Providing media items from playback history

• US 9,672,213 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Triplett, Mark, Brown, Amber
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, HANH B
• Application Number:
  US14/300,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150356080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments are described for providing media items from a playback history for media items played by one or more playback zones in a media playback system. A computing device maintains the playback history. The playback history includes, for each of the media items, (i) an indication of a playback zone in which the media item was played, (ii) a time at which the media item was played, and (iii) metadata associated with the media item. The metadata may include, among others, at least one of an album associated with the media item, a genre associated with the media item, and a track name associated with the media item. The computing device, in response to a request, may transmit a portion of the playback history based on the request. The portion of the playback history identifies media items played by one of the playback zones at a given time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, via a computing device, a playback history for media items played by a media playback system, the media playback system comprising one or more playback zones, wherein each of the one or more playback zones comprise at least one respective playback device, and wherein the playback history comprises, for each of the media items, (i) an indication of a playback zone in which the media item was played, (ii) a time at which the media item was played, and (iii) metadata associated with the media item, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of an album associated with the media item, a genre associated with the media item, and a track name associated with the media item;

receiving, via a network interface of the computing device, a request for media items played (i) during a given time period by the one or more playback zones and (ii) having specified metadata; and

based on the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones, transmitting, via the network interface of the computing device to the media playback system, a portion of the playback history, wherein the portion of the playback history identifies particular media items (i) played by the one or more playback zones at during the given time period and (ii) having the specified metadata, and wherein transmitting the portion of the playback history causes (1) the particular media items to be added to a playback queue of a given playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (2) an indication of the particular media items to be displayed by a graphical display of a controller device configured to control playback by the one or more playback zones, wherein the controller device is different from the at least one respective playback device of the one or more playback zones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a playback device, wherein the playback device is part of the media playback system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a server device remote from the media playback system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones comprises receiving a request for media items (i) played during the given time period in a particular playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (ii) having the specified metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue comprises causing a playback device of the given playback zone to stream the particular media items from one or more servers of at least one streaming media service.

7. A computing device comprising:

a network interface;

a processor; and

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

maintaining a playback history for media items played by a media playback system, the media playback system comprising one or more playback zones, wherein each of the one or more playback zones comprise at least one respective playback device, and wherein the playback history comprises, for each of the media items, (i) an indication of a playback zone in which the media item was played, (ii) a time at which the media item was played, and (iii) metadata associated with the media item, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of an album associated with the media item, a genre associated with the media item, and a track name associated with the media item;

receiving, via the network interface, a request for media items played (i) during a given time period by the one or more playback zones and (ii) having specified metadata; and

based on the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones, transmitting, via the network interface, a portion of the playback history, wherein the portion of the playback history identifies particular media items (i) played by the one or more playback zones at during the given time period and (ii) having the specified metadata, and wherein transmitting the portion of the playback history causes (1) the particular media items to be added to a playback queue of a given playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (2) an indication of the particular media items to be displayed by a graphical display of a controller device configured to control playback by the one or more playback zones, wherein the controller device is different from the at least one respective playback device of the one or more playback zones.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the computing device comprises a playback device, wherein the playback device is part of the media playback system.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the computing device comprises a server device remote from the media playback system.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein receiving the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones comprises receiving a request for media items (i) played during the given time period in a particular playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (ii) having the specified metadata.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue comprises causing a playback device of the given playback zone to stream the particular media items from one or more servers of at least one streaming media service.

13. A tangible 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 playback history for media items played by a media playback system, the media playback system comprising one or more playback zones, wherein each of the one or more playback zones comprise at least one respective playback device, and wherein the playback history comprises, for each of the media items, (i) an indication of a playback zone in which the media item was played, (ii) a time at which the media item was played, and (iii) metadata associated with the media item, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of an album associated with the media item, a genre associated with the media item, and a track name associated with the media item;

receiving, via a network interface, a request for media items played (i) during a given time period by the one or more playback zones and (ii) having specified metadata; and

based on the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones, transmitting, via the network interface, a portion of the playback history, wherein the portion of the playback history identifies particular media items (i) played by the one or more playback zones at during the given time period and (ii) having the specified metadata, and wherein transmitting the portion of the playback history causes (1) the particular media items to be added to a playback queue of a given playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (2) an indication of the particular media items to be displayed by a graphical display of a controller device configured to control playback by the one or more playback zones, wherein the controller device is different from the at least one respective playback device of the one or more playback zones.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computing device comprises a playback device, wherein the playback device is part of the media playback system.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computing device comprises a server device remote from the media playback system.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein causing the given playback zone of the one or more playback zones to begin playing back the playback queue comprises causing a playback device of the given playback zone to stream the particular media items from one or more servers of at least one streaming media service.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the request for media items played during the given time period by the one or more playback zones comprises receiving a request for media items (i) played during the given time period in a particular playback zone of the one or more playback zones and (ii) having the specified metadata.