Media content request including zone name

• US 9,332,348 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bender, Kristen, Kuper, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US14/921,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 193 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• 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 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

In an example implementation, a media playback system receives input data indicating selection of a particular zone, where the media playback system includes one or more zones, and where the one or more zones include respective playback devices. The media playback system sends, to a service provider, (i) zone data that identifies the particular zone of the media playback system, wherein the zone data indicates that the particular zone is selected and (ii) a request to identify audio content based on the zone data and receives, from the service provider, an indication of audio content identified based on the zone data.

Claims

1. A media playback system comprising one or more playback devices and one or more control devices, the media playback system configured to perform a method comprising:

receiving input data indicating selection of a particular zone, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones, and wherein the one or more zones comprise respective playback devices;

sending, to a service provider, (i) zone data that identifies the particular zone of the media playback system, wherein the zone data indicates that the particular zone is selected and (ii) a request to identify audio content based on the zone data; and

receiving, from the service provider, an indication of audio content identified based on the zone data.

2. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein receiving, from the service provider, the indication of audio content identified based on the zone data comprises receiving, via the one or more control devices, metadata identifying one or more audio items identified based on the zone data, and wherein the method further comprises causing a graphical interface to display the metadata identifying the one or more audio items.

3. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein receiving, from the service provider, the indication of audio content identified based on the zone data comprises receiving, via a given playback device of the media playback system, one or more audio items identified based on the zone data, and wherein the method further comprises initiating playback of the one or more audio items.

4. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein receiving input data indicating selection of the particular zone comprises receiving, via a user interface of a given control device, input data indicating selection of the particular zone.

5. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein receiving input data indicating selection of the particular zone comprises receiving, via a network interface of a given playback device, input data indicating selection of the particular zone.

6. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein receiving input data indicating selection of the particular zone comprises receiving input data indicating selection of a play control of a given playback device that is associated with the particular zone.

7. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein sending, to the service provider, zone data that identifies the particular zone of the media playback system comprises sending, via a network interface to the service provider, zone data that identifies a name of the particular zone, and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content corresponding to a particular type of room that is indicated by the name of the particular zone.

8. The media playback system of claim 7, wherein sending the request to identify audio content corresponding to the particular type of room that is indicated by the name of the particular zone comprises sending a request to identify audio content corresponding to a particular genre of audio content that is preferred in the particular type of room.

9. The media playback system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises sending, via a network interface, an indication of the current time of day in the particular zone, and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content that is preferred in the particular zone at the current time of day.

10. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein sending, to the service provider, zone data that identifies the particular zone of the media playback system comprises sending zone data indicating that that the particular zone is a first zone of a particular zone group that comprises the first zone and one or more particular second zones and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content that is preferred when the first zone is in the particular zone group.

11. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via a given control device of the media playback system, input data indicating selection of one or more audio items from the identified audio content;

sending, to the service provider, an indication of the one or more audio items from the identified audio content; and

receiving, from the service provider, an indication of the one or more audio items that were selected from the identified audio content, the indication comprising respective sources from which the one or more audio items are retrievable by the media playback system.

12. A playback device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the playback device to perform a method comprising;

receiving input data indicating selection of a particular zone that is associated with the playback device;

sending, to a service provider, (i) zone data that identifies the particular zone, wherein the zone data indicates that the particular zone is selected and (ii) a request to identify audio content based on the zone data; and

receiving, from the service provider, an indication of audio content identified based on the zone data.

13. The playback device of claim 12, wherein receiving, from the service provider, the indication of audio content identified based on the zone data comprises receiving one or more audio items identified based on the zone data, and wherein the method further comprises initiating playback of the one or more audio items.

14. The playback device of claim 12, wherein receiving input data indicating selection of the particular zone comprises receiving, via a network interface, input data indicating selection of the particular zone.

15. The playback device of claim 12, wherein the playback device further comprises a physical play control, and wherein receiving input data indicating selection of the particular zone comprises receiving input data indicating selection of the physical play control.

16. The playback device of claim 12, wherein sending, to the service provider, zone data that identifies the particular zone comprises sending, via a network interface to the service provider, zone data that identifies a name of the particular zone, and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content corresponding to a particular type of room that is indicated by the name of the particular zone.

17. The playback device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises sending, via a network interface, an indication of the current time of day in the particular zone, and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content that is preferred in the particular zone at the current time of day.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a control device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a user interface, input data indicating selection of a particular zone that is associated with a playback device;

sending, to a service provider, (i) zone data that identifies the particular zone, wherein the zone data indicates that the particular zone is selected and (ii) a request to identify audio content based on the zone data;

receiving, from the service provider, an indication of audio content identified based on the zone data; and

causing a graphical interface to display an indication of the audio content identified based on the zone data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein receiving, from the service provider, the indication of audio content identified based on the zone data comprises receiving, via a network interface, metadata identifying one or more audio items identified based on the zone data, and wherein causing the graphical interface to display the indication of the audio content identified based on the zone data comprises causing the graphical interface to display the metadata identifying the one or more audio items.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein sending, to the service provider, zone data that identifies the particular zone comprises sending, via a network interface to the service provider, zone data that identifies a name of the particular zone, and wherein sending the request to identify audio content based on the zone data comprises sending a request to identify audio content corresponding to a particular type of room that is indicated by the name of the particular zone.