Methods and systems for transmitting playlists

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9705950-B2
Application number	US-201414244246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2014
Priority date	Apr 3, 2014
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An example method includes receiving an indication that a user was at a location at a particular time; identifying at least one portion of media content playing at the location at the particular time; and transmitting data that indicates the identified at least one portion of media content to a computing device associated with the user. A second example method includes transmitting an indication that a user was at a location at a particular time; receiving data identifying at least one portion of media content played by a second playback device at the location at the particular time when the user was at the location; and causing, by the control device, a graphical display to display the data identifying the at least one portion of media content played at the location at the particular time when the user was at the location.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, via a first computing device over one or more first networks, location information of a second computing device, the location information indicating (i) at least one first zone at a first location and (ii) a first time, wherein the second computing device is physically located at the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time, and wherein the first location comprises a plurality of zones comprising the at least one first zone, each zone comprising at least one respective playback device;
based on the received location information, identifying, via the first computing device, at least one portion of media content playing by the at least one respective playback device of the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time;
generating, via the first computing device, a playlist identifying the at least one portion of media content playing by the at least one respective playback device of the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time;
receiving, via the first computing device from the second computing device, an indication that the second computing device has accessed a media playback system as a control device over a local area network at a second location, the access occurring at a second time, wherein, at the second time, the second computing device is physically located at the second location, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more second playback devices at the second location, and wherein, while connected to the local area network at the second location, the second computing device as the control device is configured to control playback of the one or more second playback devices; and
in response to receiving the indication that the control device has accessed the media playback system, transmitting, via the first computing device over one or more second networks to the second computing device, the generated playlist.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the location information of the second computing device comprises receiving a location message that originated from the second computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the location information of the second computing device comprises receiving an indication that a user associated with the second computing device conducted a financial transaction at the location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least one portion of media content playing by the at least one respective playback device of the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time comprises identifying a plurality of portions of media content playing by the at least one respective playback device of the first zone at the first location during a time period that includes the first time, and wherein transmitting the generated playlist comprises transmitting data that indicates the plurality of portions of media content playing at the first location during the time period that includes the first time.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving, from the second computing device, data indicating the time period that includes the first time;
identifying the plurality of portions of media content based on the data indicating the time period; and
transmitting the data that indicates the plurality of portions of media content identified based on the data indicating the time period.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before identifying the at least one portion of media content, receiving, via the first computing device over one or more second networks from the at least one first zone at the first location, playback information indicating the at least one portion of media content played by the at least one respective playback device of the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before transmitting the generated playlist, identifying a media playback system associated with the second computing device, wherein transmitting the generated playlist comprises transmitting, to the media playback system associated with the second computing device, the generated playlist.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the generated playlist comprises:
transmitting the generated playlist comprising one or more identifiers corresponding to the at least one portion of media content playing by the at least one respective playback device of the at least one first zone at the first location at the first time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication that the second computing device is accessing the media playback system at the second time at the second location comprises receiving a request for the generated playlist, and
wherein in response to receiving the indication that the control device is accessing the media playback system, transmitting the generated playlist comprises in response to receiving the request for the generated playlist, transmitting the generated playlist.

10. A method comprising:
transmitting, via a control device to a first computing device, an indication that the control device has accessed a first playback device physically located at a first location, and an indication of a particular time, wherein the control device is configured to control over one or more first networks the first playback device, and wherein the control device was physically at a second location at the particular time, wherein the first location is different from the second location;
after transmitting the indication that the control device has accessed the first playback device, receiving, at the control device, data identifying at least one portion of media content played by a second playback device at the second location based on location information transmitted from the control device, wherein the at least one portion of media content was played by the second playback device at the second location at the particular time when the control device was physically at the second location;
causing, via the control device, a graphical display to display the data identifying the at least one portion of media content played at the second location at the particular time when the control device was physically at the second location; and
causing, via the control device over the one or more first networks, the first playback device to play at least the identified at least one portion of media content.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein transmitting the indication that the control device has accessed the first playback device comprises upon executing a media playback application on the first computing device, automatically transmitting a request to the first computing device to provide the data identifying the at least one portion of media content played by the second playback device, and
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, via the control device, data identifying a plurality of portions of media content played during a time period that includes the particular time; and
causing, via the control device, the graphical display to display the data identifying the plurality of portions of media content played during the time period that includes the particular time.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein causing the graphical display to display the data identifying the plurality of portions of media content played during the time period that includes the particular time comprises causing the graphical display to display a list of the plurality of portions of media content played during the time period that includes the particular time sorted by the respective locations where the plurality of

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Trammell Mark

Classifications

• H04R2227/005

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

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G06F16/29

  Geographical information databases · CPC title

• G06F3/165

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

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title