Playlist modification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9495076-B2
Application number	US-201313904944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2013
Priority date	May 29, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments provided herein involve connected states between a mobile device and one or more zones in a network media system and different interactions between the mobile device and the network media system involving the connected states. The connected states may be established between the mobile device and the one or more zones such that further actions taken on media items identified in the playlist on the mobile device may also be taken on corresponding media items in a playback queue associated with the one or more zones. The interface on the mobile device may display various graphical representations to indicate the different interactions involving the connected states, including when a connected state is established, when a connected state is lost, and when a reconnected state is reestablished. The interface may further provide selectable icons to allow a user to navigate among the different media playback options involving the connected states.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
establishing, via a local network, a connected state between a mobile device and a zone of one or more playback devices in a network media system such that an action taken, via the mobile device, on one or more media items identified in a playlist of a streaming content provider causes a corresponding action to be taken by the zone on one or more corresponding media items in a playback queue associated with the zone and stored on a given playback device of the zone;
disconnecting the mobile device from the network media system such that the mobile device and the zone are no longer in the connected state via the local network;
providing the playlist of the streaming content provider for display on a user interface of the mobile device, wherein the playlist of the streaming content provider identifies media items for playback on the mobile device;
while the mobile device is disconnected from the network media system, receiving via the mobile device, a first user input indicating a modification to the playlist of the streaming content provider on the mobile device;
determining that the connected state between the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established via the local network; and
responsive to re-establishing the connected state between the mobile device and the zone, sending to the given playback device of the zone, an update message indicating the modification to the playlist of the streaming content provider to automatically cause a corresponding modification to be made to the playback queue associated with the zone.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein disconnecting the mobile device from the network media system further comprises:
determining that the mobile device is no longer in communication with the network media system via the local network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the connected state between the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established further comprises:
determining that the mobile device has re-established communication with the network media system via the local network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the connected state between the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established further comprises:
providing for display on the user interface of the mobile device a prompt for a user input to indicate whether the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established; and
receiving via the mobile device, a second user input indicating that the connected state between the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the update message comprises:
sending the update message to at least the given playback device of the one or more playback devices in the zone.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the update message includes a modified playlist generated from applying the modification to the playlist of the streaming content provider, the method further comprising:
causing the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue to be replaced by one or more media items identified by the modified playlist.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the update message identifies one or more updates each associated with at least one of the one or more media items identified in the playlist, the method further comprising:
causing the one or more updates to be applied to at least one of the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue associated with the zone.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a particular corresponding media item in the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue is being played by the one or more playback devices in the zone, the method further comprising:
determining that the corresponding modification to be made to the playback queue associated with the zone does not involve the particular corresponding media item; and
causing the particular corresponding media item to continue to be played by the one or more playback devices.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a particular corresponding media item in the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue is being played by the one or more playback devices in the zone, the method further comprising:
determining that the corresponding modification to be made to the playback queue associated with the zone involves the particular corresponding media item; and
causing the playback of the particular corresponding media item to be stopped.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a particular corresponding media item in the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue is being played by the one or more playback devices in the zone at a certain playback position in the playback queue, and wherein the corresponding modification to be made to the playback queue involves reordering the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue according to a new track order, the method further comprising:
while the particular corresponding media item continues to be played by the one or more playback devices in the zone, applying the corresponding modification to the playback queue such that the playback position of the particular corresponding media item is updated to a new playback position according to the new track order; and
causing the particular corresponding media item to continue to be played at the new playback position.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding action taken on the one or more corresponding in the playback queue of the zone comprises one or more of the following: (a) playing the one or more corresponding media items, (b) pausing playback of the one or more corresponding media items, (c) muting playback of the one or more corresponding media items, (d) removing the one or more corresponding media items from the playback queue, (e) adding a new media item to the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue, and (f) playing a next media item in the one or more corresponding media items in the playback queue.

12. A device comprising:
a processor;
and memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the device to perform functions comprising:
establishing, via a local network, a connected state between a mobile device and a zone of one or more playback devices in a network media system such that an action taken, via the mobile device, on one or more media items identified in a playlist of a streaming content provider causes a corresponding action to be taken by the zone on one or more corresponding media items in a playback queue associated with the zone and stored on a given playback device of the zone;
disconnecting the mobile device from the network media system such that the mobile device and the zone are no longer in the connected state via the local network;
providing the playlist of the streaming content provider for display on a user interface of the mobile device, wherein the playlist of the streaming content provider identifies media items for playback on the mobile device;
while the mobile device is disconnected from the network media system, receiving via the mobile device, a first user input indicating a modification to the playlist of the streaming content provider on the mobile device;
determining that the connected state between the mobile device and the zone in the network media system is to be re-established via the local network; and
responsive to re-establishing the connected state between the mobile device and the zone, sending to the given playback device

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Kumar Abhishek
• Schulert Andrew
• Lambourne Robert Andrew
• Coburn Iv Arther L

Classifications

• G06F3/0482 Primary

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

• H04L12/6418 Primary

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04R29/007

  for public address systems (public address systems per se H04R27/00) · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

  Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

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