Social playback queues

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11960704-B2
Application number	US-202217838827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2022
Priority date	Aug 8, 2014
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

An example method involves monitoring, by a computing device, a communications feed for an indication of media and detecting, in the communications feed, the indication of the media. The method may further involve identifying at least one media item corresponding to the indication of the media and causing a playback queue of a media playback system to include one or more of the identified at least one media item.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a media content source comprising media content retrievable for playback by a media playback system;
a computing device which provides a communications feed, wherein a user account of the communications feed is linked with a user account of the media playback system; and
a control device comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the control device is configured to:
display, via a display interface, an indication of the communications feed;
detect, in the communications feed, a communication that includes an indication of media;
retrieve one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media from the media content source;
determine a particular playback queue in the media playback system which is associated with the communications feed, wherein the association of the communications feed and the particular playback queue is a temporary association that lasts for a particular period of time;
cause at least one media item from the one or more media items to be added to the particular playback queue in the media playback system; and
terminate the temporary association of the communications feed and the particular playback queue after the particular period of time.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises a set of playback devices; and
the particular playback queue is assigned to a subset of playback devices in the set of playback devices.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one first playback device and at least one second playback device;
the particular playback queue is assigned to the at least one first playback device; and
a second playback queue of zero or more media items is assigned to the at least one second playback device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one first playback device associated with a first playback queue and at least one second playback device associated with a second playback queue; and
the particular playback queue in the media playback system which is associated with the communications feed comprises one of the first playback queue or the second playback queue.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one group of two or more playback devices configured to play back media in synchrony; and
the communications feed is associated with the particular playback queue assigned to the at least one group of two or more playback devices so that the two or more playback devices play the at least one media item in synchrony.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the indication of media includes a media item identifier; and
the control device uses the media item identifier to retrieve the one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control device further comprises program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the control device is configured to:
after retrieving the one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media from the media content source, receive a command via the display interface; and
cause the at least one media item from the one or more media items to be added to the particular playback queue claim in the media playback system based on the command.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the command indicates a selection of at least one media item from the one or more media items.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a system to:
display, via a display interface of a control device, an indication of a communications feed, wherein the communications feed is provided by a computing device, and wherein a user account of the communications feed is linked with a user account of a media playback system;
detect, in the communications feed, a communication that includes an indication of media;
retrieve one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media from a media content source;
determine a particular playback queue in the media playback system which is associated with the communications feed, wherein the association of the communications feed and the particular playback queue is a temporary association that lasts for a particular period of time;
cause at least one media item from the one or more media items to be added to the particular playback queue in the media playback system; and
terminate the temporary association of the communications feed and the particular playback queue after the particular period of time.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises a set of playback devices; and
the particular playback queue is assigned to a subset of playback devices in the set of playback devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one first playback device and at least one second playback device;
the particular playback queue is assigned to the at least one first playback device; and
a second playback queue of zero or more media items is assigned to the at least one second playback device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one first playback device associated with a first playback queue and at least one second playback device associated with a second playback queue; and
the particular playback queue in the media playback system which is associated with the communications feed comprises one of the first playback queue or the second playback queue.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the media playback system comprises at least one group of two or more playback devices configured to play back media in synchrony; and
the communications feed is associated with the particular playback queue assigned to the at least one group of two or more playback devices so that the two or more playback devices play the at least one media item in synchrony.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the indication of media includes a media item identifier; and
the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to retrieve the one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to use the media item identifier to retrieve the one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to:
after retrieving the one or more media items corresponding to the indication of media from the media content source, receive a command via the display interface; and
cause the at least one media item from the one or more media items to be added to the particular playback queue in the media playback system based on the command.

16. The non-transitory c

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Clayton Eric
• Valente Danny

Classifications

• G06F3/0482 Primary

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

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

• G06F16/48

  Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually · CPC title