Sonos, Inc.

Plume Design, Inc.

Abhishek Kumar

Robert Andrew Lambourne

Paul Andrew Bates

Ron Kuper

Robert Reimann

Andrew J Schulert

Arthur L Coburn, Iv

David Duayne Taylor

Amber Brown

Andrej Sarkic

Gregory Paul Ramsperger

Keith Corbin

Liesbeth Van Den Berg

Jonathan P Lang

Eduardo Ahumada Apodaca

Mark Trammell

Yasser Rashid

Emilio Arce

Jason Kendall

Luis R Vega-Zayas

Kristen Johansen

Adam R Hotchkiss

Paul Kafadar

Mike Lemmon

Stephanie Hughes

Ben Tripoli

Paul White

Aman Singla

Amber Braden

William John McFarland

Mark W Triplett

Kiran Kumar Edara

Kaixiang Hu

Diane Roberts

Michael Keith Lemmon

Balaji Rengarajan

Evan Jeng

Arun Kalmanje

Jonathan D Garn

Sameer Vaidya

Sandeep Jain

Evan Rusackas

Srinivasa Tagirisa

Michal Kazior

Metod Medja

Arther L Coburn, Iv

Mladen Barjaktarevic

Nate Amarose

Arthur L Coburn

An example implementation involves a playback device receiving a request to add continuous automated streaming audio content to a playback queue, the request indicating a playback start time, and the playback queue indicating a plurality of audio content. The implementation further involves the playback device adding the continuous automated streaming audio content to the playback queue. The example implementation also involves the playback device determining that a duration until the playback start time is less than a duration of the given audio content before playing a given audio content in the playback queue. The example implementation involves the playback device responsively, playing the continuous automated streaming audio content.

Audio content playback management

Examples provided herein are directed to social-media playback queues. In one example, a computing system may be configured to (i) receive an identifier of a media playback system, (ii) link the identifier with a social-media account, (iii) based at least on linking the identifier with the social-media account, generate a social-media playback queue that is fillable with one or more media items playable by the media playback system, (iv) establish access permissions to the social-media playback queue, where the access permissions indicate at least one additional social media account that (a) is within a social-media network of the social-media account, and (b) has access to the social-media playback queue, (v) receive, from a computing device affiliated with the at least one additional social-media account, an indication of a media item to be added to the social-media playback queue, and (vi) add the media item to the social-media playback queue.

Social media queue

Embodiments are provided for updating a playlist that has been added to a playback queue in response to changes to the playback queue. The playback queue may be associated with a zone of a network media system such that items in the playback queue are to be rendered by the zone. The playlist may include one or more items playable by the zone, and may be stored separately from where the playback queue is maintained. Embodiments are also provided for updating a playback queue in response to modifications to a playlist included in the playback queue.

Playback queue collaboration and notification

A network device is configured to (i) play back a media item indicated by a remote playback queue provided by a cloud-based computing system, (ii) receive an indication that a playback device is available for playback, (iii) display a now playing screen including (a) information identifying the media item, and (b) an icon that indicates that the network device is not in a connected state with any other network device, (iv) receive a first input selecting the icon, (v) in response to the first input, display a list of one or more available network devices including the playback device, (vi) receive a second input selecting the playback device from the list (vii) after receiving the second input, update the list to indicate that the playback device is selected for playback of the remote playback queue, and (viii) transfer playback of the remote playback queue from the network device to the playback device.

Transferring playback between devices

An example method involves providing an interface that simultaneously displays an indication of a respective volume corresponding to each of at least two zone players and displays a respective selectable icon corresponding to each of the at least two zone players. Each respective selectable icon indicates whether the corresponding zone player has been selected for a group, and at least one of the respective selectable icons indicates that a respective zone player has been selected for the group. The interface further displays an indication of a group volume associated with the at least one selected zone player. The method further includes receiving a command to change at least one of a respective volume of one or more of the at least one selected zone player or the group volume, and transmitting an indication of the received command to one or more of the at least one selected zone player.

Group volume control

Embodiments are described herein that involve a computing device initiating playback of a particular media item on a media playback system that is registered to a particular account of a social media service. The computing device may query the social media service for one or more accounts of the social media service that are registered to respective media playback systems that have played the particular media item on at least a threshold number of occasions and have not yet been connected to the particular account of the social media service within the social network. The computing device may receive the queried one or more accounts of the social media service and cause a graphical interface to display one or more respective selectable indications of the received one or more accounts of the social media service.

Social media connection recommendations based on playback information

A first playback device comprising an amplifier and a speaker is configured to (i) display, via a touchscreen, respective indications of the first playback device and a second playback device, (ii) receive, via the touchscreen, at least one first input indicating a command to play back media content in a synchrony group with the second playback device, (iii) play back the media content in the synchrony group with the second playback device such that the amplifier drives the speaker by amplifying one or more audio signals that correspond to the media content, (iv) while playing back the media content in the synchrony group with the second payback device, determine, via a voice recognition system, at least one second input indicating a command to modify playback of the media content, and (v) based on the at least one second input, cause the playback of the media content to be modified.

Modification of media playback

Examples described herein involve switching between two user accounts of a streaming media service. In an example implementation, a playback device stores data representing credentials for multiple user accounts including a first user account of a first streaming audio service and a second user account of the first streaming audio service. The playback device receives instructions to play first audio content from the first streaming audio service and plays back the first audio content by streaming data representing the first audio content from one or more servers of the first streaming audio service using credentials of the first user account. The playback device detects a trigger associated with the first user account of the first streaming audio service and switches from streaming data representing the first audio content using credentials of the first user account to streaming data representing the first audio content using credentials of the second user account.

Service provider user accounts

A multimedia controller for controlling and displaying zones in a multi-zone system is provided. In one example the controller provides a user interface for multiple zones of a media playback system comprising multiple playback devices. The controller identifies respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones and detects an input to display a list of the multiple zones. In response to detecting the input, the controller determines an order of the multiple zones within the list of the multiple zones and displays, via the user interface, the list of the multiple zones, wherein the list of the multiple zones identifies each zone of the multiple zones in the determined order.

Controlling and displaying zones in a multi-zone system

A system is configured to () receive data indicating a first command to present media content at a display device of a media playback system that comprises a playback device, () determine a playback condition comprising a user identity, () identify, from one or more user accounts associated with the playback device, a given user account corresponding to the user identity, () based at least on (i) the first command and (ii) at least one property of the given user account, identify a set of media items that are to be presented, () cause the set of media items to be presented at the display device, () receive data indicating a second command to play back at least one given media item from the set of media items presented at the display device, and () cause the playback device to play back the at least one given media item.

Media content display for playback

An example playback device is configured to play back a first media item and, while playing back the first media item, receive a voice command to enter a preview mode in which the playback device plays back one or more second media items for a predetermined duration that is shorter than a total duration of the one or more second media items. Responsive to receiving the voice command, the playback device enters the preview mode, thereby (i) suspending playback of the first media item and (ii) initiating playback of the one or more second media items for the predetermined duration. The playback device subsequently terminates the preview mode, thereby (i) terminating playback of the one or more second media items, and (ii) resuming playback of the first media item.

Audio content auditioning by playback device

Embodiments are provided for querying a media server for media content based on user-selected metadata associated with first media while the first media is being experienced by a user. In one embodiment, at least one metadata associated with the first media may be displayed for the user to review while the first media is being experienced by the user. The user may then select a displayed metadata to initiate a search for media content based on the selected metadata. The search for media content may be performed by querying a media server associated with a selection of media content services. The user may then review the results of the media query, select media content from the results, and initiate further action, such as adding the media content to a digital repository, or purchasing the media content.

Media content search based on metadata

An example system is configured to: (i) receive data indicating a command to play back audio content, where the data indicating the command to play back audio content is received via a voice input that is detected by a first zone player, (ii) based on the data indicating the command, determine a playback condition comprising a particular zone player, (iii) identify a user account associated with the first zone player, (iv) based at least on (a) the command and (b) the identified user account, determine audio content for playback, and (v) play back the determined audio content via the particular zone player.

Audio content selection and playback

An example system is configured to: (i) receive data indicating a command to play back, via a playback device of a media playback system, media content; (ii) based on the data indicating the command, detect a first playback condition comprising a first user identity; (iii) identify, from one or more user accounts associated with the playback device, a first user account corresponding to the first user identity; (iv) based at least on (1) the command and (2) one or more properties of the first user account, determine first media content for playback by the playback device; and (v) cause the playback device to play back the first media content.

Audio track selection and playback

Growing community of inventors

Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Abhishek Kumar