a supplemental audio file to the server;

and wherein streaming the first audio file for playback comprises streaming the supplemental audio file from the server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server operations further comprise deleting the supplemental audio file after it has been streamed for playback by the appliance.

18. An appliance comprising:

a network resource management module configured to identify a plurality of audio files accessible by the appliance over one or more local networks;

an access code generation module configured to generate an access code; and

a data transmitter configured to transmit the access code to a user computing device;

wherein the access code permits the user computing device to interface with a server to manage a playlist; and

wherein the appliance receives data from the server indicating one or more of the plurality of audio files included in the playlist and accesses the one or more of the plurality of audio files over the one or more local networks to play the one or more of the plurality of audio files.

19. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the data transmitter comprises a display for displaying a QR code that encodes the access code.

20. The appliance of claim 19, wherein the access code comprises a uniform resource locator containing a username and a password associated with the appliance.