Apple Inc.

Google Inc.

Jason P Ketterman

Jesse William Boettcher

Zachery Webster Kennedy

Edward T Schmidt

Nicholas James Paulson

Lauren Von Dehsen

Michael Mizono

Ted Stephen Boda

Tomas Brennessl

Thomas M Alsina

Tracy Kuwatani

Nina F Shih

Chikezie Ejiasi

Charles Magahern

Szu-Wen Huang

Gregory R Chapman

David P Saracino

Cody D Jorgensen

Steven P Bischoff

Patrick L Coffman

Ying Chen

Michael T Turner

Elena Leyfman

Andrew J Sinesio

Cindy M Barrett

Cesar De Camargo Barscevicius

Mufaddal Y Khumri

Zhiyuan Zhao

Betim Deva

Keith G Henrickson

Aurie Bendahan

Harry Simmonds

Michael Gachet

Owen Imholte

The subject disclosure provides systems and methods for providing access to media content from a server based on a user interface of a client device through which the access is requested. A user may access certain media content, such as a song, album, playlist, a radio station, etc., only if a request for that content is initiated via a specific user interface, and when the user is a subscriber to a reduced subscription tier to a service of the server. To restrict the access in this way, an interface-specific token is generated at a server for each media content. The interface-specific token is received by a user device and is used for further access to the media content from the server.

User interface-based restriction on content access

A device implementing a multi-user content queue may include a memory and at least one processor configured to receive, on the device, a content query and retrieve, from the memory, user account credentials corresponding to user accounts associated with the device. The at least one processor may be further configured to provide, to a server, the user account credentials and the content query. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive, from the server and based on the content query, a user account identifier of one of the user accounts and a content identifier corresponding to content in a content library of the one of the user accounts. The at least one processor may be further configured to utilize the user account identifier and the content identifier for output, by the device, of the content from the content library of the one of the user accounts.

Multi-user content queue

Techniques are disclosed for managing media playback among an ad hoc group of playback devices. Such techniques may involve building a session among the playback devices in which playback devices communicate information regarding their playback capabilities. Based on the playback capabilities of the devices, playback mode may be derived for the session. Playback operations may be synchronized among the devices that are members of the session, in which devices receive identification of asset(s) to be rendered pursuant to the playback operation and timing information of playback of the asset. The devices may stream the playback assets directly from media sources when they are capable of doing so. In this manner, communication resources are conserved.

Encapsulating and synchronizing state interactions between devices

A device implementing drag and drop for a multi-window operating system may include a processor configured to manage a drag session corresponding to a drag event, the drag event including an initial input selecting an item in a first application, a drag gesture moving the item to a particular region, and a release at an end of the drag gesture for dropping the item in the particular region. The processor is configured to send a request to commandeer the drag session to the drag and drop manager. The processor is configured to receive an indication that the release has occurred in the particular region. The processor is configured to perform a drop operation, where the drop operation includes at least one of opening a window of a second application for the item or opening another window of the first application for the item.

Drag and drop for a multi-window operating system

Methods and systems provide for coordinated control between multiple devices of playback of a media track or playlist. The multiple devices may form an ad-hoc network for sharing control of media. A control device may coordinate control of the playlist and facilitate playback of the media at a playback device. Then when the control device leaves the group, a second device in the group will seamlessly become the control device and control playback and playlist coordination. The playback device may also be the control device. The playback advice may be a network-enabled speaker. Where the playback device is separate from the control device, the playback device may maintain sufficient information to operate without a control device until a new control device is selected.

Coordinated control of media playback

A computing device is associated with one or more electronic devices in a smart home environment. A current environment status is identified from a hierarchy of three or more alert levels of the smart home environment based on a combination of device states of a subset of electronic devices. The current environment status is indicated by an environment status indicator that is displayed in a display area of the computing device concurrently with device state icons corresponding to the device states of the subset of electronic devices. Further, based on the current environment status of the smart home environment, a feature sets is determined for a smart home application executable on the computing device for interacting with the smart home environment. The determined feature set includes selectable commands for performing device functions associated with the current environment status.

Systems and methods for smart home automation using a multifunction status and entry point icon

A media process may receive, from a client application, a request for media information about a range of media items in a queue of a media application, the request being sent while the media application is executing. The queue includes a previous set of media items that have been played by the media application, a current item (e.g., currently playing), and a future set of items that are to be played The request may specify the range to include the current item and at least one item from the previous set and/or future set. The daemon sends a request to the media application and receives media information from the application. The received media information may include an order of media items and an identifier for each item in the range of items. The received information may be sent to the client application for displaying information about the range of items.

Sharing media information between applications on client devices

Third-party apps on a mobile device can expose their content, such as audio content, video content, music stations, audio books, and so forth, to an in-vehicle computing device via a standardized format for content items that is decoupled from the user interfaces of the third-party apps. In this way, the in-vehicle computing device can display the content items in an in-vehicle user interface without granting providers of the content items access to the in-vehicle user interface. This system can present the content items in a different, independent user interface, even though the content items are associated with a third-party app having its own user interface. Content items encapsulate metadata describing the media, such as a title, subtitle, artwork, playback progress, a content item type, whether the content item is playable, whether the content item is a container item, and so forth.

Generating a dynamic user interface representing an arbitrary content provider back-end

A computing device is associated with one or more electronic devices in a smart home environment, the smart home environment having a plurality of environment statuses. A current environment status of the plurality of environment statuses is identified for the smart home environment. Based on the current environment status of the smart home environment, one of a plurality of different feature sets is determined for a smart home application executable on the computing device for interacting with the smart home environment. The determined feature set includes selectable commands for performing device functions associated with the current environment status. The determined feature set is provided to an instance of the smart home application, thereby enabling the instance to offer user interactions consistent with the selectable commands.

Display screen with animated graphical user interface for an alarm silence icon

Display screen with animated graphical user interface for an alert screen

Display screen with user interface for a multifunction status and entry point icon and device state icons

Display screen with user interface for mode selector icons

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jason P Ketterman