Audio content auditioning by playback device

• US 9,977,647 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bates, Paul, Kumar, Abhishek, Lang, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Elbin, Jesse A
• Application Number:
  US15/005,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94, 381119, 381 79, 381 80, 381 81, 715716, 715727, 709231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10972 Management of interruptions, e.g. due to editing
• 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: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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

A first playback device plays first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device. One or more commands is received that define a duration of time. The first playback device stops playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands. After stopping playback of the first audio content, second audio content is played for the duration of time defined by the one or more commands. After playing the second audio content for the duration of time, the first playback device resumes playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

playing, by a first playback device, first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receiving, by the first playback device, one or more commands that define a duration of time;

stopping, by the first playback device, playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, playing, by the first playback device, second audio content for the duration of time defined by the one or more commands; and

after playing the second audio content for the duration of time, resuming, by the first playback device, playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of time is a predefined duration of time, and wherein playing the second audio content comprises playing the second audio content for the predefined duration of time based on the received one or more commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the second audio content comprises playing the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the second audio content comprises playing the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second audio content is an audio track;

wherein the duration of time is less than a full length of the audio track; and

wherein playing the second audio content comprises playing the second audio content for the less than the full length of the audio track.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content at a position within the first audio content at which the first playback device stopped playback of the first audio content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the first audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises resuming playback of the first audio content at a given position within the first audio content, wherein the given position comprises a position within the first audio content that the at least one second playback device reached in playback of the first audio content as the first playback device played back the second audio content.

9. A method comprising:

playing, by a first playback device, first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receiving, by the first playback device, one or more commands that define a duration of time;

stopping, by the first playback device, playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, playing, by the first playback device, second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands; and

after playing the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the one or more commands, playing, by the first playback device, the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the duration of time is a predefined duration of time, and wherein playing the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands comprises playing the second audio content for the predefined duration defined by the received one or more commands.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are received by the first playback device from different sources.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein playing the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises playing the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the second audio content is an audio track;

wherein the duration of time is less than a full length of the audio track; and

wherein playing the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands comprises playing the second audio content for less than the full length of the audio track.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first playback device is a control device configured to control the at least one second playback device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

playing, by a first playback device, first audio content in synchrony with at least one second playback device;

receiving, by the first playback device, one or more commands that define a duration of time;

stopping, by the first playback device, playback of the first audio content based on the received one or more commands;

after stopping playback of the first audio content, playing, by the first playback device, second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands; and

after playing back the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the one or more commands, playing, by the first playback device, the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the duration of time is a predefined duration of time, and wherein playing the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands comprises playing the second audio content for the predefined duration defined by the received one or more commands.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first playback device is a control device configured to control the at least one second playback device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein playing the second audio content in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises playing the second audio content in synchrony with a third playback device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second audio content is an audio track;

wherein the duration of time is less than a full length of the audio track; and

wherein playing the second audio content for the duration of time defined by the received one or more commands comprises playing the second audio content for less than the full length of the audio track.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are received by the first playback device from different sources.