Methods and systems to select an audio track

• US 9,665,339 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Reimann, Robert, Kumar, Abhishek, Taylor, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US13/338,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94, 84601, 84604, 84609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

Embodiments including methods and apparatus to select an audio track are disclosed. An example method includes detecting first and second playback conditions. The example method also includes comparing an audio track property of an audio track to the first and second playback conditions to determine if the first audio track property matches the first and/or second playback condition. In addition, the example method includes comparing a second audio track property of the audio track to the first and second playback conditions to determine if the second audio track property matches the first and/or second playback condition. Also, the example method includes selecting the audio track for presentation to a user when the first playback condition matches the first and/or second audio track property and the second playback condition matches the first and/or second audio track property.

Claims

1. A method of selecting an audio track, the method comprising:

detecting a first playback condition comprising a time of day;

detecting a second playback condition comprising a first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group for playing back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device;

comparing, using a processor, a first audio track property comprising a time of day when the audio track is to be played back to the first playback condition to determine if the time of day of the first audio track property matches the time of day of the first playback condition;

comparing, with the processor, a second audio track property which identifies a zone group to play back the audio track to the second playback condition to determine if the zone group of the second audio track property matches the formed zone group of the second playback condition; and

selecting, the first audio track for presentation via the first playback device and the at least one second playback device to a user when the first playback condition matches the first audio track property and the second playback condition matches the second audio track property.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second condition further comprises a location and the second property further comprises a location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time of day is one or more of an hour, a day, a portion of a day, or a timeslot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition and the first property further comprise a characteristic of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the characteristic of the user is one or more of an identity of the user, a demographic group or an interest.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising identifying the user based on a profile associated with a playback device.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising identifying the user based on an operation history of a playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition and the first property are defined by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition and the first property further comprise one or more of a rhythm, a tempo or a genre.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting the audio track for playback to the user by one or more of playing the audio track, queuing the audio track for playback or presenting the user with a link to obtain the audio track.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing, using the processor, a third audio track property of a second audio track to the first playback condition and the second playback condition to determine if the third audio track property matches one or more of the first playback condition or the second playback condition;

comparing, with the processor, a fourth audio track property of the second audio track to the first playback condition and the second playback condition to determine if the fourth audio track property matches one or more of the first playback condition or the second playback condition; and

selecting the second audio track for presentation to a user when the first playback condition matches one or more of the third audio track property or the fourth audio track property and the second playback condition matches one or more of the third audio track property or the fourth audio track property.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises the first playback device in a first room being linked to at least one second playback device in a second room to form the zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

13. A system to select an audio track, the system comprising:

a detector to detect a first playback condition and a second playback condition, wherein the first playback condition comprises a time of day;

a comparator to compare a first audio track property comprising a time of day when the audio track is to be played back to the first playback condition to determine if the time of day of the first audio track property matches the time of day of the first playback condition, the second playback condition comprising a first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group for playing back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device; and

to compare a second audio track property which identifies a zone group to play back the audio track to the second playback condition to determine if the zone group of the second audio track property matches the formed zone group associated with the second playback condition; and

a selector to select the audio track for presentation via the first playback device and the at least one second playback device to a user when the first playback condition matches the first audio track property and the second playback condition matches the second audio track property.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the time of day comprises one or more of an hour, a day, a portion of a day, or a timeslot.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first condition and the first property further comprise a characteristic of the user comprising one or more of an identity of the user, a demographic group or an interest.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the detector is to identify the user based on one or more of a profile associated with a playback device or an operation history of the playback device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the first condition and the first property are defined by the user.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a display to present the audio track for playback to the user by one or more of playing the audio track, queuing the audio track for playback or presenting the user with a link to obtain the audio track.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display is a graphical user interface to visually present one or more of the audio track or other information to the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the display is integrated with a playback device.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the comparator is to compare a third audio track property of a second audio track to the first playback condition and the second playback condition to determine if the third audio track property matches one or more of the first playback condition or the second playback condition, and to compare a fourth audio track property of the second audio track to the first playback condition and the second playback condition to determine if the fourth audio track property matches one or more of the first playback condition or the second playback condition, and

wherein the selector is to select the second audio track for presentation to the user when the first playback condition matches one or more of the third audio track property or the fourth audio track property and the second playback condition matches one or more of the third audio track property or the fourth audio track property.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises the first playback device in a first room being linked to at least one second playback device in a second room to form the zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.

23. A tangible machine readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed, cause the machine to at least:

detect a first playback condition comprising a time of day;

detect a second playback condition comprising a first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device;

compare a first audio track property comprising a time of day when an audio track is to be played back to the first playback condition to determine if the time of day of the first audio track property matches the time of day of the first playback condition;

compare a second audio track property which identifies a zone group to play back the audio track to the second playback condition to determine if the zone group of the second audio track property matches the formed zone group of the second playback condition; and

select the audio track for presentation via the first playback device and the at least one second playback device to a user when the first playback condition matches the first audio track property and the second playback condition matches the second audio track property.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein time of day comprises one or more of an hour, a day, a portion of a day, or a timeslot.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the machine is further caused to identify an identity of the user based on one or more of a profile associated with a playback device or an operation history of the playback device, wherein the first condition and the first property further comprise the identity of the user.

26. The medium of claim 23, wherein the first playback device being linked to at least one second playback device to form a zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device comprises the first playback device in a first room being linked to at least one second playback device in a second room to form the zone group to play back audio in synchrony with the at least one second playback device.