Advanced playback queue management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9015588-B2
Application number	US-201113158287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2011
Priority date	Jun 10, 2010
Publication date	Apr 21, 2015
Grant date	Apr 21, 2015

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatus and non-transitory computer readable-media are described for creating and/or maintaining a playback queue of media content. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of providing playback of media content includes receiving a request from a mobile communications device associated with a user to browse a media archive. A user selection of a category and a request to initiate management of a playback queue are received. A media listing is generated responsive to the received request. A user selection of one or more items of media content from the generated media listing is received. One or more playback queue options for the user selected items of media content are presented. A user selection of one of the presented one or more playback queue options is received. The user selected items of media content are manipulated to update the playback queue responsive to the received user selected playback queue option.

First claim

What is claimed is as described and shown in this application:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a server comprising a processor from a mobile communications device associated with a user, a first request to browse a media archive comprising one or more categories of media content;
receiving, at the server from the mobile communications device, a first user selection of a category from the one or more categories of media content;
receiving, at the server from the mobile communications device, a second request to initiate management of a playback queue, the playback queue comprising an item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue;
generating by the server responsive to the second request to initiate management of the playback queue, a media listing corresponding to available media content associated with the category;
receiving, at the server from the mobile communications device, a second user selection of one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing, wherein the second user selection is indicative of a third request to add the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category to the playback queue;
presenting, by the server to the mobile communications device, one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection, wherein the one or more playback queue options comprise a first playback queue option to insert, in the playback queue, the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection before the item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue;
receiving, at the server from the mobile communications device, a third user selection of the first playback queue option of the one or more playback queue options; and
in response to receiving the third user selection of the first playback queue option,
generating, by the server, an updated playback queue comprising the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection inserted before the item of the media content previously positioned at the front of the playback queue, and
suspending, by the server, play of the item of the media content previously positioned at the front of the playback queue for play of the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the second user selection of the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing has ended; and
in response to determining that the second user selection of the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing has ended, presenting the one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining whether the second user selection of the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing has ended comprises receiving a user input indicating the second user selection of the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing has ended.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection further comprises a second playback queue option to insert, in the playback queue, the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection after the item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue, wherein selection of the second playback queue option causes the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection to play after play of the item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue is complete.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection further comprises a second playback queue option to append the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection to an end of the playback queue.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection further comprises a second playback queue option to discard the playback queue comprising the item of media content and generate a new playback queue comprising the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media archive is associated with another user.

8. A computer-program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, that, when executed by a server comprising a processor, causes the server to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a mobile communications device associated with a user, a first request to browse a media archive comprising one or more categories of media content;
receiving, from the mobile communications device, a first user selection of a category from the one or more of the categories of media content;
receiving, from the mobile communications device, a second request to initiate management of a playback queue, the playback queue comprising an item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue;
generating responsive to the second request to initiate management of the playback queue, a media listing corresponding to available media content associated with the category;
receiving, from the mobile communications device, a second user selection of one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing, wherein the second user selection is indicative of a third request to add the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category to the playback queue;
presenting, to the mobile communications device, one or more playback queue options for the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection, wherein the one or more playback queue options comprise a first playback queue option to insert, in the playback queue, the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection before the item of media content positioned at the front of the playback queue;
receiving, from the mobile communications device, a third user selection of the first playback queue option of the one or more playback queue options; and
in response to receiving the third user selection of the first playback queue option,
generating an updated playback queue comprising the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection inserted before the item of the media content previously positioned at the front of the playback queue, and
suspending play of the item of the media content previously positioned at the front of the playback queue for play of the one or more items of the available media content corresponding to the second user selection.

9. The computer-program product of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether the second user selection of the one or more items of the available media content associated with the category from the media listing has ended; and
in response to determining that the second user selection of the one or more items of t

Assignees

• Cassidy Brendon P
• At & T Mobility Ii Llc

Inventors

• Cassidy Brendon P

Classifications

• H04N21/472

  End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)} · CPC title

• H04N21/26258

  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

• H04L47/36 Primary

  by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU] · CPC title