Management of media content playback

• US 9,478,247 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Yean-Nian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/263,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• 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: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 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

Embodiments are provided for managing playback of media content by a media playback system based on identified preference data associated with one of a plurality of user accounts interfacing with the media playback system. In one embodiment, a computing device may maintain a plurality of user accounts associated with a media playback system, and receive user data identifying which of the plurality of user accounts are currently interfacing with the media playback system. Then, the computing device may receive media data identifying a media item to be played by the media playback system, identifying for at least one of the plurality of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the media playback system, preference data associated with the media item. Based on the identified preference data, the computing device may determine that the media item is not to be played by a media playback system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, via a computing device, a plurality of user accounts that are associated with a given media playback system, the given media playback system comprising a playback device that is different from the computing device;

receiving, via the computing device, user data identifying a particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control devices that are different from the playback device, wherein the plurality of user accounts includes the user accounts of the particular set;

receiving, via the computing device, media data identifying a particular media item to be played by the playback device;

identifying, via the computing device from a preference database, for at least one of the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system, preference data associated with the particular media item;

determining, via the computing device, that identified preference data indicates a negative preference for the particular media item; and

preventing, via the computing device, the playback device from playing back the particular media item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing the playback device from playing back the particular media item comprises:

transmitting, to the given media playback system, a instruction indicating that the particular media item is not to be played by the playback device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, the method further comprising:

sending, via the computing device to the particular streaming content provider, a transmission indicating a negative preference for the particular media item, wherein the negative preference prevents the particular streaming content provider from playing the particular media item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, the method further comprising:

sending, via the computing device to the particular streaming content provider, a request for a different media item from the particular media item.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving user data identifying the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control devices comprises receiving user data identifying the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control interfaces of the control devices, wherein the respective control interfaces of the control devices include transport controls that control playback by the playback device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular media item is provided by a first streaming content provider, and wherein the identified preference data is provided by a second streaming content provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular set of user accounts comprises a first user account and a second user account, and wherein identifying, for at least one of the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system, preference data associated with the particular media item comprises identifying, for the first user account, preference data associated with the particular media item, wherein the second user account requested the particular media item for playback by the playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the preference data associated with the particular media item comprises:

searching the preference database for a media item entry related to the particular media item; and

identifying a preference corresponding to the media item entry.

9. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

maintaining a plurality of user accounts that are associated with a given media playback system, the given media playback system comprising a playback device that is different from the computing device;

receiving user data identifying a particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control devices that are different from the playback device, wherein the plurality of user accounts includes the user accounts of the particular set;

receiving media data identifying a particular media item to be played by the playback device;

identifying, from a preference database, for at least one of the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system, preference data associated with the particular media item;

determining that identified preference data indicates a negative preference for the particular media item; and

preventing, via the computing device, the playback device from playing back the particular media item.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein preventing the playback device from playing back the particular media item comprises:

transmitting, to the given media playback system, a instruction indicating that the particular media item is not to be played by the playback device.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, and wherein functions further comprise:

sending, to the particular streaming content provider, a transmission indicating a negative preference for the particular media item, wherein the negative preference prevents the particular streaming content provider from playing the particular media item.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, and wherein functions further comprise:

sending, to the particular streaming content provider, a request for a different media item from the particular media item.

13. The computing device of claim 9,

wherein receiving user data identifying the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control devices comprises receiving user data identifying the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control interfaces of the control devices, wherein the respective control interfaces of the control devices include transport controls that control playback by the playback device.

14. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the particular media item is provided by a first streaming content provider, and wherein the identified preference data is provided by a second streaming content provider.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

maintaining a plurality of user accounts that are associated with a given media playback system, the given media playback system comprising a playback device that is different from the computing device;

receiving user data identifying a particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system via respective control devices that are different from the playback device, wherein the plurality of user accounts includes the user accounts of the particular set;

receiving media data identifying a particular media item to be played by the playback device;

identifying, from a preference database, for at least one of the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system, preference data associated with the particular media item;

determining that identified preference data indicates a negative preference for the particular media item; and

preventing, via the computing device, the playback device from playing back the particular media item.

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

transmitting, to the given media playback system, a instruction indicating that the particular media item is not to be played by the playback device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, and wherein the functions further comprise:

sending, to the particular streaming content provider, a transmission indicating a negative preference for the particular media item, wherein the negative preference prevents the particular streaming content provider from playing the particular media item.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the particular media item is provided by a particular streaming content provider, and wherein the functions further comprise:

sending, to the particular streaming content provider, a request for a different media item from the particular media item.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the particular set of user accounts comprises a first user account and a second user account, and wherein identifying, for at least one of the particular set of user accounts that are currently interfacing with the given media playback system, preference data associated with the particular media item comprises identifying, for the first user account, preference data associated with the particular media item, wherein the second user account requested the particular media item for playback by the playback device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the function of identifying the preference data associated with the particular media item further comprises:

searching the preference database for a media item entry related to the particular media item; and

identifying a preference corresponding to the media item entry.