Indicating an association between a social-media account and a media playback system

• US 9,667,679 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): TURRIATE GASTULO, JUAN CARLOS
• Application Number:
  US14/495,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein include a social-media computing system receiving, from a first computing device, a first message indicating that a media playback system is associated with a first social-media account; and based on the received first message, sending, to a second computing device associated with a second social-media account, a second message indicating that the media playback system is associated with the first social-media account. The examples may also include the second computing device receiving, from the social-media computing system, the second message; and based on the received second message, causing display of an indication of the association between the media playback system and the second social-media account.

Claims

1. A social-media computing system comprising:

a network interface;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the social-media computing system to perform functions comprising;

receiving, from a first computing device via the network interface, a first message indicating that a media playback system corresponds to a first social-media account, wherein the media playback system comprises a playback device configured to play media content in a zone, and wherein the first computing device is distinct from the playback device;

determining, via the social-media computing system, that a second social-media account is subscribed to the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account;

receiving, from the media playback system, a second message indicating that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is playing particular media content in the zone; and

based on (i) determining that the second social-media account is subscribed to the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account, and (ii) the received second message indicating that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is playing the particular media content in the zone, causing a second computing device corresponding to the second social-media account to display an indication that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is playing the particular media content in the zone, wherein causing the second computing device to display the indication comprises sending, to the second computing device, a third message indicating that the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone.

2. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the media playback system comprises the first computing device.

3. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the third message and the second message both identify the particular media content.

4. The social-media computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the second message, sending a request for a message indicating whether the media playback system is playing back media content; and

after sending the request, receiving the second message.

5. The social-media computing system of claim 4, wherein sending the request comprises sending the request to a media system computing system and receiving the second message comprises receiving the second message from the media system computing system.

6. The social-media computing system of claim 4, wherein sending the request comprises sending the request to the media playback system and receiving the second message comprises receiving the second message from the media playback system.

7. The social-media computing system of claim 1, further comprising receiving a fourth message indicating that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is not playing back media content.

17. The social-media computing system of claim 7, wherein receiving the fourth message indicating that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is not playing back media content comprises receiving an indication that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account is not playing back media content in the zone.

18. The social-media computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fourth message indicating that the media playback system previously played a second media content in the zone; and

based on (i) determining that the second social-media account is subscribed to the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account, and (ii) the received fourth message indicating that the media playback system previously played the second media content in the zone, causing a second computing device corresponding to the second social-media account to display an indication that the media playback system corresponding to the first social-media account previously played the second media content in the zone.

8. A computing device associated with a first-social media account, the computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, via a computing device corresponding to a first social-media account, a message indicating that a playback device of a media playback system corresponding to a second social-media account is playing particular media content in a zone, wherein the first social-media account is subscribed to the media playback system corresponding to the second social-media account;

detecting, via the computing device, an input representing a selection of an indication that corresponds to the media playback system; and

based on (i) the received message indicating that the playback device of the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone, and (ii) the detected input representing the selection of the indication that corresponds to the media playback system, causing display of an indication representing that the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, and wherein the media playback system comprises a second playback device configured to play back media content in synchrony with the first playback device.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the received message further indicates a source of the particular media content that is being played by the playback device of the media playback system corresponding to the second social-media account, and wherein causing display of the indication representing that the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone comprises causing display of the source of the particular media content.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the received message identifies the particular media content that the playback device of the media playback system is playing back, and wherein causing display of the indication representing that the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone comprises identifying the particular media content.

12. The computing device of claim 8, the functions further comprising:

receiving a second message indicating that a second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content; and

causing display of an indication representing that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content.

13. The computing device of claim 8, the functions further comprising:

receiving a second message indicating media content that was previously played back by the media playback system; and

causing display of an indication representing the media content that was previously played back by the media playback system.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein receiving the second message indicating that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content comprises receiving an indication that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content in the zone.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein causing display of the indication representing that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content comprises causing display of an indication that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content in the zone.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device corresponding to a first social-media account, a message indicating that a playback device of a media playback system corresponding to a second social-media account is playing particular media content in a zone, wherein the first social-media account is subscribed to the media playback system corresponding to the second social-media account;

detecting, via the computing device, an input representing a selection of an indication that corresponds to the media playback system; and

based on (i) the received message indicating that the playback device of the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone, and (ii) the detected input representing the selection of the indication that corresponds to the media playback system, causing display of an indication representing that the media playback system is playing the particular media content in the zone.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing display of an indication of an association between the first social-media account and the second social-media account.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second message indicating that a second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content; and

causing display of a second indication representing that the second playback device of the media playback system is not playing back media content.