Identification of audio content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11947865-B2
Application number	US-202117366915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2021
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

An example implementation involves a playback device receiving digital data representing audio content, the digital data encoded in a first format. The playback device causes one or more speaker drivers to playback the audio content. The playback device decodes a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format and transmits, via a network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data. The playback device receives, from via the network interface from the identification system, metadata corresponding to the audio content, and in response, causes a control device to display a graphical representation of the received metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received metadata to the control device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device comprising:
one or more processors; and
at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the control device is configured to:
transmit a command to a playback device that causes the playback device to play content;
after the playback device has detected a discontinuity in the content while playing the content, receive, from the playback device, information associated with the content for which the discontinuity was detected;
after receiving the information associated with the content for which the discontinuity was detected, facilitate determination of whether a second portion of the content after the discontinuity is different from a first portion of the content before the discontinuity; and
when the first portion of the content before the discontinuity is different from the second portion of the content after the discontinuity, cause the control device to change from displaying information associated with the first portion of the content within a graphical user interface to displaying information associated with the second portion of the content within the graphical user interface.

2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the control device is configured to facilitate determination of whether a second portion of the content after the discontinuity is different from a first portion of the content before the discontinuity comprise program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the control device is configured to:
transmit a command to the playback device to cause the playback device to send at least a portion of digital data associated with content to an identification system to facilitate identification of the content for which the discontinuity was detected.

3. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity in the content while playing the content is based on one or more of (i) a period of silence or (ii) an indication of a change in the content being output by the playback device.

4. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity represents one or more of (i) a transition from scheduled programming to an advertisement or (ii) that a channel associated with the content has been changed.

5. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the control device is further configured to:
before occurrence of the discontinuity, display a portion of the information associated with the first portion of the content before the discontinuity within the graphical user interface.

6. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the first portion of the content or the information associated with the second portion of the content comprises one or more of: (i) an album name; (ii) a track title; (iii) an artist name; (iv) an album year; (v) a release date; (vi) a composing entity; and (vii) a performing entity.

7. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the first portion of the content is based on one or more of: (i) metadata related to the first portion of the content, (ii) data identifying a network location of a device from which the metadata related to the first portion of the content is retrievable, (iii) a uniform resource locator identifying the network location of the device from which the metadata related to the first portion of the content is retrievable, or (iv) an identifier recognizable to a metadata curating device as corresponding to the metadata related to the first portion of the content.

8. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the second portion of the content is based on one or more of: (i) metadata related to the second portion of content, (ii) data identifying a network location of a device from which the metadata related to the second portion of the content is retrievable, (iii) a uniform resource locator identifying the network location of the device from which the metadata related to the second portion of the content is retrievable, or (iv) an identifier recognizable to a metadata curating device as corresponding to the metadata related to the second portion of the content.

9. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the playback device is further configured to:
transmit a request for metadata associated with the content based on a network location of a metadata curating device in communication with one or both of the control device or the playback device; and
obtain the metadata associated with the content in response to the request.

10. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors such that the playback device is further configured to:
transmit a command to the playback device that causes the playback device to refresh metadata associated with the content; and
after receiving refreshed metadata associated with the content from the playback device, refresh display of information associated with the content within the graphical user interface of the control device based on refreshed metadata.

11. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a control device to perform functions comprising:
transmitting a command to a playback device that causes the playback device to play content;
after the playback device has detected a discontinuity in the content while playing the content, receiving, from the playback device, information associated with the content for which the discontinuity was detected;
after receiving the information associated with the content for which the discontinuity was detected, facilitating determination of whether a second portion of the content after the discontinuity is different from a first portion of the content before the discontinuity; and
when the first portion of the content before the discontinuity is different from the second portion of the content after the discontinuity, causing the control device to change from displaying information associated with the first portion of the content within a graphical user interface to displaying information associated with the second portion of the content within the graphical user interface.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein facilitating determination of whether a second portion of the content after the discontinuity is different from a first portion of the content before the discontinuity comprises:
transmitting a command to the playback device to cause the playback device to send at least a portion of digital data associated with content to an identification system to facilitate identification of the content for which the discontinuity was detected.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the discontinuity in the content while playing the content is based on one or more of (i) a period of silence or (ii) an indication of a change in the content being output by the playback device.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the d

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Clayton Eric
• Ramos Aurelio Rafael

Classifications

• G06F3/165 Primary

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

• G11B27/10

  Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel · CPC title

• G11B27/34

  Indicating arrangements  {(indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D)} · CPC title

• H04H60/37

  for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID · CPC title

• H04R27/00

  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) · CPC title