Queue identification

• US 9,460,755 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Coburn, Arthur IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US14/330,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

An example method includes receiving, by a playback device, one or more messages from a control device, wherein the one or more messages identify (i) a playlist and (ii) an application identifier associated with an application; and based on receiving the one or more messages: populating a playback queue with one or more media items associated with the playlist, wherein the playback queue is associated with the playback device; associating the received application identifier with the playback queue; and sending, to the control device, a queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a playback device, one or more messages from a control device, wherein the one or more messages identify (i) a playlist and (ii) an application identifier associated with an application; and

based on receiving the one or more messages;

populating a playback queue with one or more media items associated with the playlist, wherein the playback queue is associated with the playback device;

associating the received application identifier with the playback queue; and

sending, to the control device, a queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving from the control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the control device the queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a first control device, the playlist is a first playlist, and the queue identifier is a first queue identifier, the method further comprising:

after sending the first queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, one or more messages that cause the playback device to populate the playback queue with one or more media items associated with a second playlist, wherein the one or more media items associated with the second playlist are associated with the application;

receiving, from the first control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the first control device a second queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a first control device, the method further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the second control device the queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application identifier is a first application identifier representing a first application, the method further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from the control device, an additional message that includes a second application identifier associated with a second application;

determining that the second application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the control device an indication that the second application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a first control device and the application identifier is a first application identifier representing a first application, the method further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, an additional message that includes a second application identifier associated with a second application;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the second control device an indication that the application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a first control device, the playlist is a first playlist, and the application identifier is a first application identifier representing a first application, the method further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, one or more messages that cause the playback device to populate the playback queue with one or more media items associated with a second playlist, wherein the one or more media items associated with the second playlist are associated with a second application, wherein the one or more messages received from the second control device includes a second application identifier associated with the second application;

associating the received second application identifier with the playback queue;

receiving from the first control device, an additional message that includes the first application identifier;

determining that the second application identifier associated with the playback queue is different from the first application identifier included in the additional message; and

based on the determination, sending to the first control device an indication that the first application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application causes the one or more messages to be transmitted by the control device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein populating the playback queue comprises overwriting media items previously populated in the playback queue.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

before overwriting the previously populated media items, copying the previously populated media items to another memory location of the playback device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on receiving a command from the playback device or an additional playback device, repopulating the previously populated media items into the playback queue.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the control device or an additional control device, an additional message, wherein the additional message includes (i) a command to alter the playback queue and (ii) the queue identifier that represents the playback queue;

determining that the received queue identifier represents the playback queue; and

based on the determination, altering the playback queue according to the command.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a first control device, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the first control device or a second control device, an additional message that indicates (i) to alter the playback queue and (ii) includes a queue identifier that does not represent the playback queue; and

determining that the received queue identifier does not represent the playback queue; and

sending, to the first control device or the second control device, an indication that the received queue identifier does not represent the playback queue.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the populated playback queue comprises data representing a location of an audio file or a video file associated with the playlist.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a playback device cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, one or more messages from a control device, wherein the one or more messages identify (i) a playlist and (ii) an application identifier associated with an application; and

based on receiving the one or more messages;

populating a playback queue with one or more media items associated with the playlist, wherein the playback queue is associated with the playback device;

associating the received application identifier with the playback queue; and

sending, to the control device, a queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving from the control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the control device the queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the control device is a first control device, the playlist is a first playlist, and the queue identifier is a first queue identifier, the functions further comprising:

after sending the first queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, one or more messages that cause the playback device to populate the playback queue with one or more media items associated with a second playlist, wherein the one or more media items associated with the second playlist are associated with the application;

receiving, from the first control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the first control device a second queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the control device is a first control device and the functions further comprise:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from a second control device, an additional message that includes the application identifier;

determining that the application identifier included in the additional message is associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the second control device the queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

19. A playback device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the playback device cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

receiving one or more messages from a control device, wherein the one or more messages identify (i) a playlist and (ii) an application identifier associated with an application; and

based on receiving the one or more messages;

populating a playback queue with one or more media items associated with the playlist, wherein the playback queue is associated with the playback device;

associating the received application identifier with the playback queue; and

sending, to the control device, a queue identifier that represents the playback queue.

20. The playback device of claim 19, wherein the application identifier is a first application identifier representing a first application, the functions further comprising:

after sending the queue identifier, receiving, from the control device, an additional message that includes a second application identifier associated with a second application;

determining that the second application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue; and

based on the determination, sending to the control device an indication that the second application identifier included in the additional message is not associated with the playback queue.