Granted Patent B2

US 12,236,068 · App. 18/519,443 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Inventors: Keith Corbin (Boston, MA); Steven Beckhardt (Lexington, MA); Arthur L. Coburn, IV (Boston, MA)

Assignee: Sonos, Inc.

G06F3/04842H04N21/26258H04N21/4622H04N21/4825H04N21/8113G06F3/0482G06F2203/04803H04N21/43615

Abstract

Claims (57)

1. A cloud computing system comprising a network interface, at least one processor, and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

receive, via the network interface from a computing device configured to control playback by a media playback device, data representing an instruction to add a playlist to a playback queue associated with the media playback device, wherein the playlist comprises a first audio track and a second audio track, and wherein the playback queue is maintained in data storage that is remote from the media playback device;

after receipt of the data representing the instruction, add the playlist to the playback queue, wherein after addition of the playlist to the playback queue, the playback queue comprises the first audio track and the second audio track arranged in a particular order within the playback queue;

cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to a continuous-playback mode;

while the media playback device is playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode via one or more speakers, repeatedly detect a continuous-playback trigger, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to detect the continuous-playback trigger comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to determine that a number of unplayed audio tracks within the playback queue is less than a predetermined threshold number of audio tracks, and wherein detection of the continuous-playback trigger is independent of user input; and

in response to detection of each continuous-playback trigger:

(i) determine one or more additional audio tracks that are related to at least one audio track of the playback queue; and

(ii) add the one or more additional audio tracks to the playback queue.

2. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to send, via the network interface to the media playback device, data representing a window of audio tracks from the playback queue, the window comprising a currently playing audio track.

3. The cloud computing system of claim 2 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

send data representing instructions to queue the audio tracks of the window in a local queue in data storage on the media playback device.

4. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to determine the one or more additional audio tracks that are related to at least one audio track of the playback queue comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to;

determine an Internet radio station seeded based on at least one audio track of the playback queue, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to add the one or more additional audio tracks to the playback queue comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to add the Internet radio station to the playback queue.

5. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to receive the data representing the instruction to add the playlist to the playback queue associated with the media playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

receive data representing an instruction to select the first audio track of the playlist for playback.

6. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud computing system comprises a streaming audio service, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

stream data representing audio tracks of the playback queue to the media playback device.

7. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is further configured to:

receive, via the network interface from the computing device, data representing instructions to configure the playback queue in the continuous-playback mode; and

in response to receiving the data representing instructions to configure the playback queue in the continuous-playback mode, transition from a non-continuous-playback mode to the continuous-playback mode, wherein the cloud computing system is configured to stop playback of the playback queue after the media playback device plays back the audio track queued last in the playback queue when in the non-continuous-playback mode.

8. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is further configured to:

monitor a duration of time while playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode; and

in response to determining that the duration of time exceeds a predetermined threshold duration of time, cause the media playback device to cease playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode.

9. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold number of audio tracks is zero.

10. The cloud computing system of claim 1 , wherein an album comprises the first audio track and the second audio track, and wherein the playlist further comprises one or more third audio tracks of the album.

11. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by at least one processor such that a cloud computing system is configured to:

receive, via a network interface from a mobile device configured to control playback by a media playback device, data representing an instruction to add a playlist to a playback queue associated with the media playback device, wherein the playlist comprises a first audio track and a second audio track, and wherein the playback queue is maintained in data storage that is remote from the media playback device;

after receipt of the data representing the instruction, add the playlist to the playback queue, wherein after addition of the playlist to the playback queue, the playback queue comprises the first audio track and the second audio track arranged in a particular order within the playback queue;

cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to a continuous-playback mode;

while the media playback device is playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode via one or more speakers, repeatedly detect a continuous-playback trigger, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to detect the continuous-playback trigger comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to determine that a number of unplayed audio tracks within the playback queue is less than a predetermined threshold number of audio tracks, and wherein detection of the continuous-playback trigger is independent of user input; and

in response to detection of each continuous-playback trigger:

(i) determine one or more additional audio tracks that are related to at least one audio track of the playback queue; and

(ii) add the one or more additional audio tracks to the playback queue.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to send, via the network interface to the media playback device, data representing a window of audio tracks from the playback queue, the window comprising a currently playing audio track.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

send data representing instructions to queue the audio tracks of the window in a local queue in data storage on the media playback device.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to determine the one or more additional audio tracks that are related to at least one audio track of the playback queue comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

determine an Internet radio station seeded based on at least one audio track of the playback queue, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to add the one or more additional audio tracks to the playback queue comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to add the Internet radio station to the playback queue.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to receive the data representing the instruction to add the playlist to the playback queue associated with the media playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

receive data representing an instruction to select the first audio track of the playlist for playback.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the cloud computing system comprises a streaming audio service, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to cause the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is configured to:

stream data representing audio tracks of the playback queue to the media playback device.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is further configured to:

receive, via the network interface from the mobile device, data representing instructions to configure the playback queue in the continuous-playback mode; and

in response to receiving the data representing instructions to configure the playback queue in the continuous-playback mode, transition from a non-continuous-playback mode to the continuous-playback mode, wherein the cloud computing system is configured to stop playback of the playback queue after the media playback device plays back the audio track queued last in the playback queue when in the non-continuous-playback mode.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor such that the cloud computing system is further configured to:

monitor a duration of time while playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode; and

in response to determining that the duration of time exceeds a predetermined threshold duration of time, cause the media playback device to cease playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined threshold number of audio tracks is zero.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a mobile device configured to control playback by a media playback device, data representing an instruction to add a playlist to a playback queue associated with the media playback device, wherein the playlist comprises a first audio track and a second audio track, and wherein the playback queue is maintained in data storage that is remote from the media playback device;

after receiving the data representing the instruction, adding the playlist to the playback queue, wherein after adding the playlist to the playback queue, the playback queue comprises the first audio track and the second audio track arranged in a particular order within the playback queue;

causing the media playback device to play back the playback queue according to a continuous-playback mode;

while the media playback device is playing back the playback queue according to the continuous-playback mode via one or more speakers, repeatedly detecting a continuous-playback trigger, wherein detecting the continuous-playback trigger comprises determining that a number of unplayed audio tracks within the playback queue is less than a predetermined threshold number of audio tracks, and wherein detection of the continuous-playback trigger is independent of user input; and

in response to detecting each continuous-playback trigger:

(i) determining one or more additional audio tracks that are related to at least one audio track of the playback queue; and

(ii) adding the one or more additional audio tracks to the playback queue.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (6)

References Cited (272)