Receiving media content based on media preferences of multiple users

• US 9,680,960 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• 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): Khan, Aftab N.
• Application Number:
  US14/263,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20150312299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 709218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for receiving media content based on the preferences of multiple users. In one example, a computing device may identify a plurality of user accounts associated with one or more service providers. The computing device may access a guest list for a social event to identify the plurality of user accounts. The computing device may then send to the one or more service providers, requests for media content based on media preferences associated with the identified plurality of user accounts. In response to the request, the computing device may then receive one or more media items from the one or more service providers. Some or all of the media items may then be added to a playback queue or playlist.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, via a computing device associated with a media playback system that comprises a playback device, (i) one or more first user accounts of a first streaming media service, and (ii) a one or more second user accounts associated with a second streaming media service, wherein identifying the one or more first user accounts of the first streaming media service comprises receiving, over a network interface, data representing one or more first user accounts of a social networking service, wherein the first one or more user accounts of the social networking service are associated with the one or more first user accounts of the first streaming media service, wherein identifying the one or more second user accounts of the second streaming media service comprises receiving, over the network interface, data representing one or more second user accounts of the social networking service, and wherein the second one or more user accounts of the social networking service are associated with the one or more second user accounts of the second streaming media service;

sending, via the computing device over the network interface to the first streaming media service, a request for first media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more first user accounts associated with the first streaming media service;

sending, via the computing device over the network interface to the second streaming media service, a request for second media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more second user accounts associated with the second streaming media service;

receiving, via the computing device over the network interface, the requested first media items from the first streaming media service;

receiving, via the computing device over the network interface, the requested second media items from the second streaming media service; and

causing, via the computing device over the network interface, at least one media item of the requested first media items and at least one media item of the requested second media items to be added to a queue of the playback device, wherein media items of the queue are playable by the playback device, wherein the at least one media item of the requested second media items is different from the at least one media item of the requested first media item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the requested first media items from the streaming media service comprises:

receiving a stream of media data representing the requested first media items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the requested first media items from the streaming media service comprises:

receiving data identifying the requested first media items, wherein the data indicates respective sources of the requested first media items, and wherein the requested first media items are playable from the respective sources by the playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, via the computing device over the network interface, the playback device to play back media items of the queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the at least one media item of the requested first media items to be added to the queue of the playback device comprises:

adding at least one media item of the requested first media items to a playlist; and

adding the playlist to the queue of the playback device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective media preferences each comprise one of (i) a positive preference, (ii) a negative preference, or (iii) a neutral preference for the one or more first media items, and wherein sending the request for first media items based on the respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more first user accounts associated with the first streaming media service comprises

sending a request for first media items associated with a positive preference, wherein the requested first media items associated with the positive preference consist of (i) media items that have been assigned a positive preference or (ii) media items that have metadata in common with media items that have been assigned a positive preference.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data representing one or more first user accounts of the social networking service comprises:

receiving data representing a guest list of an event that is registered with the social networking service; and

identifying the one or more first user accounts on the guest list of the event, wherein the guest list indicates user accounts of guests that have sent RSVPs to the event via the social networking service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the guest list indicates one or more of:

(a) email addresses associated with the one or more first user accounts of the social networking service, (b) phone numbers associated with the one or more first user accounts of the social networking service, and (c) user profiles associated with the one or more first user accounts of the social networking service.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the event is associated with a particular time of a given day, and wherein causing the at least one media item of the requested first media items to be added to the queue of the playback device comprises causing the at least one media item of the first requested media items to be added to the queue at the particular time of the given day.

10. A computing device comprising:

a network interface;

a processor;

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

identifying (i) one or more first user accounts associated with a first streaming media service, and (ii) one or more second user accounts associated with a second streaming media wherein identifying the one or more first user accounts of the first streaming media service comprises receiving, over the network interface, data representing one or more first user accounts of one or more social networking services, the one or more first user accounts associated with respective user accounts of the first streaming media service, and wherein identifying the one or more second user accounts of the second streaming media service comprises receiving, over the network interface, data representing one or more second user accounts of the one or more social networking services, the one or more second user accounts associated with respective user accounts of the second streaming media service;

sending, over the network interface to the first streaming media service, a request for first media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more first user accounts associated with the first streaming media service;

sending, over the network interface to the second streaming media service, a request for second media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more second user accounts associated with the second streaming media service;

receiving, from the first streaming media service over the network interface, the requested first media items from the first streaming media service;

receiving from the second streaming media service over the network interface, the requested second media items from the second streaming media service; and

causing, via the computing device over the network interface, at least one media item of the first media items from the first streaming media service and at least one media item of the second media items from the second streaming media service to be added to a queue of a playback device, wherein media items of the queue are playable by the playback device, wherein the at least one media item of the requested second media items is different from the at least one media item of the requested first media item.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein receiving data representing one or more first user accounts of one or more social networking services comprises receiving data representing a guest list of an event that is registered with a given social networking service and identifying the one or more first user accounts on the guest list of the event, wherein the guest list indicates user accounts of guests that have sent RSVPs to the event via the given social networking service.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein receiving the requested first media items from the first streaming media service comprises:

receiving data identifying the requested first media items, wherein the data indicates respective sources of the requested first media items, and wherein the requested first media items are playable from the respective sources by the playback device.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing, via the computing device over the network interface, the playback device to play back media items of the queue.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein causing the at least one media item of the requested first media items from the first streaming media service and the at least one media item of the requested second media items from the second streaming media service to be added to the queue of the playback device comprises

adding, to a playlist, at least one media item of the first requested media items from the first streaming media service and at least one media item of the requested second media items from the second streaming media service;

and

adding the playlist to the queue of the playback device.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein receiving data representing one or more first user accounts of the social networking service comprises:

receiving data representing a guest list of an event that is registered with the social networking service; and

identifying the one or more first user accounts on the guest list of the event, wherein the guest list indicates user accounts of guests that have sent RSVPs to the event via the social networking service.

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

identifying (i) one or more first user accounts of a first streaming media service, and (ii) one or more second user accounts of a second streaming media service, wherein identifying the one or more first user accounts of the first streaming media service comprises receiving, over a network interface, data representing one or more first user accounts of a social networking service, wherein the one or more first user accounts of the social networking service are associated with the one or more first user accounts of the streaming media service, wherein identifying the one or more second user accounts of the second streaming media service comprises receiving, over the network interface, data representing one or more second user accounts of the social networking service, wherein the one or more second user accounts of the social networking service are associated with the one or more second user accounts of the streaming media service;

sending, over the network interface to the first streaming media service, a request for first media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more first user accounts associated with the first streaming media service;

sending, over the network interface to the second streaming media service, a request for second media items based on respective media preferences associated with each of the one or more second user accounts associated with the second streaming media service;

receiving, over the network interface, the requested first media items from the first streaming media service;

receiving, over the network interface, the requested second media items from the second streaming media service; and

causing, over the network interface, at least one media item of the requested first media items and at least one media items of the requested second media items to be added to a queue of a playback device, wherein media items of the queue are playable by the playback device, wherein the at least one media item of the requested second media items is different from the at least one media item of the requested first media item.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving the requested first media items from the first streaming media service comprises:

receiving a stream of media data representing the requested first media items.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving the requested first media items from the first streaming media service comprises:

receiving data identifying the requested first media items, wherein the data indicates respective sources of the requested first media items, and wherein the requested first media items are playable from the respective sources by the playback device.

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

causing, via the computing device over the network interface, the playback device to play back media items of the queue.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein causing the at least one media item of the requested first media items to be added to the queue of the playback device comprises:

adding at least one media item of the requested first media items to a playlist; and

adding the playlist to the queue of the playback device.