Systems and methods to provide play/pause content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9298415-B2
Application number	US-201313937890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2013
Priority date	Jul 9, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed for providing play/pause content. An example method includes receiving a command to play audio from a zone, the zone including one or more playback devices, wherein the zone is configured to play items from a playback queue responsive to the command to play audio. The example method also includes determining that the playback queue includes no playable items. The example method also includes automatically placing information identifying at least one playable item in the playback queue. The example method also includes, responsive to the command to play audio, causing to play the at least one playable item by the zone.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a command to resume playback of previously paused audio in a zone, the zone including one or more playback devices, wherein the zone is configured to play items from a playback queue responsive to the command to resume playback of previously paused audio, the command to resume playback of previously paused audio received from a controller in communication with at least one of the playback devices, the playback queue associated with the zone;
determining that the playback queue includes no playable items;
in response to the determining, placing at least one playable item in the playback queue based on content information corresponding to the previously paused audio, wherein at least one playable item is placed in the playback queue without user input; and
responsive to the command to resume playback of previously paused audio, causing to play the at least one playable item by the zone.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the playback queue includes no playable items further comprises determining there are no items in the playback queue.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the playback queue includes no playable items further comprises:
determining that an item is in the playback queue; and
determining that the item is unplayable because audio data corresponding to the item is not retrievable for playback by the zone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one playable item comprises a playable item previously included in the playback queue of the zone.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zone is a first zone, the playback queue is a first playback queue, and the at least one playable item comprises a playable item included in a second playback queue associated with a second zone.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one playable item comprises a playable item included in a list of favorites accessible by the zone.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one playable item comprises a playable item provided by a third party media service that identifies the playable item based on an input from the one or more playback devices.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the command to resume playback of previously paused audio is in response to a user input received via a control of the one or more playback devices.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the command to resume playback of previously paused audio is in response to a user input received via a control interface on a controller that is associated with the zone.

10. A system comprising:
a zone including one or more playback devices to play items from a playback queue, the playback queue associated with the zone; and
a processor configured to execute instructions, the instructions to cause the processor to:
determine, in response to a command for the zone to resume playback of previously paused audio, that the playback queue includes no playable items, the command to resume playback of previously paused audio received from a controller in communication with the zone;
place at least one playable item in the playback queue based on content information corresponding to the previously paused audio, wherein at least one playable item is placed in the playback queue without user input; and
in response to the command to resume playback of previously paused audio, facilitate playback of the at least one playable item by the zone.

11. A system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine that the playback queue includes no playable items by determining that there are no items in the playback queue.

12. A system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine that the playback queue includes no playable items by:
determining that the playback queue includes an item; and
determining that the item is unplayable because audio data corresponding to the item is not retrievable for playback by the zone.

13. A system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions are to further cause the processor to receive the command to resume playback of previously paused audio in response to a user input provided via a control interface on a playback device of the one or more playback devices.

14. A system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the instructions are to further cause the processor to receive the command to resume playback of previously paused audio in response to a user input provided via a control interface on a controller that is associated with the zone.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:
receiving a command to resume playback of previously paused audio in a zone, the zone including one or more playback devices, wherein the zone is configured to play items from a playback queue in response to the command to resume playback of previously paused audio, the command to resume playback of previously paused audio received from a controller in communication with at least one of the playback devices, the playback queue associated with the zone;
determining that the playback queue includes no playable items;
in response to the determining, placing at least one playable item in the playback queue based on content information corresponding to the previously paused audio, wherein at least one playable item is placed in the playback queue without user input; and
in response to the command to resume playback of previously paused audio, causing to play the at least one playable item by the zone.

16. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the functions further comprise determining there are no items in the playback queue.

17. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the functions further comprise:
determining that an item is in the playback queue; and
determining that the item is unplayable because audio data corresponding to the item is not retrievable for playback by the zone.

18. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the at least one playable item comprises a playable item previously included in the playback queue.

19. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the zone is a first zone, the playback queue is a first playback queue, and the at least one playable item comprises a playable item included in a second playback queue associated with a second zone.

20. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the functions further comprise providing an input to a third party media server to determine the at least one playable item.

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Griffiths Neil
• Reilly Jonathon

Classifications

• G11B27/105 Primary

  of operating discs · CPC title

• H04L2012/2849

  Audio/video appliances · CPC title

• H04N21/436

  Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB {or one or more peripheral devices} inside the home · CPC title

• H04N21/8113

  comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format · 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