Sonos, Inc.

Zipcar, Inc.

Gregory Paul Ramsperger

Abhishek Kumar

Steven R Beckhardt

Ron Kuper

Andrej Sarkic

Keith Corbin

Andrew J Schulert

Paul Kafadar

Daniel Casimiro

Douglas C Williams

Keith Thoresz

Jonathan Eric Wolfe

Lesley Mottla

David J Goldman

Lucas P Schneider

Lisa Rigano

Syed Naveed Ghalib

Ryan Moak

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

Example techniques described herein involve a point-of-contact (POC) playback device that operates as an intermediary between the cloud and a media playback system that includes the POC playback device. As the intermediary, when the cloud issues a command to the media playback system, the POC playback device may perform some or all processing of the command to determine how to implement that command in the media playback system. For instance, the POC playback device may determine the target devices for a command, and then cause the target devices to carry out the command. This processing by the POC playback device may simplify control of the media playback system from the perspective of third party controllers, as these controllers need not have full and/or completely up-to-date knowledge of the media playback system functionality and status, among other possible benefits.

Control with distributed command processing

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

Example techniques described herein involve authorization management in a media playback system. Within examples, a client, such as a control device, may authenticate with a playback device using a token. The playback device may resolve a role corresponding to the token using a token-to-role mapping hosted at an authentication service. After resolving the role, the playback device may resolve a permissions set corresponding to the role using a role-to-permissions mapping similarly hosted at the authentication service. Within examples, such mappings may be cached locally at the edge (e.g., on a playback device).

Authorization management in a media playback system

An example implementation may involve a computing system receiving, from a media playback system, a request to initiate playback of a cloud queue. The cloud queue may currently have a first access status that authorizes a first set of queue operations, which may include playback of the cloud queue. After receiving the request to initiate playback, the computing system may cause audio tracks of the cloud queue to be queued in a local queue of the media playback system such that the media playback system may playback audio tracks of the cloud queue via the local queue. The computing system may modify the access status of the cloud queue to a second access status. This second access status may authorize a second set of queue operations on the cloud queue. The computing system may cause access to the local queue to be restricted to the second set of queue operations.

Cloud queue access control

Examples described herein relate to facilitating media item access via a media item database. For instance, a playlist may include audio tracks of a first streaming service (e.g., as uniform resource identifiers linking to streamable audio tracks). When a subscription to the first streaming service is not active, the playlist may be unplayable by a media playback system including a playback device. To play the playlist, a computing system may convert the playlist to audio tracks of a second streaming service and then send the converted playlist back to the media playback system for playback.

Facilitating streaming media access via a media-item database

Embodiments are described herein that involve receiving, by a social-media computing system from a media playback system, playback data indicating media that is being played back by the media playback system, where the playback data comprises an indication of at least one zone of the media playback system in which the media is being played back; and based on the received playback data, updating social-media data in a social-media account, where the updated social-media data comprises an indication of the at least one zone in which the media is currently being played back.

Playback updates

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 Tillable 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.

Example implementations may involve generating and displaying media items contexts related to media playback systems in social media posts. In an example, a computing system of a social media service receives data representing a playback history of one or more particular audio tracks that were played back at a media playback system, and a particular account of the social media service that is registered with the media playback system. In response, the computing system generates a social-media post for the particular account of the social media service, the social-media post including that an indication of the one or more particular audio tracks that were played back at the media playback system during the playback session. The computing system displays the generated social-media post in respective feeds of multiple accounts of the social media service that are connected to the particular account within a social network of the social media service.

Media item context in social media posts

Embodiments are described herein that include a method involving a computing system receiving a first message from a first playback device and a second message from a second playback device. The first message and the second message including first metadata and second metadata, respectively. The computing system determines that the first media item and the second media item are the same based on the received first metadata and the received second metadata, and in response, stores association data. The computing system receives an identification of one or more streaming services accessible by the third playback device which includes the first streaming service, and a media-item request including the second service media-item identifier used by the second streaming service. In response to receiving the media-item request, facilitating media streaming access to the first media item by the third playback device using the first streaming service.

Growing community of inventors

Somerville, MA, United States of America

Gregory Paul Ramsperger