Predictive media routing based on interrupt criteria

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11729470-B2
Application number	US-202117547887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2021
Priority date	Jan 4, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

In some implementations, a user device can predictively route media content to a remote playback device based on playback context information obtained by the user device. The playback context can include local playback context information related to the state and/or context of the user device. The playback context can include remote playback context information related to the state and/or context of available remote playback devices. Based on the playback context information obtained by the user device, the user device can generate a predictive score for each available playback device that indicates or predicts the likelihood that the user will want to send media content to the corresponding playback device. The user device can generate and present a graphical user interface that can identify the playback devices having predictive scores over a threshold score. In some instances, the user device can automatically route selected media content to a predicted playback device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device from a media application, a first user input initiating playback of a first media item;
determining, by the computing device, a first playback device to route the playback of the first media item;
in response to determining that a remote playback session to the first playback device is in progress: determining, by the computing device, whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device based on whether the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session; and
in response to determining that the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session:
terminating, by the computing device, the remote playback session on the first playback device; and
wirelessly routing, by the computing device, the first media item to the first playback device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising, prior to wirelessly routing the first media item to the first playback device, determining, by the computing device, that there is no conflict with the first playback device for playback of the first media item.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the first media item is wirelessly routed to the first playback device in response to determining that there is no conflict with the first playback device for playback of the first media item.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session in response to at least one of: determining that the media application participates in operating system level user interface features, and determining that the media application is entitled to present audio content while running as a background application.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising, prior to wirelessly routing the first media item to the first playback device:
determining, by the computing device, whether the remote playback session to the first playback device is in progress,
wherein determining whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device is further based on one or more interrupt criteria.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein the one or more interrupt criteria comprise: a type of media or a length of media, and wherein the one or more interrupt criteria are analyzed in accordance with a hierarchy of the one or more criteria.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein determining whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device comprises:
determining that the media application is not included in a black list of applications that are not allowed to interrupt the remote playback session; or
determining that the media application is included in a white list of applications that are allowed to interrupt the remote playback session.

8. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a computing device from a media application, a first user input initiating playback of a first media item;
determining, by the computing device, a first playback device to route the playback of the first media item;
in response to determining that a remote playback session to the first playback device is in progress: determining, by the computing device, whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device based on whether the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session; and
in response to determining that the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session:
terminating, by the computing device, the remote playback session on the first playback device; and
wirelessly routing, by the computing device, the first media item to the first playback device.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise, prior to wirelessly routing the first media item to the first playback device, determining, by the computing device, that there is no conflict with the first playback device for playback of the first media item.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first media item is wirelessly routed to the first playback device in response to determining that there is no conflict with the first playback device for playback of the first media item.

11. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session in response to at least one of: determining that the media application participates in operating system level user interface features, and determining that the media application is entitled to present audio content while running as a background application.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise, prior to wirelessly routing the first media item to the first playback device:
determining, by the computing device, whether the remote playback session to the first playback device is in progress,
wherein determining whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device is further based on one or more interrupt criteria.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the one or more interrupt criteria comprise: a type of media or a length of media, and wherein the one or more interrupt criteria are analyzed in accordance with a hierarchy of the one or more criteria.

14. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein determining whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device comprises:
determining that the media application is not included in a black list of applications that are not allowed to interrupt the remote playback session; or
determining that the media application is included in a white list of applications that are allowed to interrupt the remote playback session.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a computing device from a media application, a first user input initiating playback of a first media item;
determining, by the computing device, a first playback device to route the playback of the first media item;
in response to determining that a remote playback session to the first playback device is in progress: determining, by the computing device, whether to interrupt the remote playback session on the first playback device based on whether the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session; and
in response to determining that the media application is allowed to interrupt the remote playback session:
terminating, by the computing device, the remote playback session on the first playback device; and
wirelessly routing, by the computing device, the first media item to the first playback device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, prior to wirelessly routing the first media item to the first playback device, determining, by the computing device, that there is no conflict with the first playback device for playback of the first media item.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first media item is wirelessly routed to the first playback device in response to determining that there is no c

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Pietsch Brian D
• Federighi Craig M
• Sonnanstine Adam A
• Carrigan Taylor G
• Schmidt Johannes P
• Yi Astrid
• Iyer Deepak
• Alsina Thomas
• Bennett Jonathan A
• Coffman Patrick L
• De Camargo Barscevicius Cesar

Classifications

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04N21/4667 Primary

  Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections · CPC title

• H04N21/43615

  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 title

• H04N21/44227

  Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network (configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811) · CPC title

• H04N21/4661

  Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home (user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306) · CPC title