Audio content auditioning by playback device

• US 9,304,735 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bates, Paul Andrew, Kumar, Abhishek, Lang, Jonathan Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US14/506,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 381/119, 381/79, 381/80, 381/81, 715/716, 715/727, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10972 Management of interruptions, e.g. due to editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• 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 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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

Abstract

A first playback device may include a processor and data storage including program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the first playback device to: playback a first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device; receive a command to play back a second audio content; stop playback of the first audio content based on the received command; and after stopping playback of the first audio content, play back the second audio content for a predefined duration of time. The program code may then cause the first playback device to: (i) after playing back the second audio content, resume playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device, or (ii) play back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

Claims

1. A playback device, wherein the playback device is a first playback device comprising:

a processor; and

data storage comprising program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the first playback device to;

playback a first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receive one or more commands to play back a second audio content, wherein the one or more commands indicate a duration of time;

stop playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, play back the second audio content for the duration of time indicated by the one or more commands; and

after playing back the second audio content for the duration of time, resume playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the duration of time is a predefined duration of time, and wherein playing back the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content for the predefined duration based on the received one or more commands.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein playing back the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

4. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein playing back the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, further causes the first playback device to:

receive an additional command to resume playback of the first audio content; and

resume playback of the first audio content based on receiving the additional command.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content at a position within the first audio content at which the first playback device stopped playback of the first audio content.

8. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content at a given position within the first audio content, wherein the given position comprises a position within the first audio content that the at least one second playback device reached in playback of the first audio content as the first playback device played back the second audio content.

9. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the first media content and the second media content are received by the first playback device from different sources.

10. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the first playback device is a control device configured to control the at least one second playback device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

playing back, by a first playback device, a first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receiving one or more-commands to play back a second audio content, wherein the one or more commands indicate a duration of time;

stopping playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, playing back the second audio content for the duration of time indicated by the one or more commands; and

after playing back the second audio content for the duration of time, resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein playing back the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein playing back the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

14. A playback device, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, comprising:

a processor; and

data storage comprising program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the first playback device to;

play back a first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receive one or more commands to play back a second audio content, wherein the one or more commands indicate a duration of time;

stop playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, initiate playback of the second audio content based on the received one or more commands; and

after playing back the second audio content for the duration of time indicated by the one or more commands, play back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

15. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein the duration of time is a predefined duration of time, and wherein initiating play back of the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content for the predefined duration based on the received one or more commands.

16. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, further causes the first playback device to:

receive an additional command to play back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device; and

play back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device based on the received additional command.

17. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein playing back the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

18. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein initiating playback of the second audio content comprises playing back the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

19. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein the first playback device is a control device configured to control the at least one second playback device.

20. The first playback device of claim 14, wherein the first media content and the second media content are received by the first playback device from different sources.