Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to provide guest access

• US 9,977,561 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bates, Paul, Keyser-Allen, Lee, Lang, Jonathan P., Roberts, Diane, Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brahmachari, Mandrita
• Application Number:
  US13/871,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• 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

An example method includes displaying a playback queue for a media playback system to a first and second controller via a first user interface associated with the first controller and a second user interface associated with the second controller, the first controller granted a first access to the system and the second controller granted a second access to the system, the first controller displaying a subset of information available to the second controller. The example method includes displaying a plurality of controls for the system via the second user interface of the second controller, the controls associated with the second access. The example method includes displaying a subset of the controls via the first user interface, the subset including at least one control available via the second controller and associated with the first access. The example method includes facilitating control via the first user interface according to the first access.

Claims

1. A media playback system comprising:

a first zone comprising one or more first playback devices;

a second zone comprising one or more second playback devices;

a third zone comprising one or more third playback devices;

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the media playback system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via a network interface from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including the first zone and the second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system;

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, and wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices, wherein the zone group configuration excludes the third zone;

while in the event mode;

connecting one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;

causing display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;

according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to;

(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for the third zone; and

according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to;

(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

2. The media playback system of claim 1,

wherein causing display of the full set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the host control device, one or more state variables indicating that the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and

wherein causing display of the limited set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the one or more guest control devices, one or more state variables indicating that the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system.

3. The media playback system of claim 1,

wherein the instructions to place the media playback system in event mode include a time and date for an event;

and

wherein joining the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode comprises joining, in response to the received instructions, the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration at the time and date for the event.

4. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the network interface from the host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode; and

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode;

(i) removing the first zone and the second zone from the zone group configuration for the event mode and (ii) disconnecting the one or more guest control devices from the media playback system.

5. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the network interface from a given guest control device, one or more requests to add a media item to the queue;

determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least a threshold number of media items to the queue; and

according to the limited access and in response to determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least the threshold number of media items to the queue, preventing the given guest control device from adding additional media items to the queue.

6. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing display of the one or more guest control devices in the user interface on the host control device and in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices.

7. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein a given first playback device comprises the network interface and the one or more processors.

8. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are distributed across two or more of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a media playback system from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including a first zone and a second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and wherein the first zone comprises one or more first playback devices and the second zone comprises one or more second playback devices;

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining, via the media playback system, the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices;

while in the event mode;

connecting, via the media playback system, one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;

causing, via the media playback system, display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;

according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing, via the media playback system, display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to;

(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for a third zone; and

according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing, via the media playback system, display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to;

(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein causing display of the full set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the host control device, one or more state variables indicating that the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and

wherein causing display of the limited set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the one or more guest control devices, one or more state variables indicating that the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode; and

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode;

(i) removing the first zone and the second zone from the zone group configuration for the event mode and (ii) disconnecting the one or more guest control devices from the media playback system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from a given guest control device, one or more requests to add a media item to the queue;

determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least a threshold number of media items to the queue; and

according to the limited access and in response to determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least the threshold number of media items to the queue, preventing the given guest control device from adding additional media items to the queue.

13. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a media playback system, implement a method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including a first zone and a second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and wherein the first zone comprises one or more first playback devices and the second zone comprises one or more second playback devices;

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, and wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices;

while in the event mode;

connecting one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;

causing display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;

according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to;

(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for a third zone; and

according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to;

(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

14. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13,

wherein causing display of the full set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the host control device, one or more state variables indicating that the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and

wherein causing display of the limited set of playback controls comprises sending, via the network interface to the one or more guest control devices, one or more state variables indicating that the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system.

15. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprise:

receiving, via the network interface from the host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode; and

in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system out of the event mode;

(i) removing the first zone and the second zone from the zone group configuration for the event mode and (ii) disconnecting the one or more guest control devices from the media playback system.

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

receiving, via the network interface from a given guest control device, one or more requests to add a media item to the queue;

determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least a threshold number of media items to the queue; and

according to the limited access and in response to determining that the given guest control device has requested to add at least the threshold number of media items to the queue, preventing the given guest control device from adding additional media items to the queue.