Priority media content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12170802-B2
Application number	US-202318353762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2023
Priority date	Apr 21, 2020
Publication date	Dec 17, 2024
Grant date	Dec 17, 2024

Abstract

A cloud-based computing system is configured to (i) maintain a scheduled playlist of media items, a current playback position within the scheduled playlist, and a priority media item for playback, (ii) receive, from a first playback device associated with an account, a first request to play back the scheduled playlist, (iii) transmit the priority media item to the first playback device for playback before any media item from the scheduled playlist, (iv) receive, from a second playback device associated with the account, a second request to play back the scheduled playlist, (v) determine that the priority media item should not be transmitted to the second playback device, and (vi) after determining that the priority media item should not be transmitted to the second playback device, transmit one or more media items from the scheduled playlist to the second playback device based on the current playback position within the scheduled playlist.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cloud-based computing system 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to:
maintain (i) a scheduled playlist of media items for playback by one or more playback devices, (ii) a current playback position within the scheduled playlist of media items, and (iii) a priority media item for playback by the one or more playback devices; while the current playback position within the scheduled playlist of media items is advancing, receive, from a playback device associated with a user account, a request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items;
determine that the user account has not been associated with any playback device that previously played back the priority media item within a given period of time; and
based on determining that the user account has not been associated with any playback device that previously played back the priority media item within the given period of time, transmit the priority media item to the playback device associated with the user account for playback beginning before playback of any media item from the scheduled playlist of media items by the playback device associated with the user account.

2. The cloud-based computing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the playback device associated with the user account is a first playback device associated with a first user account;
the request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items is a first request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items; and
the cloud-based computing system 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to:
after transmitting the priority media item to the first playback device associated with the first user account, receive, from a second playback device associated with a second user account, a second request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items;
determine that the priority media item should not be transmitted to the second playback device associated with the second user account; and
after determining that the priority media item should not be transmitted to the second playback device associated with the second user account, transmit one or more media items from the scheduled playlist of media items, without transmitting the priority media item, to the second playback device associated with the second user for playback based on the current playback position within the scheduled playlist of media items.

3. The cloud-based computing system of claim 2 , further comprising 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to:
determine that the second playback device associated with the second user account played back the priority media item for more than a threshold period of time; and
wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to transmit the one or more media items from the scheduled playlist of media items, without transmitting the priority media item, to the second playback device associated with the second user account for playback comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to transmit the one or more media items from the scheduled playlist of media items, without transmitting the priority media item, to the second playback device associated with the second user account for playback further based on the determination that the second playback device associated with the second user account played back the priority media item for more than the threshold period of time.

4. The cloud-based computing system of claim 2 , further comprising 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to: store an indication of the first request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items; and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to transmit the one or more media items from the scheduled playlist of media items, without transmitting the priority media item, to the second playback device associated with the second user account for playback comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to transmit the one or more media items from the scheduled playlist of media items, without transmitting the priority media item, to the second playback device associated with the second user account for playback further based on the stored indication of the first request.

5. The cloud-based computing system of claim 4 , wherein the priority media item is a first priority media item, the cloud-based computing system further comprising 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to:
replace the first priority media item with a second priority media item; and
based on replacing the first priority media item with the second priority media item, reset the indication of the first request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items.

6. The cloud-based computing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to maintain the priority media item comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to maintain the priority media item for the given period of time; and
the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to receive, from the playback device associated with the user account, the request comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud-based computing system is configured to receive, from the playback device associated with the user account, the request during the given period of time.

7. The cloud-based computing system of claim 1 , wherein the request to play back the scheduled playlist of media items comprises a first request, the cloud-based computing system further comprising 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 cloud-based computing system is configured to:
after transmitting the priority media item to the playback device associated with the user account, maintain an indication of a local playback position within the priority media item for the playback device associated with the user account;
after receiving the first request, receive a second request from the playback device associated with the user account to discontinue playback of the priority media item;
at a given time that follows receiving the first request by less than a playback duration of the priority media item, receive, from the playback device associated with the user account, a third request to resume playback of th

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Taylor Ryan
• Dawson Joseph

Classifications

• H04N21/2393

  involving handling client requests (scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60) · CPC title

• H04N21/2143

  located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum (arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106) · CPC title

• H04N21/4383

  Accessing a communication channel · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/26258 Primary

  for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list (retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40) · CPC title