Playback updates

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following applications filed on the same day as the present application, the contents of each are incorporated by reference herein: entitled “Social Media Queue”, U.S. application Ser. No. 14/495,595 filed Sep. 24, 2014, entitled “Indicating an Association Between a Social-Media Account and a Media Playback System,” U.S. application Ser. No. 14/495,706 filed Sep. 24, 2014; entitled “Associating a Captured Image with a Media Item,” U.S. application Ser. No. 14/495,590 filed Sep. 24, 2014; entitled “Media Item Context from Social Media,” U.S. application Ser. No. 14/495,659 filed Sep. 24, 2014; and entitled “Social Media Friend Connection Recommendations Based On Playback Information,” U.S. application Ser. No. 14/495,684 filed Sep. 24, 2014.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, to methods, systems, products, features, services, and other items directed to media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loud setting were severely limited until in 2003, when SONOS, Inc. filed for one of its first patent applications, entitled “Method for Synchronizing Audio Playback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering a media playback system for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System enables people to experience music from virtually unlimited sources via one or more networked playback devices. Through a software control application installed on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, one can play what he or she wants in any room that has a networked playback device. Additionally, using the controller, for example, different songs can be streamed to each room with a playback device, rooms can be grouped together for synchronous playback, or the same song can be heard in all rooms synchronously.

Given the ever growing interest in digital media, there continues to be a need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhance the listening experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technology may be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an example network configuration in which certain embodiments may be practiced;

FIG. 2 shows an example media playback system configuration;

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device;

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device;

FIG. 5 shows an example controller interface;

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of an example method;

FIG. 7A shows an example display of a portion of a social-media account;

FIG. 7B shows another example display of a portion of a social-media account;

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of an example method.

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments, but it is understood that the inventions are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
I. Overview

Examples described herein generally involve social-media updates based on playback data. A social-media computing system may create social-media updates based on playback data received from a media playback system. The update may be a message posted in a subscriber's social-media account that may indicate what media is being played back, where (i.e., in which zone) in the media playback system the media is being played back, and when the media is being played back, among other examples. In some examples, the social-media computing system may also determine advertising relevant to the social-media account based on the playback data, and the advertising may then be displayed on a visual representation of the social-media account.

As indicated above, examples provided herein are directed to facilitating social-media updates based on playback data. In one aspect, a social-media computing system is provided. The social-media computing system includes: i) a processor; ii) a network interface; iii) a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and iv) program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: a) receive playback data indicating media that is being played back by a 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 b) based on the received playback data, generate a playback message in a social-media account, where the playback message comprises an indication of the at least one zone in which the media is currently being played back.

In another aspect, a social-media computing system is provided. The social-media computing system includes: i) a processor; ii) a network interface; iii) a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and iv) program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: a) receive playback data indicating media that is being played back by a media playback system that is linked to a social-media account, 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; b) based on the received playback data indicating the media, determine one or more advertisements relevant to the social-media account; and c) transmit, to a computing device affiliated with the social-media account, the one or more advertisements to facilitate displaying the one or more advertisements on a visual representation of the social-media account.

In yet another aspect, a method is provided. The method involves: i) 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 2) 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.

It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that this disclosure includes numerous other embodiments.

II. Example Network Configuration

FIG. 1 shows an example network configuration 100 in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced or implemented. As shown, the network configuration 100 includes a wide area network (“WAN”) 110 that communicatively couples a media system server 120, a social-media server 130, one or more media playback systems 140 and 142, and one or more computing devices 150, 152, and 154. It should be understood that the network configuration 100 may include more or fewer of the depicted network elements and/or may include various other network elements not shown in FIG. 1 (e.g. one or more media sources).

In examples, the WAN 110 may include the Internet and/or one or more cellular networks, among other networks. Although the WAN 110 is shown as one network, it should be understood that the WAN 110 may include multiple, distinct WANs that are themselves communicatively linked. The WAN 110 may facilitate transferring data between one or more of the various network elements shown in FIG. 1. In some examples, a given network element may communicate with another network element through yet another network element. For instance, the media playback systems 140 and 142 may communicate with the social-media server 130 through the media system server 120 and/or the computing devices 150-154 may communicate with the media system server 120 through the social-media server 130. Other examples are also possible.

In some examples, certain network elements may be communicatively coupled to other network elements via means other than the WAN 110. In particular, certain network elements may be communicatively coupled via a local area network (e.g., via WiFi), a personal area network (e.g., via Bluetooth), and/or other connections (e.g., via a wired connection). For example, the computing device 150 may communicate with the media playback system 140 via a local area network (e.g., WiFi or perhaps according to a proprietary protocol). The computing device 150 may do so while operating as part of the media playback system 140 (e.g., as a control device).

The media system server 120 may include a network interface, a processing unit, and data storage, all of which may be communicatively linked together by a system bus, network, or other connection mechanism. The network interface may facilitate data flow over the WAN 110 between the media system server 120 and other network elements. The processing unit may include one or more general purpose processors and/or one or more special purpose processors and may be integrated in whole or in part with the network interface. The data storage may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as optical, magnetic, or flash memory, and may be integrated in whole or in part with the processing unit. The data storage may also include program instructions that are executable by the processing unit to carry out various operations described herein.

Moreover, the media system server 120 may be configured to store and/or access various data related to media items and/or media playback systems. In examples, the media system server 120 may be configured to store and/or access media items that are playable by a media playback system. In such examples, the media system server 120 may be configured to provide to a given media playback system media items (e.g., audio, video, and/or audio-visual files) or links, pointers, or other network location identifiers that are operable to locate the media items. Additionally, the media system server 120 may be configured to store and/or access a cross-service linking database that facilitates identifying a media item from a first media source based on media item information from a second media source.

The media system server 120 may also be configured to provide one or more media applications to the media playback systems 140-142 and/or the computing devices 150-154. In some cases, a media application may be operable to allow a computing device to control one or more media playback systems. Additionally or alternatively, a media application may be operable to allow a media playback system to interface with the social-media server 130 and playback media items based on social-media data. Further still, a media application may be operable to provide functions similar to those provided by a social-media application, discussed in further detail below. Other example media applications are also possible.

In examples, the media system server 120 may be configured to store and/or access account information corresponding to a particular media playback system. Such information, which may be collectively referred herein as a “playback system account”, may include system information (e.g., a household identifier (HHID) that is used to uniquely identify the particular media playback system, identifiers of the devices within the particular system, the software version currently installed on the particular media playback system, etc.) user information (e.g., name, date of birth, etc. of the user or users of the particular system), playback history information (e.g., media items previously played on the particular system and perhaps timestamps indicating when such media items were played), playback preference information (e.g., frequency at which a given media item is played, indications of media items that have been “liked” or “starred”, etc.), and linked-account information (e.g., one or more social-media accounts that are linked to the particular media playback system). Other examples of information storable and accessible by the media system server 120 are also possible.

In some examples, a playback system account may also include information regarding the media services that provide media to the particular media playback system. For example, the playback system account may include one or more identifiers of media services that provide media to the particular media playback system. Such information may be used by the media system server 120, or perhaps the social media server 130, to recommend media services that a user might be interested in. Other examples are also possible.

In practice, the media system server 120 may store some or all of the above-discussed information based on data received from media playback systems (e.g., the media playback systems 140 and 142), the social-media server 130, and/or the computing devices 150-154. In examples, such information may be provided to the media system server 120 when a media playback system is first setup, when a media playback system plays back media items, when a media playback system receives data indicating user feedback, and/or when a computing device runs a media application to control a media playback system, among other scenarios. In any event, the media system server 120 may be configured to provide an option to a user to “opt in” so that the aforementioned information is collected by the media system server 120.

The media system server 120 may be further configured to use the above-discussed information to determine playback behaviors of users of media playback systems, among other operations. Based on user playback behaviors, the media system server 120 may perform a number of operations that may add to the users' playback experience. For example, such information may be used to identify a trending artist and then recommend that trending artist to a user whose playback history indicates he/she listens to other artists similar to the trending artist. Other examples are certainly possible.

The social-media server 130 may include a network interface, a processing unit, and data storage, similar to those of the media system server 120 discussed above. The social-media server 130 may be configured to provide a social-media service to subscribers to the service. For example, the social-media server 130 may be configured to establish and/or maintain a social network. To this end, the social-media server 130 may be configured to host a social-media webpage accessible over the WAN 110 by subscribers utilizing any suitable computing device, such as the computing devices 150-154.

In examples, the social-media server 130 may be configured to store subscriber account information, which may be collectively referred herein as a “social-media account”. Such information may include the name, gender, birthdate, email address, and/or residential address, among other information, for each subscriber. Moreover, the social-media server 130 may also be configured to link a given subscriber with a particular media playback system. For example, when a user first subscribes to the social-media service, the user may provide information, such as a HHID, of a media playback system used by the user, and the social-media server 130 may then store such information in the account of the subscriber.

In addition to subscriber account information, the social-media server 130 may also be configured to store respective subscriber profiles for each subscriber. Broadly speaking, a subscriber profile may include information regarding a subscriber's life, such as relationship status, photos, videos, career information, education information, hobbies/interests, locations visited (e.g., “check-in” locations), sports teams that the subscriber is a fan of, and/or movies, books, artists, TV shows, and the like that the subscriber previously experienced and perhaps enjoyed. Such information may be presented on a subscriber profile in a number of manners, such as through subscriber posts, status updates, blogs, and other uploads.

The social network provided by the social-media server 130 may be configured so that subscribers may readily share and exchange information, ideas, creations, and the like over a virtual community. The social-media service may provide to its subscribers, via a social-media webpage, respective social-media information that is determined to be relevant to a particular subscriber. Such information may be provided in several manners (e.g., as a “news feed”, “timeline”, or the like) and may be personalized to fit the preferences of a particular subscriber. In examples, this information may be continuously updated to reflect the most current information that may be relevant to a particular subscriber.

A given subscriber may have certain “friends” that he/she chooses to associate with on an example social network. After someone is deemed a “friend” with a given subscriber, the given subscriber may then receive social information that is uploaded, tagged, posted, or otherwise provided by the “friend.” For example, the given subscriber's news feed may show a photograph that a “friend” captured and subsequently posted to the social-media webpage. Moreover, a listing of a given subscriber's “friends” may also be provided and that listing may include various information in various forms reflecting a current “status” or the like for a given “friend.” The given subscriber may also be able to “de-friend” someone that was previously deemed a “friend.”

In practice, the social-media server 130 may be configured to collect and analyze the information that is shared and exchanged over the social-media service. The social-media server 130 may be configured to use this collected information, as well as subscriber account information, to determine for a particular subscriber other subscribers that the particular subscriber might want to become “friends” with. In this way, the social-media server 130 may be configured to determine the preferences and/or tastes of its subscribers and recommend other subscribers with similar tastes.

Moreover, the social-media server 130 may be configured to provide one or more social-media applications that are operable to provide subscribers access to the social-media service in a manner different than through a web browser. Such an application may be installed on a computing device that is perhaps portable. In examples, a social-media application may further be operable to provide functions similar to those provided by a media application, as discussed above.

Furthermore, a social-media application, and/or perhaps a media application, installed on a computing device may be operable to determine what, if any, other applications are also installed on the computing device. An application that is operable in such a manner may facilitate linking a playback system account with a social-media account and vice versa. In examples, after a social-media application installed on a computing device is linked to a playback system account, the social-media application may be operable to affect playback of media at a media playback system identified by the playback system account.

In examples, the network configuration 100 may also include one or more media service provider servers communicatively coupled to the WAN 110. In general, a given media service provider server may correspond to a media service provider that provides streaming media, such as Internet radio and/or “on-demand” media, to the media playback systems 140-142 and/or the computing devices 150-154. A user may subscribe to such a service and register media devices (e.g., a media playback system and/or one or more computing devices) that may at times be used to access the media service. A media service provider server may include similar components as the servers discussed above.

Generally speaking, the media playback systems 140 and 142 may be any type of media playback system configured to receive and transmit data over a communication network and playback media items. In practice, each media playback system 140 and 142 may include one or more playback devices, as well as additional system devices (e.g., a controller device). An example media playback system is discussed in further detail below with reference to FIG. 2. It should be understood that the media playback system 140 and the media playback system 142 may be configured similarly or differently and/or may include similar or different devices.

In general, each computing device 150-154 may be any computing device configured to transfer data over a communication network. The computing devices 150-154 may each include at least one processor, memory, a graphical display, an input interface, and a network interface, among other components. In some instances, the graphical display and the input interface may be part of the same component (e.g., a touchscreen). The network interface may facilitate data flow between the computing device and another network element, for example, via the WAN 110. In some examples, one or more of the computing devices 150-154 may also include a camera configured to capture image and/or video data. Example computing devices include, but are not limited to, cellular phones, smartphones, PDAs, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, video game consoles, and smart TVs.

Moreover, the computing devices 150-154 may be configured to download, install, and operate an application, such as a media or social-media application. In examples, a given computing device may include a media application provided by the media system server 120 and a social-media application provided by the social media server 130, while another computing device may include one or the other application but not both.

A computing device may be configured to run both applications at the same time or individually. In some examples, the computing devices 150-154 may provide to the media system server 120 and/or the social media server 130 an indication of applications that are installed on a particular computing device. For instance, the computing device 150 may be configured to provide to the media system server 120 an indication that a social-media application is installed. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 150 may be configured to provide to the social-media server 130 an indication that a media application is installed and/or active or otherwise currently running.

Furthermore, a computing device may be configured to provide social media information and/or media playback information to the media system server 120 and/or the social media server 130. Such information may then be used by the media system server 120 and/or the social media server 130 to help perform some of the operations disclosed in further detail below.

III. Example Media Playback System

FIG. 2 shows an example configuration of a media playback system 200. The media playback system 200 as shown is associated with an example home environment having several rooms and spaces, such as for example, a master bedroom, an office, a dining room, and a living room. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the media playback system 200 includes playback devices 202-224, control devices 226 and 228, and a wired or wireless network router 230.

Further discussions relating to the different components of the example media playback system 200 and how the different components may interact to provide a user with a media experience may be found in the following sections. While discussions herein may generally refer to the example media playback system 200, technologies described herein are not limited to applications within, among other things, the home environment as shown in FIG. 2. For instance, the technologies described herein may be useful in environments where multi-zone audio may be desired, such as, for example, a commercial setting like a restaurant, mall or airport, a vehicle like a sports utility vehicle (SUV), bus or car, a ship or boat, an airplane, and so on.

a. Example Playback Devices

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device 300 that may be configured to be one or more of the playback devices 202-224 of the media playback system 200 of FIG. 2. The playback device 300 may include a processor 302, software components 304, memory 306, audio processing components 308, audio amplifier(s) 310, speaker(s) 312, and a network interface 314 including wireless interface(s) 316 and wired interface(s) 318. In one case, the playback device 300 may not include the speaker(s) 312, but rather a speaker interface for connecting the playback device 300 to external speakers. In another case, the playback device 300 may include neither the speaker(s) 312 nor the audio amplifier(s) 310, but rather an audio interface for connecting the playback device 300 to an external audio amplifier or audio-visual receiver.

In one example, the processor 302 may be a clock-driven computing component configured to process input data according to instructions stored in the memory 306. The memory 306 may be a tangible computer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable by the processor 302. For instance, the memory 306 may be data storage that can be loaded with one or more of the software components 304 executable by the processor 302 to achieve certain functions. In one example, the functions may involve the playback device 300 retrieving audio data from an audio source or another playback device. In another example, the functions may involve the playback device 300 sending audio data to another device or playback device on a network. In yet another example, the functions may involve pairing of the playback device 300 with one or more playback devices to create a multi-channel audio environment.

Certain functions may involve the playback device 300 synchronizing playback of audio content with one or more other playback devices. During synchronous playback, a listener will preferably not be able to perceive time-delay differences between playback of the audio content by the playback device 300 and the one or more other playback devices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled, “System and method for synchronizing operations among a plurality of independently clocked digital data processing devices,” which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides in more detail some examples for audio playback synchronization among playback devices.

The memory 306 may further be configured to store data associated with the playback device 300, such as one or more zones and/or zone groups the playback device 300 is a part of, audio sources accessible by the playback device 300, or a playback queue that the playback device 300 (or some other playback device) may be associated with. The data may be stored as one or more state variables that are periodically updated and used to describe the state of the playback device 300. The memory 306 may also include the data associated with the state of the other devices of the media system, and shared from time to time among the devices so that one or more of the devices have the most recent data associated with the system. Other embodiments are also possible.

The audio processing components 308 may include one or more digital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, an audio enhancement component or a digital signal processor (DSP), and so on. In one embodiment, one or more of the audio processing components 308 may be a subcomponent of the processor 302. In one example, audio content may be processed and/or intentionally altered by the audio processing components 308 to produce audio signals. The produced audio signals may then be provided to the audio amplifier(s) 310 for amplification and playback through speaker(s) 312. Particularly, the audio amplifier(s) 310 may include devices configured to amplify audio signals to a level for driving one or more of the speakers 312. The speaker(s) 312 may include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”) or a complete speaker system involving an enclosure with one or more drivers. A particular driver of the speaker(s) 312 may include, for example, a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), a mid-range driver (e.g., for middle frequencies), and/or a tweeter (e.g., for high frequencies). In some cases, each transducer in the one or more speakers 312 may be driven by an individual corresponding audio amplifier of the audio amplifier(s) 310. In addition to producing analog signals for playback by the playback device 300, the audio processing components 308 may be configured to process audio content to be sent to one or more other playback devices for playback.

Audio content to be processed and/or played back by the playback device 300 may be received from an external source, such as via an audio line-in input connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-in connection) or the network interface 314.

The network interface 314 may be configured to facilitate a data flow between the playback device 300 and one or more other devices on a data network. As such, the playback device 300 may be configured to receive audio content over the data network from one or more other playback devices in communication with the playback device 300, network devices within a local area network, or audio content sources over a wide area network such as the Internet. In one example, the audio content and other signals transmitted and received by the playback device 300 may be transmitted in the form of digital packet data containing an Internet Protocol (IP)-based source address and IP-based destination addresses. In such a case, the network interface 314 may be configured to parse the digital packet data such that the data destined for the playback device 300 is properly received and processed by the playback device 300.

As shown, the network interface 314 may include wireless interface(s) 316 and wired interface(s) 318. The wireless interface(s) 316 may provide network interface functions for the playback device 300 to wirelessly communicate with other devices (e.g., other playback device(s), speaker(s), receiver(s), network device(s), control device(s), controller device(s) within a data network the playback device 300 is associated with) in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wireless standard including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). The wired interface(s) 318 may provide network interface functions for the playback device 300 to communicate over a wired connection with other devices in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3). While the network interface 314 shown in FIG. 3 includes both wireless interface(s) 316 and wired interface(s) 318, the network interface 314 may in some embodiments include only wireless interface(s) or only wired interface(s).

In one example, the playback device 300 and one other playback device may be paired to play two separate audio components of audio content. For instance, playback device 300 may be configured to play a left channel audio component, while the other playback device may be configured to play a right channel audio component, thereby producing or enhancing a stereo effect of the audio content. The paired playback devices (also referred to as “bonded playback devices”) may further play audio content in synchrony with other playback devices.

In another example, the playback device 300 may be sonically consolidated with one or more other playback devices to form a single, consolidated playback device. A consolidated playback device may be configured to process and reproduce sound differently than an unconsolidated playback device or playback devices that are paired, because a consolidated playback device may have additional speaker drivers through which audio content may be rendered. For instance, if the playback device 300 is a playback device designed to render low frequency range audio content (i.e. a subwoofer), the playback device 300 may be consolidated with a playback device designed to render full frequency range audio content. In such a case, the full frequency range playback device, when consolidated with the low frequency playback device 300, may be configured to render only the mid and high frequency components of audio content, while the low frequency range playback device 300 renders the low frequency component of the audio content. The consolidated playback device may further be paired with a single playback device or yet another consolidated playback device.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered) for sale certain playback devices including a “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,” “PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any other past, present, and/or future playback devices may additionally or alternatively be used to implement the playback devices of example embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, it is understood that a playback device is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 3 or to the SONOS product offerings. For example, a playback device may include a wired or wireless headphone. In another example, a playback device may include or interact with a docking station for personal mobile media playback devices. In yet another example, a playback device may be integral to another device or component such as a television, a lighting fixture, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use.

b. Example Playback Zone Configurations

Referring back to the media playback system 200 of FIG. 2, the environment may have one or more playback zones, each with one or more playback devices. The media playback system 200 may be established with one or more playback zones, after which one or more zones may be added, or removed to arrive at the example configuration shown in FIG. 2. Each zone may be given a name according to a different room or space such as an office, bathroom, master bedroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room, and/or balcony. In one case, a single playback zone may include multiple rooms or spaces. In another case, a single room or space may include multiple playback zones.

As shown in FIG. 2, the balcony, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, office, and bedroom zones each have one playback device, while the living room and master bedroom zones each have multiple playback devices. In the living room zone, playback devices 204, 206, 208, and 210 may be configured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playback devices, as one or more bonded playback devices, as one or more consolidated playback devices, or any combination thereof. Similarly, in the case of the master bedroom, playback devices 222 and 224 may be configured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playback devices, as a bonded playback device, or as a consolidated playback device.

In one example, one or more playback zones in the environment of FIG. 2 may each be playing different audio content. For instance, the user may be grilling in the balcony zone and listening to hip hop music being played by the playback device 202 while another user may be preparing food in the kitchen zone and listening to classical music being played by the playback device 214. In another example, a playback zone may play the same audio content in synchrony with another playback zone. For instance, the user may be in the office zone where the playback device 218 is playing the same rock music that is being playing by playback device 202 in the balcony zone. In such a case, playback devices 202 and 218 may be playing the rock music in synchrony such that the user may seamlessly (or at least substantially seamlessly) enjoy the audio content that is being played out-loud while moving between different playback zones. Synchronization among playback zones may be achieved in a manner similar to that of synchronization among playback devices, as described in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395.

As suggested above, the zone configurations of the media playback system 200 may be dynamically modified, and in some embodiments, the media playback system 100 supports numerous configurations. For instance, if a user physically moves one or more playback devices to or from a zone, the media playback system 200 may be reconfigured to accommodate the change(s). For instance, if the user physically moves the playback device 202 from the balcony zone to the office zone, the office zone may now include both the playback device 218 and the playback device 202. The playback device 202 may be paired or grouped with the office zone and/or renamed if so desired via a control device such as the control devices 226 and 228. On the other hand, if the one or more playback devices are moved to a particular area in the home environment that is not already a playback zone, a new playback zone may be created for the particular area.

Further, different playback zones of the media playback system 200 may be dynamically combined into zone groups or split up into individual playback zones. For instance, the dining room zone and the kitchen zone 214 may be combined into a zone group for a dinner party such that playback devices 212 and 214 may render audio content in synchrony. On the other hand, the living room zone may be split into a television zone including playback device 204, and a listening zone including playback devices 206, 208, and 210, if the user wishes to listen to music in the living room space while another user wishes to watch television.

c. Example Control Devices

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device 400 that may be configured to be one or both of the control devices 226 and 228 of the media playback system 200. As shown, the control device 400 may include a processor 402, memory 404, a network interface 406, and a user interface 408. In one example, the control device 400 may be a dedicated controller for the media playback system 200.

In another example, the control device 400 may be a network device on which media application software is installed, such as an iPhone™, iPad™ or any other smart phone, tablet or network device (e.g., a networked computer such as a PC or Mac™). In examples, the media application may take the form of a media playback system controller application operable to control a media playback system. In yet another example, the media application may be operable to cause the control device 400 to obtain media (e.g., from a given media service provider associated with the media application) independent from a media playback system and may also be operable as a control device of a media playback system.

The processor 402 may be configured to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system 200. The memory 404 may be configured to store instructions executable by the processor 402 to perform those functions. The memory 404 may also be configured to store the media playback system controller application software and other data associated with the media playback system 200 and the user.

In one example, the network interface 406 may be based on an industry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3, wireless standards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). The network interface 406 may provide a means for the control device 400 to communicate with other devices in the media playback system 200. In one example, data and information (e.g., such as a state variable) may be communicated between control device 400 and other devices via the network interface 406. For instance, playback zone and zone group configurations in the media playback system 200 may be received by the control device 400 from a playback device or another network device, or transmitted by the control device 400 to another playback device or network device via the network interface 406. In some cases, the other network device may be another control device.

Playback device control commands such as volume control and audio playback control may also be communicated from the control device 400 to a playback device via the network interface 406. As suggested above, changes to configurations of the media playback system 200 may also be performed by a user using the control device 400. The configuration changes may include adding/removing one or more playback devices to/from a zone, adding/removing one or more zones to/from a zone group, forming a bonded or consolidated player, separating one or more playback devices from a bonded or consolidated player, among others. Accordingly, the control device 400 may sometimes be referred to as a controller, whether the control device 400 is a dedicated controller or a network device on which media playback system controller application software is installed.

The user interface 408 of the control device 400 may be configured to facilitate user access and control of the media playback system 200, by providing a controller interface such as the controller interface 500 shown in FIG. 5. The controller interface 500 includes a playback control region 510, a playback zone region 520, a playback status region 530, a playback queue region 540, and an audio content sources region 550. The user interface 500 as shown is just one example of a user interface that may be provided on a network device such as the control device 400 of FIG. 4 (and/or the control devices 226 and 228 of FIG. 2) and accessed by users to control a media playback system such as the media playback system 200. Other user interfaces of varying formats, styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively be implemented on one or more network devices to provide comparable control access to a media playback system.

The playback control region 510 may include selectable (e.g., by way of touch or by using a cursor) icons to cause playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to play or pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode, enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode. The playback control region 510 may also include selectable icons to modify equalization settings, and playback volume, among other possibilities.

The playback zone region 520 may include representations of playback zones within the media playback system 200. In some embodiments, the graphical representations of playback zones may be selectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage or configure the playback zones in the media playback system, such as a creation of bonded zones, creation of zone groups, separation of zone groups, and renaming of zone groups, among other possibilities.

For example, as shown, a “group” icon may be provided within each of the graphical representations of playback zones. The “group” icon provided within a graphical representation of a particular zone may be selectable to bring up options to select one or more other zones in the media playback system to be grouped with the particular zone. Once grouped, playback devices in the zones that have been grouped with the particular zone will be configured to play audio content in synchrony with the playback device(s) in the particular zone. Analogously, a “group” icon may be provided within a graphical representation of a zone group. In this case, the “group” icon may be selectable to bring up options to deselect one or more zones in the zone group to be removed from the zone group. Other interactions and implementations for grouping and ungrouping zones via a user interface such as the user interface 500 are also possible. The representations of playback zones in the playback zone region 520 may be dynamically updated as playback zone or zone group configurations are modified.

The playback status region 530 may include graphical representations of audio content that is presently being played, previously played, or scheduled to play next in the selected playback zone or zone group. The selected playback zone or zone group may be visually distinguished on the user interface, such as within the playback zone region 520 and/or the playback status region 530. The graphical representations may include track title, artist name, album name, album year, track length, and other relevant information that may be useful for the user to know when controlling the media playback system via the user interface 500.

The playback queue region 540 may include graphical representations of audio content in a playback queue associated with the selected playback zone or zone group. In some embodiments, each playback zone or zone group may be associated with a playback queue containing information corresponding to zero or more audio items for playback by the playback zone or zone group. For instance, each audio item in the playback queue may comprise a uniform resource identifier (URI), a uniform resource locator (URL) or some other identifier that may be used by a playback device in the playback zone or zone group to find and/or retrieve the audio item from a local audio content source or a networked audio content source, possibly for playback by the playback device.

In one example, a playlist may be added to a playback queue, in which case information corresponding to each audio item in the playlist may be added to the playback queue. In another example, audio items in a playback queue may be saved as a playlist. In a further example, a playback queue may be empty, or populated but “not in use” when the playback zone or zone group is playing continuously streaming audio content, such as Internet radio that may continue to play until otherwise stopped, rather than discrete audio items that have playback durations. In an alternative embodiment, a playback queue can include Internet radio and/or other streaming audio content items and be “in use” when the playback zone or zone group is playing those items. Other examples are also possible.

When playback zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped,” playback queues associated with the affected playback zones or zone groups may be cleared or re-associated. For example, if a first playback zone including a first playback queue is grouped with a second playback zone including a second playback queue, the established zone group may have an associated playback queue that is initially empty, that contains audio items from the first playback queue (such as if the second playback zone was added to the first playback zone), that contains audio items from the second playback queue (such as if the first playback zone was added to the second playback zone), or a combination of audio items from both the first and second playback queues. Subsequently, if the established zone group is ungrouped, the resulting first playback zone may be re-associated with the previous first playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue that is empty or contains audio items from the playback queue associated with the established zone group before the established zone group was ungrouped. Similarly, the resulting second playback zone may be re-associated with the previous second playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue that is empty, or contains audio items from the playback queue associated with the established zone group before the established zone group was ungrouped. Other examples are also possible.

Referring back to the user interface 500 of FIG. 5, the graphical representations of audio content in the playback queue region 540 may include track titles, artist names, track lengths, and other relevant information associated with the audio content in the playback queue. In one example, graphical representations of audio content may be selectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage and/or manipulate the playback queue and/or audio content represented in the playback queue. For instance, a represented audio content may be removed from the playback queue, moved to a different position within the playback queue, or selected to be played immediately, or after any currently playing audio content, among other possibilities. A playback queue associated with a playback zone or zone group may be stored in a memory on one or more playback devices in the playback zone or zone group, on a playback device that is not in the playback zone or zone group, and/or some other designated device.

The audio content sources region 550 may include graphical representations of selectable audio content sources from which audio content may be retrieved and played by the selected playback zone or zone group. Discussions pertaining to audio content sources may be found in the following section.

d. Example Audio Content Sources

As indicated previously, one or more playback devices in a zone or zone group may be configured to retrieve for playback audio content (e.g. according to a corresponding URI or URL for the audio content) from a variety of available audio content sources. In one example, audio content may be retrieved by a playback device directly from a corresponding audio content source (e.g., a line-in connection). In another example, audio content may be provided to a playback device over a network via one or more other playback devices or network devices.

Example audio content sources may include a memory of one or more playback devices in a media playback system such as the media playback system 200 of FIG. 2, local music libraries on one or more network devices (such as a control device, a network-enabled personal computer, or a networked-attached storage (NAS), for example), streaming audio services providing audio content via the Internet (e.g., the media service servers 135-145), or audio sources connected to the media playback system via a line-in input connection on a playback device or network devise, among other possibilities.

In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added or removed from a media playback system such as the media playback system 200 of FIG. 2. In one example, an indexing of audio items may be performed whenever one or more audio content sources are added, removed or updated. Indexing of audio items may involve scanning for identifiable audio items in all folders/directory shared over a network accessible by playback devices in the media playback system, and generating or updating an audio content database containing metadata (e.g., title, artist, album, track length, among others) and other associated information, such as a URI or URL for each identifiable audio item found. Other examples for managing and maintaining audio content sources may also be possible.

The above discussions relating to playback devices, controller devices, playback zone configurations, and media content sources provide only some examples of operating environments within which functions and methods described below may be implemented. Other operating environments and configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, and network devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicable and suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.

IV. Social-Media Updates Based on Playback Data

As discussed above, examples provided herein are directed to facilitating social-media updates based on playback data.

For method 600 and 800 of FIGS. 6 and 8, and other processes and methods disclosed herein, the flowcharts show functionality and operation of one possible implementation of present embodiments. In this regard, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of program code, which includes one or more instructions executable by a processor for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. The program code may be stored on any type of computer-readable medium, for example, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive. The computer-readable medium may include non-transitory computer-readable medium, for example, such as computer-readable media that stores data for short periods of time like register memory, processor cache and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer-readable medium may also include non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent long term storage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computer-readable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storage systems. The computer-readable medium may be considered a computer-readable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. In addition, for the methods 600 and 800, and other processes and methods disclosed herein, each block in FIGS. 6 and 8 may represent circuitry that is wired to perform the specific logical functions in the process.

Furthermore, although the blocks are illustrated in sequential order, these blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation.

For clarity, the methods may be described herein with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. It should be understood, however, that this is for purposes of example and explanation only and that the operations of the methods should not be limited by these figures.

a. First Example Method to Facilitate Social-Media Updates Based on Playback Data

At block 602, a social-media computing system may receive playback data from a media playback system indicating media that is being played back by the media playback system. The social-media computing system may be, for instance, a single computing device, such as a server, or it may be a collection of devices, such as multiple servers. For the purposes of the examples discussed below, the social-media computing device will be referred to as the social-media server 130 shown in FIG. 1.

The media playback system may be, for instance, the media playback system 200 shown in FIG. 2, although other media playback systems having other configurations are also possible. In some examples, the media playback system 200 may be linked to a social-media account. For instance, as discussed above, the media playback system 200 may correspond to a playback system account that is linked to the social-media account through a media and/or social-media application, or through communications between the social-media server 130 and a media playback server, such as the media playback server 120, among other examples. Accordingly, in some instances the social-media server 130 may, before receiving the playback data, link the social-media account to the media playback system 200.

In this way, certain social-media activities related to the social-media account may affect playback of media by the media playback system 200. For example, social-media “friends” (e.g., subscribers whose accounts are within a social-media network of the linked social-media account) may contribute to a social-media playback queue that the media playback system 200 may access and play media from. Other examples are also possible.

The playback data received by the social-media server 130 may include a variety of information regarding media that is being played back by the media playback system 200. For example, the playback data may include an identification of the media that is being played back, such as a song name, an artist name, an album name, and the like. In some examples, the playback data may include a timestamp corresponding to the played back media. The timestamp may be, for instance, an indication of the time of day that playback of the media began or perhaps ended. Other examples are also possible.

The playback data may also include an indication of at least one zone of the media playback system 200 in which the media is being played back. For example, the playback data may indicate that the media is being played back in a particular zone or zone group of the media playback system 200, such as the Living Room zone or the Kitchen zone.

In some cases, the playback data may additionally or alternatively include an indication of a playback queue in addition to or instead of a single media item. For example, the indication of the playback queue may indicate one or more media items from a playback queue that the media playback system 200 is currently playing back. Such an indication may indicate one or more media items from the playback queue that have yet to be played or that have previously been played or both.

In some examples, where the social-media account is linked with the media playback system 200, the social-media account may have a social-media playback queue linked with the social-media account. The social-media playback queue may be accessible, for example, through a social-media profile or wall or the like of the social-media account. In any event, the indication of the playback queue may include an indication of a social-media playback queue that corresponds to the social-media account. The playback data may include other information pertaining to the social-media account that is linked to the media playback system 200 as well.

In examples, an indication of a social-media playback queue may take the form or otherwise include a selectable link or other network location mechanism that is operable to direct a computing device or a media playback system to the social-media playback queue. In particular, the selectable link may be configured to direct a media playback system to a network storage space that stores the social-media playback queue so that the media playback system may play back media items from the queue. Moreover, the selectable link may also be configured to a direct a computing device (such as any of the computing devices 150-154) to the social-media playback queue so that the computing device may display a visual representation of the social-media playback queue. A user may then use the computing device to contribute to the social-media playback queue. Other examples are also possible.

At block 604, the social-media server 130 may, based on the received playback data, update social-media data in the social-media account. The social-media data may include the subscriber account information or subscriber profile information discussed in the sections above, among other examples.

For instance, updating the social-media data in the social-media account based on the playback data may involve the social-media server 130 updating the subscriber profile, such as a profile picture of the subscriber. For example, the subscriber may designate a specific profile photo for use when playing back media in the media playback system 200, and the social-media server 130 may update the profile photo based on the received playback data. Alternatively, the social-media server 130 may temporarily replace the subscriber's profile photo with album art corresponding to the played back media. As yet another example, the social-media server 130 may modify the subscriber's profile photo to add a banner or other indicia that indicates the playback of media, or to add text overlaid on the profile photo that may indicate the name of the media that is being played back. Other possibilities also exist.

After updating the subscriber profile, the social-media server 130 may provide data representing the updated subscriber profile to facilitate displaying a visual representation of the updated subscriber profile. For instance, the social-media server 130 may provide the data to a computing device, such as the computing device 150 in FIG. 1, that may display a visual representation of the profile via a web browser of social-media application, among other possibilities.

As another example, updating the social-media data in the social-media account may additionally or alternatively involve the social-media server 130 generating a playback message in the social-media account. The playback message may be, for instance, a status indicator, a blog post, a timeline entry, a news feed item, among other messages in the social-media account that the subscriber may post or upload, which may then be communicated over the social network. The generated playback message may include the playback data discussed above, such as a subscriber name, a song identity, a playback queue name, and an indication of the at least one zone in which the media is currently being played back. For example, the social-media server 130 may generate a status indicator for the social-media account that indicates that the subscriber is listening to a given song in a given zone of the subscriber's media playback system 200.

FIG. 7A shows an example of social-media account 700 as it might be at least partially displayed via a web browser or a social-media application on a computing device, such as the computing device 150 shown in FIG. 1. The social-media account 700 may include features such as a menu 701 for navigating to other content in the account 700 and a news feed 702 that may provide information from other subscribers of the social network.

The social-media account 700 may also include a status field 703 where the subscriber may provide a status indicator. In this example, the social-media server 130 has, based on the received playback data, generated a status indicator that includes the playback message 704 “Now listening to Song Name C in the Kitchen.” Further, the social-media account 700 may include playback controls 705 corresponding to the linked media playback system 200.

The news feed 702 of the social-media account 700 may display status updates and other posts from the accounts of the subscriber's “friends” as well as other information that the social-media server 130 determines is relevant to the social-media account 700. For instance, FIG. 7A shows an example post 706 in which the subscriber's “friend” Friend 2 posted a picture to his or her social-media account, which was then displayed in the subscriber's news feed 702.

FIG. 7A also shows an example wherein the subscriber's “friend” Friend 1 is playing back media in a media playback system that is linked to Friend 1's social-media account. The social-media server 130 has generated a status indicator playback message 707 in Friend 1's social-media account. The playback message 707 is then, by virtue of the subscriber and Friend 1 being “friends”, posted in the subscriber's news feed 702. The playback message 707 indicates that “Friend 1 is listening to Song Name A in the Living Room.” Further, the playback message 707 includes an indication of a timestamp 708, here “Time 1”, that may denote the time of day that the media “Song Name A” began playing in the Living Room zone of Friend 1's media playback system (e.g., 11:30 am). Alternatively, the timestamp 707 may indicate how long ago “Song Name A” began playing (e.g., three minutes ago).

In some cases, some or all of the social-media updates to a given social-media account that are based on playback data may be displayed in a separate page or tab of the social-media account. For instance, in an example configuration (not shown) of the social-media account 700, the news feed 702 might not include the playback messages 707 and 709. Rather, the news feed 702 may be limited to other types of messages and posts, such as the post 706. Accordingly, the playback messages may be displayed in a different feed, such as a “What My Friends Are Listening to” feed. Other examples are also possible.

FIG. 7A also shows a playback message 709, “Friend 3 is listening to Playback Queue B in the Office”, that includes an indication of a playback queue as well as a timestamp 710 “Time 3.” For instance, the timestamp 710 may indicate the time at which the most recent media item in the playback queue began playback. In some examples, the playback message 709 may be configured such that a “hover over” input, such as a mouse over or a hovering touch input, over the playback message 709 or a portion thereof may provide additional information. As shown in FIG. 7A, such information may be displayed, for instance, in a pop-up window 711, based on the position of a hovering mouse cursor 712. Here, a portion of the playback message 709, “Playback Queue B”, is underlined, indicating that additional information is available. Other indications that additional information is available are also possible, including different colored text and the like.

The additional information in the pop-up window 711 may include an indication of media items in a playback queue that the media playback system 200 is currently playing. In particular, the information may include media items that have already played or have yet to play or both. In the pop-up window 711, an icon of a speaker next to “Song Name X” indicates that Song Name X is currently being played back in the Office zone of Friend 3's media playback system. Further, “Song Name W” is indicated in italics, which may indicate that Song Name W was previously played back, perhaps just prior to Song Name X. Additionally, pop-up window 711 includes an indication of “Song Name Y” just below the indication of Song Name X, which may indicate that Song Name Y is yet to play in the playback queue, perhaps immediately following Song Name X.

In some examples, the playback message 709 may additionally or alternatively include a selectable link that, when selected, may cause a new window to appear that displays a visualization of the playback queue, which may be a social-media playback queue. Other examples are also possible. Further, it should be understood that the just-discussed information may be displayed independent from any “hover over” or selection input.

Further, minimizing or expanding an additional window to view previously played or yet to be played media might not be limited to playback messages that indicate a playback queue. For example, the playback message 707 shown in FIG. 7A may be configured such that an input as discussed above may show and/or hide additional information regarding the media being played back by Friend 1's media playback system, if such information is available. An input may provide an indication of one or more media items that were most recently played, or upcoming media that is next to play, among other examples.

As media is played back by the media playback system 200, the media may change due to a given song ending, or the subscriber manually changing the media, among other reasons. Thus, in some cases, the social-media server 130 may receive second playback data indicating second media that is being played back by the media playback system 200. Further, the zone in which the second media is played may be different, and therefore the second playback data may include an indication of at least one zone of the media playback system 200 in which the second media is being played back.

Based on the received second data, the social-media server may update the playback message in the social-media account 130. In some cases, it may be desirable to minimize the number of playback messages that are generated by the social-media server 130, so as not to cause an excessive number of playback messages in the social-media account based on every change in the played back media. Therefore, the social-media server 130 may replace one or more of the indications of the media, zone, timestamp, etc. in the generated playback message with an updated indication. In this way, the social-media server 130 may continually update the same playback message as new playback data is received.

FIG. 7B shows another example of the social-media account 700, here shown at a time shortly after that shown in FIG. 7A. The status field 703 includes an updated status indicator that includes the updated playback message 713 “Now listening to Song Name E in the Balcony.” As shown in the playback message 713, the indication of the zone may be updated in addition to the indication of the media.

Further, the playback message 707 in the news feed 702 has been updated and is now shown as updated playback message 714. The indication of the media has been replaced such that the playback message 714 now indicates that “Friend 1 is listening to Song Name D in the Living Room.” The indication of the zone in which the media is being played back has not been updated in this example. However, the playback message 714 also includes an updated indication of a timestamp 715, now indicating “Time 5”, which may indicate the time that Song Name D began playing back.

In some cases, subscribers to the social-media network may comment on, reply to, “like”, or otherwise respond to a given playback message that is posted in the subscriber's respective news feed. Accordingly, the social-media server 130 may receive responsive data that is responsive to a given playback message. The social-media server 130 may then update the playback message based on the received responsive data. As shown in FIG. 7B, an additional message 716 has been appended to the playback message 714 indicating “Friend 4 liked Song Name A at Time 4.” In this way, responses or “likes” may indicate media that was previously played in Friend 1's media playback system, and the corresponding time when Friend 4 made his or her indication.

FIG. 7B also shows an updated playback message 717 indicating that Friend 3 is listening to Playback Queue B. Here, neither the indication of the playback queue nor the indication of the zone has been updated. However, the updated playback message 717 includes an updated timestamp 718, “Time 6”, which may again indicate the time at which the most recent media item in the playback queue began playback. Further, a pop-up window 719 may also be updated to reflect the current song in the queue that is now playing, as well as an updated indication of previous and/or forthcoming media items, as discussed above.

In some examples, the updated playback message 717 and/or the pop-up window 719 may also indicate other updated information regarding the playback queue, including changes to the queue. For example, when displayed, the pop-up window 719 may indicate media items that have been added to or removed from the queue. Other possibilities also exist.

b. Second Example Method to Facilitate Social-Media Updates Based on Playback Data

At block 802, a social-media computing system may receive playback data indicating media that is being played back in a media playback system. As above, the social-media computing system may be a social-media server 130 and the media playback system may be the media playback system 200, although other examples are also possible. The media playback system 200 may further be linked to a social-media account, as also discussed above. Further, the playback data may include a variety of information, including one or more of the indications noted above with respect to method 600. Other examples are also possible.

At block 804, the social-media server 130 may, based on the received playback data, determine one or more advertisements relevant to the social-media account. The one or more advertisements may be determined based on one or more components of the playback data, such as the profile data of a subscriber whose social-media account is linked to the media playback system 200, the time of day the media was played back, the zone or zones in which the media was played back, among other possibilities.

For example, the social-media server 130 may receive playback data indicating that media is being played back in a given zone, such as the Kitchen zone, at a given time, such as the early evening. The social-media server 130 may then determine probable topics or activities that may be relevant to that given zone and time combination, such as, in this example, cooking. Accordingly, the social-media server 130 may determine one or more advertisements related to cooking.

As another example, the social-media server 130 may receive playback data indicating that media from a country music genre is being played back in the Balcony zone of the media playback system 200. The social-media server 130 may then determine one or more advertisements that may be relevant to these indications, such as an advertisement for an outdoor country music concert. Numerous other examples exist for relevant advertisements that may be determined, as well as the playback data on which the determination may be based.

In some cases, the social-media server 130 may determine one or more advertisements based not only on playback data that may be current, but also on previously received playback data, which may include a previous indication of at least one zone of the media playback system 200 in which media was previously played back. For example, the social-media server 130 may store a certain amount of received playback data in memory for use in determining advertisements, such as all playback data received from the media playback system 200 in the preceding year. Alternatively, the playback data may be stored in the media playback system 200 or the media server 120, either or both of which may provide the information to the social-media server 130. In any event, when the social-media server 130 determines one or more advertisements based on received playback data, it may do so based also on some or all of the previous playback data, including previous indications of the zone(s) in which media was played back.

For instance, the social-media server 130 may base the determination of advertisements in part on a frequency at which media is played in a given zone over a period of time. The social-media server 130 may further determine correlations between aspects of the previous playback data and information in a subscriber's social-media account, including the subscriber's profile. The social-media server 130 may then based the determination of advertisements in part on the determined correlations. Other examples for how the social-media server 130 may analyze and/or utilize the playback data are also possible.

At block 806, the social-media server 130 may transmit, to a computing device affiliated with the social-media account, the determined one or more advertisements to facilitate displaying the one or more advertisements on a visual representation of the social-media account. The computing device may be, for example, the computing device 150 shown in FIG. 1 having a web browser capable of displaying a visual representation of the social-media account via a webpage. The computing device 150 may also include a social-media application for displaying a visual representation of the social-media account within the application. Examples of a visual representation of the social-media account 700, as they may be displayed on the computing device 150, are shown in FIGS. 7A-7B.

In both methods 600 and 800, the social-media server 130 receives playback data, at blocks 602 and 802, respectively, including an indication of at least one zone of the media playback system in which the media is being played back. In some cases, determining the one or more advertisements at block 804 and transmitting the determined one or more advertisements to facilitate their display on the social-media account at 806 may be included as additional blocks in the method 600, and may occur in addition to the social-media 130 updating social-media data as discussed above at block 604.

In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the social-media server 130 has received playback data indicating media that is being played back by the media playback system 200, and has updated the subscriber's social-media data by generating a playback message 704 in the status field 703 of the social-media account 700. Further, the social-media server 130 has determined an advertisement 720 relevant to the social-media account 700 based on the playback data, and has transmitted the advertisement 718, “Advertisement 1”, to the computing device 150 for display on the visual representation of the social-media account 700.

In FIG. 7B, the social-media server 130 has received second playback data indicating second media that is being played back in a different zone of the media playback system 200. In addition to generating the updated playback message 709, the social-media server 130 has determined an advertisement 721 relevant to the second playback data and has transmitted the advertisement 721, “Advertisement 2”, to the computing device 150 for display on the visual representation of the social-media account 700.

It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that this disclosure includes numerous other embodiments. While some examples described herein may refer to functions performed by given actors such as “users”, “subscribers”, and/or other entities, it should be understood that this is for purposes of explanation only. The claims should not be interpreted to require action by any such example actor unless explicitly required by the language of the claims themselves.

VI. Conclusion

The description above discloses, among other things, various example systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including, among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware. It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or components can be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the only way(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of an invention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined with other embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrative environments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble the operations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These process descriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is understood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the forgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at least one example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible, non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the software and/or firmware.

Claims

1. A social-media computing system comprising: a processor;a network interface;a non-transitory computer-readable medium; andprogram instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: receive first playback data indicating first media that is being played back by a media playback system from a media source, wherein the social-media computing system, the media playback system, and the media source are mutually distinct, and wherein the first playback data comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the first media is being played back, wherein the indication of the at least one playback zone indicates a location, in the media playback system, of at least one playback device that is playing back the first media;based on the received first playback data, generate a playback message in a first social-media account for display on a visual representation of the first social-media account, wherein the playback message comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the first media is being played back;causing a computing device associated with a second social-media account to display the playback message on a visual representation of the second social-media account, wherein the computing device associated with the second social-media account is in communication with neither the media playback system nor the media source;receive second playback data indicating second media that is being played back by the media playback system from the media source, wherein the second playback data comprises i) an indication of the second media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the second media is being played back; andbased on the received second playback data, causing the computing device associated with the second social-media account to replace the identification of the first media being played back with the identification of the second media being played back.
2. The social-media computing system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: based on the received first playback data indicating the first media, determine one or more advertisements relevant to the first social-media account; andtransmit, to a computing device affiliated with the first social-media account, the one or more advertisements to facilitate displaying the advertisement on a visual representation of the first social-media account.
3. The social-media computing system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: based on the received second playback data, replace the indication of the at least one playback zone in which the first media is being played back with an updated indication of the at least one playback zone in which the second media is being played back.
4. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the first social-media account is linked to the media playback system.
5. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the first playback data comprises a timestamp corresponding to the played back first media, and wherein the playback message in the second social-media account further comprises an indication of the timestamp.
6. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the first social-media account comprises a subscriber profile, and wherein the social-media computing system further comprises program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the social-media computing system to: based on the received first playback data, update the subscriber profile; andprovide data representing the updated subscriber profile to facilitate displaying a visual representation of the subscriber profile.
7. The social-media computing system of claim 6, wherein updating the subscriber profile comprises updating a profile picture.
8. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the playback message further comprises an indication of a playback queue associated with the at least one playback zone.
9. The social-media computing system of claim 8, wherein the indication of the playback queue associated with the at least one playback zone comprises an identification of at least one media item from the playback queue.
10. The social-media computing system of claim 9, wherein the at least one media item from the playback queue comprises one of a media item that has yet to be played back or a media item that has previously been played back.
11. The social-media computing system of claim 8, wherein the first social-media account is linked with the media playback system, and wherein the indication of the playback queue associated with the at least one playback zone comprises an indication of a social-media playback queue corresponding to the first social-media account.
12. The social-media computing system of claim 11, wherein the indication of the social-media playback queue comprises a selectable link operable to direct the computing device associated with the second social-media account to the social-media playback queue.
13. A method comprising: receiving, by a social-media computing system from a media playback system, first playback data indicating first media that is being played back by the media playback system from a media source, wherein the social-media computing system, the media playback system, and the media source are mutually distinct, and wherein the first playback data comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of at least one playback back zone of the media playback system in which the media is being played back, wherein the indication of the at least one playback zone indicates a location, in the media playback system, of at least one playback device that is playing back the media;based on the received first playback data, generate a playback message in a first social-media account for display on a visual representation of the first social-media account, wherein the playback message comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the first media is being played back;causing a computing device associated with a second social-media account to display the playback message on a visual representation of the second social-media account, wherein the computing device associated with the second social-media account is in communication with neither the media playback system nor the media source;receiving second playback data indicating second media that is being played back by the media playback system from the media source, wherein the second playback data comprises i) an identification of the second media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the second media is being played back; andbased on the received second playback data, causing the computing device associated with the second social-media account to replace the identification of the first media being played back with the identification of the second media being played back.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: based on the received first playback data indicating the first media, determining one or more advertisements relevant to the first social-media account; andtransmitting, to a computing device affiliated with the first social-media account, the one or more advertisements to facilitate displaying the advertisement on a visual representation of the first social-media account.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: based on the received second playback data, replacing the indication of the at least one playback zone in which the first media is being played back with an updated indication of the at least one playback zone in which the second media is being played back.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first social-media account comprises a subscriber profile, the method further comprising: based on the received first playback data, updating the subscriber profile, wherein updating the subscriber profile comprises updating a profile picture; andproviding data representing the updated subscriber profile to facilitate displaying a visual representation of the subscriber profile.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the playback message further comprises an indication of a playback queue associated with the at least one playback zone.
18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a social-media computing system to perform functions comprising: receiving, from a media playback system, first playback data indicating first media that is being played back by the media playback system from a media source, wherein the social-media computing system, the media playback system, and the media source are mutually distinct, and wherein the first playback data comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the media is being played back, wherein the indication of the at least one playback zone indicates a location, in the media playback system, of at least one playback device that is playing back the media;based on the received first playback data, generate a playback message in a first social-media account for display on a visual representation of the first social-media account, wherein the playback message comprises i) an identification of the first media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the first media is being played back;causing a computing device associated with a second social-media account to display the playback message on a visual representation of the second social-media account, wherein the computing device associated with the second social-media account is in communication with neither the media playback system nor the media source;receiving second playback data indicating second media that is being played back by the media playback system from the media source, wherein the second playback data comprises i) an identification of the second media being played back and ii) an indication of the at least one playback zone of the media playback system in which the second media is being played back; andbased on the received second playback data, causing the computing device associated with the second social-media account to replace the identification of the first media being played back with the identification of the second media being played back.
19. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the second social-media account is linked to neither the media playback system nor the media source.
20. The social-media computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device associated with the second social-media account lacks credentials for accessing both the media playback system and the media source.

US Referenced Citations (479)

Number	Name	Date	Kind
4296278	Cullison et al.	Oct 1981	A
4816989	Finn et al.	Mar 1989	A
5182552	Paynting	Jan 1993	A
5239458	Suzuki	Aug 1993	A
5299266	Lumsden	Mar 1994	A
5406634	Anderson et al.	Apr 1995	A
5440644	Farinelli et al.	Aug 1995	A
5467342	Logston et al.	Nov 1995	A
5491839	Schotz	Feb 1996	A
5553222	Milne et al.	Sep 1996	A
5563946	Cooper et al.	Oct 1996	A
5668884	Clair, Jr. et al.	Sep 1997	A
5673323	Schotz et al.	Sep 1997	A
5751819	Dorrough	May 1998	A
5761320	Farinelli et al.	Jun 1998	A
5774666	Portuesi	Jun 1998	A
5808662	Kinney et al.	Sep 1998	A
5815689	Shaw et al.	Sep 1998	A
5856827	Sudo	Jan 1999	A
5867691	Shiraishi	Feb 1999	A
5875354	Charlton et al.	Feb 1999	A
5887143	Saito et al.	Mar 1999	A
5923902	Inagaki	Jul 1999	A
5946343	Schotz et al.	Aug 1999	A
5956088	Shen et al.	Sep 1999	A
6002862	Takaike	Dec 1999	A
6009457	Moller	Dec 1999	A
6026150	Frank et al.	Feb 2000	A
6031818	Lo et al.	Feb 2000	A
6032202	Lea et al.	Feb 2000	A
6108686	Williams, Jr.	Aug 2000	A
6128318	Sato	Oct 2000	A
6157957	Berthaud	Dec 2000	A
6175872	Neumann et al.	Jan 2001	B1
6181316	Little et al.	Jan 2001	B1
6185737	Northcutt et al.	Feb 2001	B1
6195436	Scibora et al.	Feb 2001	B1
6199169	Voth	Mar 2001	B1
6255961	Van Ryzin et al.	Jul 2001	B1
6256554	Dilorenzo	Jul 2001	B1
6308207	Tseng et al.	Oct 2001	B1
6324586	Johnson	Nov 2001	B1
6332147	Moran et al.	Dec 2001	B1
6349339	Williams	Feb 2002	B1
6351821	Voth	Feb 2002	B1
6404811	Cvetko et al.	Jun 2002	B1
6430353	Honda et al.	Aug 2002	B1
6469633	Wachter	Oct 2002	B1
6487296	Allen et al.	Nov 2002	B1
6522886	Youngs et al.	Feb 2003	B1
6526325	Sussman et al.	Feb 2003	B1
6587127	Leeke et al.	Jul 2003	B1
6594691	McCollum et al.	Jul 2003	B1
6598172	Vandeusen et al.	Jul 2003	B1
6611537	Edens et al.	Aug 2003	B1
6631410	Kowalski et al.	Oct 2003	B1
6674803	Kesselring	Jan 2004	B1
6728531	Lee et al.	Apr 2004	B1
6732155	Meek	May 2004	B2
6757517	Chang	Jun 2004	B2
6778869	Champion	Aug 2004	B2
6826283	Wheeler et al.	Nov 2004	B1
6836788	Kim et al.	Dec 2004	B2
6898642	Chafle et al.	May 2005	B2
6912610	Spencer	Jun 2005	B2
6920373	Xi et al.	Jul 2005	B2
6934766	Russell	Aug 2005	B1
6985694	De et al.	Jan 2006	B1
7007106	Flood et al.	Feb 2006	B1
7017118	Carroll	Mar 2006	B1
7020048	McComas	Mar 2006	B2
7020791	Aweya et al.	Mar 2006	B1
7043651	Aweya et al.	May 2006	B2
7047308	Deshpande	May 2006	B2
7113833	Brown et al.	Sep 2006	B1
7113999	Pestoni et al.	Sep 2006	B2
7115017	Laursen et al.	Oct 2006	B1
7117451	Sielken	Oct 2006	B2
7124125	Cook et al.	Oct 2006	B2
7130608	Hollstrom et al.	Oct 2006	B2
7130616	Janik	Oct 2006	B2
7143141	Morgan et al.	Nov 2006	B1
7143939	Henzerling	Dec 2006	B2
7162315	Gilbert	Jan 2007	B2
7185090	Kowalski et al.	Feb 2007	B2
7187947	White et al.	Mar 2007	B1
7206367	Moore	Apr 2007	B1
7209795	Sullivan et al.	Apr 2007	B2
7218708	Berezowski et al.	May 2007	B2
7236739	Chang	Jun 2007	B2
7236773	Thomas	Jun 2007	B2
7281034	Eyal	Oct 2007	B1
7293060	Komsi	Nov 2007	B2
7295548	Blank et al.	Nov 2007	B2
7302468	Wijeratne	Nov 2007	B2
7312785	Tsuk et al.	Dec 2007	B2
7324857	Goddard	Jan 2008	B2
7333519	Sullivan et al.	Feb 2008	B2
7358960	Mak	Apr 2008	B2
7372846	Zwack	May 2008	B2
7391791	Balassanian et al.	Jun 2008	B2
7392102	Sullivan et al.	Jun 2008	B2
7483538	McCarty et al.	Jan 2009	B2
7483958	Elabbady et al.	Jan 2009	B1
7496623	Szeto et al.	Feb 2009	B2
7496633	Szeto et al.	Feb 2009	B2
7571014	Lambourne et al.	Aug 2009	B1
7574274	Holmes	Aug 2009	B2
7599685	Goldberg et al.	Oct 2009	B2
7630501	Blank et al.	Dec 2009	B2
7643894	Braithwaite et al.	Jan 2010	B2
7657224	Goldberg et al.	Feb 2010	B2
7657644	Zheng	Feb 2010	B1
7657910	McAulay et al.	Feb 2010	B1
7668990	Krzyzanowski et al.	Feb 2010	B2
7669219	Scott	Feb 2010	B2
7675943	Mosig et al.	Mar 2010	B2
7676142	Hung	Mar 2010	B1
7702279	Ko et al.	Apr 2010	B2
7720096	Klemets	May 2010	B2
7725533	Szeto et al.	May 2010	B2
7725551	Szeto et al.	May 2010	B2
7739271	Cook et al.	Jun 2010	B2
7742740	Goldberg et al.	Jun 2010	B2
7788138	Viehmann et al.	Aug 2010	B2
7805682	Lambourne	Sep 2010	B1
7835689	Goldberg et al.	Nov 2010	B2
7853341	McCarty et al.	Dec 2010	B2
7865137	Goldberg et al.	Jan 2011	B2
7885622	Krampf et al.	Feb 2011	B2
7916877	Goldberg et al.	Mar 2011	B2
7917082	Goldberg et al.	Mar 2011	B2
7921369	Bill	Apr 2011	B2
7934239	Dagman	Apr 2011	B1
7987294	Bryce et al.	Jul 2011	B2
7996566	Sylvain et al.	Aug 2011	B1
8014423	Thaler et al.	Sep 2011	B2
8023663	Goldberg	Sep 2011	B2
8028038	Weel	Sep 2011	B2
8028323	Weel	Sep 2011	B2
8045952	Qureshey et al.	Oct 2011	B2
8050652	Qureshey et al.	Nov 2011	B2
8074253	Nathan	Dec 2011	B1
8086752	Millington et al.	Dec 2011	B2
8103009	McCarty et al.	Jan 2012	B2
8112032	Ko et al.	Feb 2012	B2
8131390	Braithwaite et al.	Mar 2012	B2
8169938	Duchscher et al.	May 2012	B2
8200602	Farrelly	Jun 2012	B2
8214873	Weel	Jul 2012	B2
8230099	Weel	Jul 2012	B2
8234395	Millington	Jul 2012	B2
8271115	Yoshida	Sep 2012	B2
8290603	Lambourne	Oct 2012	B1
8315555	Ko et al.	Nov 2012	B2
8370678	Millington et al.	Feb 2013	B2
8423659	Millington	Apr 2013	B2
8483853	Lambourne	Jul 2013	B1
8521316	Louboutin	Aug 2013	B2
8588949	Lambourne et al.	Nov 2013	B2
8613385	Hulet	Dec 2013	B1
8666826	Narayanan et al.	Mar 2014	B2
8775546	Millington	Jul 2014	B2
8826135	Durham	Sep 2014	B1
8843500	Nogues	Sep 2014	B2
8892648	Durham et al.	Nov 2014	B1
8942252	Balassanian et al.	Jan 2015	B2
8990701	Olofsson	Mar 2015	B2
9052810	Reimann et al.	Jun 2015	B2
9137564	Reimann	Sep 2015	B2
9165255	Shetty et al.	Oct 2015	B1
9229938	Jaini et al.	Jan 2016	B1
9246866	Sanders	Jan 2016	B1
9247363	Triplett et al.	Jan 2016	B2
9344292	Griffiths	May 2016	B2
9489383	Hyman et al.	Nov 2016	B2
9510055	Kuper et al.	Nov 2016	B2
9696874	Kulick et al.	Jul 2017	B2
9715500	Cue et al.	Jul 2017	B2
9727219	Kumar et al.	Aug 2017	B2
9756092	Zhang	Sep 2017	B2
9942335	Schneider et al.	Apr 2018	B2
10032233	Papakipos et al.	Jul 2018	B2
20010009604	Ando et al.	Jul 2001	A1
20010022823	Renaud	Sep 2001	A1
20010032188	Miyabe et al.	Oct 2001	A1
20010042107	Palm	Nov 2001	A1
20020002039	Qureshey et al.	Jan 2002	A1
20020002562	Moran et al.	Jan 2002	A1
20020003548	Krusche et al.	Jan 2002	A1
20020022453	Balog et al.	Feb 2002	A1
20020026442	Lipscomb et al.	Feb 2002	A1
20020034374	Barton	Mar 2002	A1
20020042844	Chiazzese	Apr 2002	A1
20020049843	Barone et al.	Apr 2002	A1
20020054134	Kelts	May 2002	A1
20020056117	Hasegawa et al.	May 2002	A1
20020065926	Hackney et al.	May 2002	A1
20020072816	Shdema et al.	Jun 2002	A1
20020073228	Cognet et al.	Jun 2002	A1
20020090914	Kang et al.	Jul 2002	A1
20020093478	Yeh	Jul 2002	A1
20020109710	Holtz et al.	Aug 2002	A1
20020112244	Liou et al.	Aug 2002	A1
20020116476	Eyal et al.	Aug 2002	A1
20020124097	Isely et al.	Sep 2002	A1
20020129156	Yoshikawa	Sep 2002	A1
20020143998	Rajagopal et al.	Oct 2002	A1
20020163361	Parkin	Nov 2002	A1
20020165921	Sapieyevski	Nov 2002	A1
20020178191	Sielken	Nov 2002	A1
20020188762	Tomassetti et al.	Dec 2002	A1
20030002609	Faller et al.	Jan 2003	A1
20030020763	Mayer et al.	Jan 2003	A1
20030023741	Tomassetti et al.	Jan 2003	A1
20030035444	Zwack	Feb 2003	A1
20030041173	Hoyle	Feb 2003	A1
20030041174	Wen et al.	Feb 2003	A1
20030043924	Haddad et al.	Mar 2003	A1
20030066094	van der Schaar et al.	Apr 2003	A1
20030088875	Gay et al.	May 2003	A1
20030099212	Anjum et al.	May 2003	A1
20030099221	Rhee	May 2003	A1
20030105820	Haims et al.	Jun 2003	A1
20030126211	Anttila et al.	Jul 2003	A1
20030157951	Hasty	Aug 2003	A1
20030195964	Mane	Oct 2003	A1
20030198257	Sullivan et al.	Oct 2003	A1
20030210796	McCarty et al.	Nov 2003	A1
20030220973	Zhu et al.	Nov 2003	A1
20030231871	Ushimaru	Dec 2003	A1
20030235304	Evans et al.	Dec 2003	A1
20040001484	Ozguner	Jan 2004	A1
20040001591	Mani et al.	Jan 2004	A1
20040008852	Also et al.	Jan 2004	A1
20040010727	Fujinami	Jan 2004	A1
20040015252	Aiso et al.	Jan 2004	A1
20040024478	Hans et al.	Feb 2004	A1
20040024925	Cypher et al.	Feb 2004	A1
20040025185	Goci et al.	Feb 2004	A1
20040027166	Mangum et al.	Feb 2004	A1
20040032348	Lai et al.	Feb 2004	A1
20040066736	Kroeger	Apr 2004	A1
20040075767	Neuman et al.	Apr 2004	A1
20040078383	Mercer et al.	Apr 2004	A1
20040078812	Calvert	Apr 2004	A1
20040088328	Cook et al.	May 2004	A1
20040131192	Metcalf	Jul 2004	A1
20040170383	Mazur	Sep 2004	A1
20040203378	Powers	Oct 2004	A1
20040215611	Jawa et al.	Oct 2004	A1
20040249965	Huggins et al.	Dec 2004	A1
20040249982	Arnold et al.	Dec 2004	A1
20040252400	Blank et al.	Dec 2004	A1
20040261040	Radcliffe et al.	Dec 2004	A1
20050010691	Oyadomari et al.	Jan 2005	A1
20050013394	Rausch et al.	Jan 2005	A1
20050021590	Debique et al.	Jan 2005	A1
20050047605	Lee et al.	Mar 2005	A1
20050058149	Howe	Mar 2005	A1
20050081213	Suzuoki et al.	Apr 2005	A1
20050108320	Lord et al.	May 2005	A1
20050114538	Rose	May 2005	A1
20050125357	Saadat et al.	Jun 2005	A1
20050155072	Kaczowka et al.	Jul 2005	A1
20050166157	Ollis et al.	Jul 2005	A1
20050166258	Vasilevsky et al.	Jul 2005	A1
20050177643	Xu	Aug 2005	A1
20050181348	Carey et al.	Aug 2005	A1
20050195205	Abrams	Sep 2005	A1
20050201254	Looney et al.	Sep 2005	A1
20050234875	Auerbach et al.	Oct 2005	A1
20050281255	Davies et al.	Dec 2005	A1
20050283820	Richards et al.	Dec 2005	A1
20050288805	Moore et al.	Dec 2005	A1
20050289224	Deslippe et al.	Dec 2005	A1
20060095516	Wijeratne	May 2006	A1
20060107237	Kim	May 2006	A1
20060119497	Miller et al.	Jun 2006	A1
20060143236	Wu	Jun 2006	A1
20060168340	Heller et al.	Jul 2006	A1
20060195462	Rogers	Aug 2006	A1
20060195479	Spiegelman et al.	Aug 2006	A1
20060195480	Spiegelman et al.	Aug 2006	A1
20060253436	Cook et al.	Nov 2006	A1
20060253782	Stark et al.	Nov 2006	A1
20060294074	Chang	Dec 2006	A1
20070033402	Williams et al.	Feb 2007	A1
20070038999	Millington et al.	Feb 2007	A1
20070043847	Carter et al.	Feb 2007	A1
20070048713	Plastina et al.	Mar 2007	A1
20070049256	Wassingbo	Mar 2007	A1
20070054680	Mo et al.	Mar 2007	A1
20070088747	Cheng et al.	Apr 2007	A1
20070136778	Birger et al.	Jun 2007	A1
20070142022	Madonna et al.	Jun 2007	A1
20070142944	Goldberg et al.	Jun 2007	A1
20070143493	Mullig et al.	Jun 2007	A1
20070169115	Ko et al.	Jul 2007	A1
20070180137	Rajapakse	Aug 2007	A1
20070214182	Rosenberg	Sep 2007	A1
20070224937	Jung et al.	Sep 2007	A1
20070271232	Mattox	Nov 2007	A1
20070271388	Bowra et al.	Nov 2007	A1
20070288470	Kauniskangas et al.	Dec 2007	A1
20070294131	Roman et al.	Dec 2007	A1
20070299778	Haveson et al.	Dec 2007	A1
20080005690	Van Vugt	Jan 2008	A1
20080016465	Foxenland	Jan 2008	A1
20080022320	Ver Steeg	Jan 2008	A1
20080052371	Partovi et al.	Feb 2008	A1
20080059510	Cardamore et al.	Mar 2008	A1
20080077261	Baudino et al.	Mar 2008	A1
20080086368	Bauman	Apr 2008	A1
20080091771	Allen et al.	Apr 2008	A1
20080109529	Story	May 2008	A1
20080120429	Millington et al.	May 2008	A1
20080144861	Melanson et al.	Jun 2008	A1
20080152165	Zacchi	Jun 2008	A1
20080154959	Dunko	Jun 2008	A1
20080194276	Lin et al.	Aug 2008	A1
20080301280	Chasen et al.	Dec 2008	A1
20080319833	Svendsen	Dec 2008	A1
20090005893	Sugii et al.	Jan 2009	A1
20090031336	Chavez et al.	Jan 2009	A1
20090041423	Weber et al.	Feb 2009	A1
20090063414	White et al.	Mar 2009	A1
20090076881	Svendsen	Mar 2009	A1
20090076917	Jablokov et al.	Mar 2009	A1
20090083117	Svendsen et al.	Mar 2009	A1
20090133069	Conness et al.	May 2009	A1
20090150806	Evje et al.	Jun 2009	A1
20090157905	Davis	Jun 2009	A1
20090175429	Cohen et al.	Jul 2009	A1
20090179867	Shim	Jul 2009	A1
20090222115	Malcolm et al.	Sep 2009	A1
20090228919	Zott et al.	Sep 2009	A1
20090249222	Schmidt et al.	Oct 2009	A1
20090265426	Svendsen et al.	Oct 2009	A1
20090307062	Lutnick et al.	Dec 2009	A1
20090313369	Wormington et al.	Dec 2009	A1
20100010648	Bull et al.	Jan 2010	A1
20100017366	Robertson et al.	Jan 2010	A1
20100017714	Agarwal et al.	Jan 2010	A1
20100023578	Brant et al.	Jan 2010	A1
20100031366	Knight et al.	Feb 2010	A1
20100036950	Bae et al.	Feb 2010	A1
20100049835	Ko et al.	Feb 2010	A1
20100054275	Noonan et al.	Mar 2010	A1
20100082731	Haughay et al.	Apr 2010	A1
20100094834	Svendsen	Apr 2010	A1
20100095332	Gran et al.	Apr 2010	A1
20100131567	Dorogusker et al.	May 2010	A1
20100162324	Mehta et al.	Jun 2010	A1
20100205222	Gajdos et al.	Aug 2010	A1
20100228740	Cannistraro	Sep 2010	A1
20100262909	Hsieh	Oct 2010	A1
20100284389	Ramsay et al.	Nov 2010	A1
20100299391	Demarta et al.	Nov 2010	A1
20100299639	Ramsay et al.	Nov 2010	A1
20100318917	Holladay et al.	Dec 2010	A1
20100325218	Castro et al.	Dec 2010	A1
20100332326	Ishai	Dec 2010	A1
20110004330	Rothkopf et al.	Jan 2011	A1
20110041080	Fleischman et al.	Feb 2011	A1
20110066941	Chipchase et al.	Mar 2011	A1
20110066943	Brillon et al.	Mar 2011	A1
20110087842	Lu et al.	Apr 2011	A1
20110119706	Scott et al.	May 2011	A1
20110154173	Herlein	Jun 2011	A1
20110196888	Hanson et al.	Aug 2011	A1
20110202430	Narayanan et al.	Aug 2011	A1
20110202842	Weatherly et al.	Aug 2011	A1
20110211534	Schmidt et al.	Sep 2011	A1
20110225417	Maharajh et al.	Sep 2011	A1
20110238755	Khan	Sep 2011	A1
20110246383	Gibson	Oct 2011	A1
20110264732	Robbin et al.	Oct 2011	A1
20110314388	Wheatley	Dec 2011	A1
20120029671	Millington et al.	Feb 2012	A1
20120030366	Collart et al.	Feb 2012	A1
20120054278	Taleb et al.	Mar 2012	A1
20120060046	Millington	Mar 2012	A1
20120071996	Svendsen	Mar 2012	A1
20120096526	Brahmanapalli et al.	Apr 2012	A1
20120117168	Sugiyama et al.	May 2012	A1
20120117185	Cassidy	May 2012	A1
20120117586	McCoy et al.	May 2012	A1
20120124176	Curtis et al.	May 2012	A1
20120129446	Ko et al.	May 2012	A1
20120151320	McClements, IV	Jun 2012	A1
20120158531	Dion et al.	Jun 2012	A1
20120159393	Sethi et al.	Jun 2012	A1
20120206623	Nakama	Aug 2012	A1
20120210205	Sherwood et al.	Aug 2012	A1
20120221951	Kidron	Aug 2012	A1
20120223639	Baeumges et al.	Sep 2012	A1
20120233067	Matthew et al.	Sep 2012	A1
20120233639	Zott et al.	Sep 2012	A1
20120272156	Kerger et al.	Oct 2012	A1
20120284423	Weel	Nov 2012	A1
20120311635	Mushkatblat	Dec 2012	A1
20120315884	Forutanpour et al.	Dec 2012	A1
20120331386	Hicken et al.	Dec 2012	A1
20130007617	MacKenzie	Jan 2013	A1
20130024880	Moloney-Egnatios	Jan 2013	A1
20130031162	Willis et al.	Jan 2013	A1
20130061296	Reddy et al.	Mar 2013	A1
20130070093	Rivera et al.	Mar 2013	A1
20130073584	Kuper et al.	Mar 2013	A1
20130080599	Ko et al.	Mar 2013	A1
20130080955	Reimann	Mar 2013	A1
20130081110	McGowan	Mar 2013	A1
20130094670	Millington	Apr 2013	A1
20130128038	Cok et al.	May 2013	A1
20130129232	Cok et al.	May 2013	A1
20130130729	Cok et al.	May 2013	A1
20130159858	Joffray	Jun 2013	A1
20130166649	Atzmon et al.	Jun 2013	A1
20130173034	Reimann	Jul 2013	A1
20130173531	Rinearson et al.	Jul 2013	A1
20130174204	Coburn, IV et al.	Jul 2013	A1
20130191454	Oliver	Jul 2013	A1
20130191749	Coburn, IV	Jul 2013	A1
20130198633	Hyman	Aug 2013	A1
20130221951	Anderson	Aug 2013	A1
20130246522	Bilinski et al.	Sep 2013	A1
20130246916	Reimann et al.	Sep 2013	A1
20130254207	Coburn, IV et al.	Sep 2013	A1
20130254663	Bates et al.	Sep 2013	A1
20130297686	Bilinski et al.	Nov 2013	A1
20130310316	Hellstrom et al.	Nov 2013	A1
20130339397	Herasymchuk	Dec 2013	A1
20130343567	Triplett et al.	Dec 2013	A1
20130346859	Bates et al.	Dec 2013	A1
20140025688	Andler et al.	Jan 2014	A1
20140047074	Chung et al.	Feb 2014	A1
20140052770	Gran et al.	Feb 2014	A1
20140059431	Svendsen	Feb 2014	A1
20140075308	Sanders et al.	Mar 2014	A1
20140075316	Li	Mar 2014	A1
20140081796	Cohen	Mar 2014	A1
20140093219	Trivedi	Apr 2014	A1
20140096219	Lang et al.	Apr 2014	A1
20140108528	Papakipos et al.	Apr 2014	A1
20140115061	Reddy et al.	Apr 2014	A1
20140122590	Svendsen	May 2014	A1
20140181655	Kumar et al.	Jun 2014	A1
20140201197	Kumar et al.	Jul 2014	A1
20140201632	Kunigita	Jul 2014	A1
20140204076	Kuper et al.	Jul 2014	A1
20140208205	Bartholomew	Jul 2014	A1
20140223099	Kidron	Aug 2014	A1
20140237361	Martin et al.	Aug 2014	A1
20140244863	Bradley et al.	Aug 2014	A1
20140310058	Aral et al.	Oct 2014	A1
20140310779	Lof et al.	Oct 2014	A1
20140330951	Sukoff et al.	Nov 2014	A1
20140337959	Garmark et al.	Nov 2014	A1
20140341528	Mahate et al.	Nov 2014	A1
20150046458	Hu	Feb 2015	A1
20150066892	Astore	Mar 2015	A1
20150067054	Yoo et al.	Mar 2015	A1
20150067871	Commons et al.	Mar 2015	A1
20150074534	Didomenico	Mar 2015	A1
20150095680	Gossain et al.	Apr 2015	A1
20150113058	Zhang et al.	Apr 2015	A1
20150121220	Lee	Apr 2015	A1
20150128162	Ionescu	May 2015	A1
20150185599	Mullins	Jul 2015	A1
20150186110	Kannan	Jul 2015	A1
20150220498	Munoz et al.	Aug 2015	A1
20150286360	Wachter	Oct 2015	A1
20160063011	Wehbi	Mar 2016	A1
20160082348	Kehoe	Mar 2016	A1
20160180248	Regan	Jun 2016	A1
20160253145	Lee et al.	Sep 2016	A1
20170169522	Hyman et al.	Jun 2017	A1
20170236512	Williams et al.	Aug 2017	A1

Foreign Referenced Citations (43)

Number	Date	Country
101410773	Apr 2009	CN
101714156	May 2010	CN
102947827	Feb 2013	CN
104126309	Oct 2014	CN
0251584	Jan 1988	EP
0672985	Sep 1995	EP
1111527	Jun 2001	EP
1389853	Feb 2004	EP
2004354721	Dec 2004	JP
2007520808	Jul 2007	JP
2009540638	Nov 2009	JP
2010141748	Jun 2010	JP
2011128957	Jun 2011	JP
2011223124	Nov 2011	JP
20010090215	Oct 2001	KR
20050051785	Jun 2005	KR
1020070040592	Apr 2007	KR
20070048922	May 2007	KR
100890993	Mar 2009	KR
20100060498	Jun 2010	KR
20100071724	Jun 2010	KR
20100134164	Dec 2010	KR
20110064635	Jun 2011	KR
20130083012	Jul 2013	KR
199525313	Sep 1995	WO
199961985	Dec 1999	WO
200147248	Jun 2001	WO
0153994	Jul 2001	WO
2002052540	Jul 2002	WO
02052540	Jul 2003	WO
2003093950	Nov 2003	WO
2005013047	Feb 2005	WO
2005079071	Aug 2005	WO
2007023120	Mar 2007	WO
2010018429	Feb 2010	WO
2011100264	Nov 2011	WO
2011157891	Dec 2011	WO
2012056326	May 2012	WO
2012106269	Aug 2012	WO
2013139239	Sep 2013	WO
2014004181	Jan 2014	WO
2014116693	Jul 2014	WO
2014145746	Sep 2014	WO

Non-Patent Literature Citations (177)

Entry
“AudioTron Quick Start Guide, Version 1.0”, Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc., Mar. 2001, 24 pages.
“AudioTron Reference Manual, Version 3.0”, Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc., May 2002, 70 pages.
“AudioTron Setup Guide, Version 3.0”, Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc., May 2002, 38 pages.
“Bluetooth. “Specification of the Bluetooth System: The ad hoc SCATTERNET for affordable and highly functional wireless connectivity” Core, Version 1.0 A, Jul. 26, 1999, 1068 pages.”
“Bluetooth. “Specification of the Bluetooth System: Wireless connections made easy” Core, Version 1.0 B, Dec. 1, 1999, 1076 pages.”
Buskirk; Eliot Van., “Music Needs ‘Connective Tissue’ and Facebook Wants to Build it”, Evolver-1m, http://evolver.fm/2011/09/01/music-needs-connective-tissue-and-facebook-wants-to-build-iti, Sep. 1, 2011, 6 pages.
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. US201314042160, filed on Sep. 30, 2013.
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. US201414263729, filed on Apr. 28, 2014.
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. US201414263743, filed on Apr. 28, 2014.
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. US201414263750, filed on Apr. 28, 2014.
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. US201414263777, filed on Apr. 28, 2014.
“Dell, Inc. “Dell Digital Audio Receiver: Reference Guide” Jun. 2000, 70 pages.”
“Dell, Inc. “Start Here” Jun. 2000, 2 pages”.
“International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written Opinion, issued by the International Searching Authority in connection with International patent application No. PCT/US2012/056467 dated Apr. 3, 2014, 11 pages.”
“International Search Report for Application No. PCT/US2012/056467, dated Feb. 28, 2013”.
Jo J., et al., “Synchronized One-to-many Media Streaming with Adaptive Playout Control,” Proceedings of SPIE, 2002, vol. 4861, pp. 71-82.
“Jones, Stephen. “Dell Digital Audio Receiver: Digital upgrade for your analog stereo” Analog Stereo. Jun. 24, 2000 <http://www.reviewsonline.com/articles/961906864.htm> retrieved Jun. 18, 2014, 2 pages.”
“Louderback, Jim. “Affordable Audio Receiver Furnishes Homes With MP3” TechTV Vault. Jun. 28, 2000 <http://www.g4tv.com/articles/17923/affordable-audio-receiver-furnishes-homes-with-mp3/> retrieved Jul. 10, 2014, 2 pages”.
“Palm, Inc. “Handbook for the Palm VII Handheld” May 2000, 311 pages”.
“UPnP; “Universal Plug and Play Device Architecture”; Jun. 8, 2000; version 1.0; Microsoft Corporation; pp. 1-54”.
“Presentations at WinHEC 2000” May 2000, 138 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Nov. 23, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051975, 14 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated May 6, 2015, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 13/748,357, filed Jan. 23, 2013, 17 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Sep. 10, 2015, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 16 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jan. 12, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/275,112, filed May 12, 2014, 25 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Dec. 17, 2015, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 18 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jun. 17, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,706, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 19 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated May 18, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 21 pages.
North American MPEG-2 Information, “The MPEG-2 Transport Stream,” Retrieved from the Internet:, 2006, pp. 1-5.
Notice of Allowance dated May 4, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 13/748,357, filed Jan. 23, 2013, 11 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Jan. 12, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,595, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 5 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Dec. 29, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 5 pages.
Park et al., “Group Synchronization in MultiCast Media Communications,” Proceedings of the 5th Research on Multicast Technology Workshop, 2003, 5 pages.
Polycom Conference Composer manual: copyright 2001.
Preinterview First Office Action dated May 4, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 6 pages.
Preinterview First Office Action dated May 4, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/455,651, filed Aug. 8, 2014, 7 pages.
Preinterview First Office Action dated May 5, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,595, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 6 pages.
Preinterview First Office Action dated Oct. 19, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/821,513, filed Aug. 7, 2016, 5 pages.
Preinterview First Office Action dated May 23, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,684, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 6 pages.
PRISMIQ, Inc., “PRISMIQ Media Player User Guide,” 2003, 44 pages.
Rothermel et al., “An Adaptive Stream Synchronization Protocol,” 5th International Workshop on Network and Operating System Support for Digital Audio and Video, 1995, 13 pages.
Schulzrinne H., et al., “RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Applications, RFC 3550,” Network Working Group, 2003, pp. 1-89.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Appl. No. 60/490,768, filed Jul. 28, 2003, entitled “Method for synchronizing audio playback between multiple networked devices,” 13 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Appl. No. 60/825,407, filed Sep. 12, 2003, entitled “Controlling and manipulating groupings in a multi-zone music or media system,” 82 pages.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/070,933, filed Feb. 22, 2008. “System, Method, and Computer Program for Remotely Managing a Digital Device” Inventor Jonathan Lang, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/533,105, filed Jun. 26, 2012. “Systems, Methods, Apparatus, and Articles of Manufacture to Provide a Crowd-Sourced Playlist with Guess Access” Inventor: Paul Bates, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/533,785, filed Jun. 26, 2012. “Networked Music Playback Including Remote Discovery and Add to Queue” Inventor: Mark Triplett, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/748,357, filed Jan. 23, 2013. “System and Method for a Media Experience Social Interface” Inventor: Ron Kuper, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/871,785, filed Apr. 26, 2013. “Systems, Methods, Apparatus, and Articles of Manufacture to Provide Guest Access” Inventor: Paul Bates, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 13/871,795, filed Jun. 20, 2013. “Systems, Methods, Apparatus, and Articles of Manufacture to Provide Guest Access” Inventor: Paul Bates, et al.
U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014. “Remote Creation of a Playback Queue for a Future Event” Inventor: Jaime Munoz, et al.
Yamaha DME 32 manual: copyright 2001.
Yamaha DME 64 Owner's Manual; copyright 2004, 80 pages.
Yamaha DME Designer 3.5 setup manual guide; copyright 2004, 16 pages.
Yamaha DME Designer 3.5 User Manual; Copyright 2004, 507 pages.
Advisory Action dated Jul. 12, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 5 pages.
Akyildiz et al., “Multimedia Group Synchronization Protocols for Integrated Services Networks,” IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 1996 pp. 162-173, vol. 14, No. 1.
Benslimane Abderrahim, “A Multimedia Synchronization Protocol for Multicast Groups,” Proceedings of the 26th Euromicro Conference, 2000, pp. 456-463, vol. 1.
Biersack et al., “Intra- and Inter-Stream Synchronization for Stored Multimedia Streams,” IEEE International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems, 1996, pp. 372-381.
Bretl W.E., et al., MPEG2 Tutorial [online], 2000 [retrieved on Jan. 13, 2009] Retrieved from the Internet:, pp. 1-23.
European Patent Office, European Supplemental Search Report dated Jan. 27, 2016, issued in connection with European Application No. 14743335.3, 8 pages.
European Patent Office, Extended European Search Report dated Dec. 23, 2016, issued in connection with European Application No. 15746781.2, 10 pages.
Final Office Action dated Nov. 3, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,684, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 16 pages.
Final Office Action dated Apr. 6, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 20 pages.
Final Office Action dated Oct. 7, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,595, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 16 pages.
Final Office Action dated Nov. 8, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 14 pages.
Final Office Action dated Feb. 10, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 21 pages.
Final Office Action dated Sep. 16, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/275,112, filed May 12, 2014, 19 pages.
Final Office Action dated Oct. 20, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2016, 17 pages.
Final Office Action dated Sep. 30, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 34 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Apr. 4, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/275,112, filed May 12, 2014, 8 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Jul. 7, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,595, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 6 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Jul. 11, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,684, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 8 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Jul. 13, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/455,651, filed Aug. 8, 2014, 10 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Dec. 14, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/821,513, filed Aug. 7, 2015, 10 pages.
First Action Interview Office Action dated Jul. 22, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 8 pages.
First Action Interview Pilot Program Pre-Interview Communication dated Oct. 28, 2015, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/275,112, filed May 12, 2014, 4 pages.
Huang C.M., et al., “A Synchronization Infrastructure for Multicast Multimedia at the Presentation Layer,” IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, 1997, pp. 370-380, vol. 43, No. 3.
International Bureau, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Jan. 30, 2014, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2012/047620, filed on Jul. 20, 2012, 7 pages.
International Bureau, International Preliminary Report on Patentability, dated Aug. 6, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2014/012534, filed on Jan. 22, 2014, 6 pages.
International Bureau, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Dec. 15, 2016, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/031934, filed on May 21, 2015, 11 pages.
International Bureau, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Aug. 18, 2016, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/014156, filed on Feb. 3, 2015, 10 pages.
International Bureau, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Sep. 15, 2016, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/018850, filed on Mar. 5, 2015, 10 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Nov. 6, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051993, filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 10 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Dec. 7, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051968, filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 14 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Dec. 16, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051989 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 11 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Dec. 21, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051983 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 11 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Apr. 24, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/014156, filed on Feb. 3, 2015, 13 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Aug. 27, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/031934, filed on May 21, 2015, 14 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Nov. 27, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/044218, filed on Aug. 7, 2015, 13 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and Written Opinion dated May 29, 2015, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/018850, filed on Mar. 5, 2015, 13 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report dated May 8, 2014, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2014/012534, filed on Jan. 22, 2014, 3 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Search Report dated Dec. 27, 2012, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2012/047620, filed on Jul. 20, 2011, 3 pages.
International Searching Authority, Written Opinion dated Dec. 27, 2012, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2012/047620, filed on Jul. 20, 2011, 5 pages.
Ishibashi et al., “A Group Synchronization Mechanism for Live Media in Multicast Communications,” IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference, 1997, pp. 746-752, vol. 2.
Ishibashi et al., “A Group Synchronization Mechanism for Stored Media in Multicast Communications,” IEEE Information Revolution and Communications, 1997, pp. 692-700, vol. 2.
Japanese Patent Office, Notice of Rejection dated Nov. 8, 2016, issued in connection with Japanese Application No. 2015-555237, 6 pages.
“Denon 2003-2004 Product Catalog,” Denon, 2003-2004, 44 pages.
Mills David L., “Network Time Protocol (Version 3) Specification, Implementation and Analysis,” Network Working Group, Mar. 1992, 7 pages.
Mills, David L., “Precision Synchronization of Computer Network Clocks,” ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, 1994, pp. 28-43, vol. 24, No. 2.
Motorola, “Simplefi, Wireless Digital Audio Receiver, Installation and User Guide,” Dec. 31, 2001, 111 pages.
Nilsson, M., “ID3 Tag Version 2,” Mar. 26, 1998, 28 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Nov. 1, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 21 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Oct. 1, 2015, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 13/748,357, filed Jan. 23, 2013, 18 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Apr. 6, 2016, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 26 pages.
Advisory Action dated Feb. 1, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 6 pages.
Advisory Action dated Feb. 3, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 5 pages.
Corrected Notice of Allowability dated Jan. 19, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 2 pages.
European Patent Office, European Office Action dated Aug. 3, 2017, issued in connection with EP Application No. 15781794.1, 6 pages.
European Patent Office, Examination Report dated Feb. 3, 2017, issued in connection with European Patent Application No. 14743335.3, 5 pages.
European Patent Office, Extended European Search Report dated Mar. 15, 2017, issued in connection with European Application No. 15758460.8, 9 pages.
European Patent Office, Office Action dated Mar. 2, 2017, issued in connection with European Application No. 15775566.1, 7 pages.
European Patent Office, Office Action dated Apr. 4, 2017, issued in connection with European Application No. 15775897.0, 6 pages.
European Patent Office, Office Action dated Jan. 13, 2017, issued in connection with European Application No. 15781794.1, 8 pages.
European Patent Office, Office Action dated Mar. 13, 2017, issued in connection with European Application No. 15781200.9, 5 pages.
Final Office Action dated Feb. 7, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/455,651, filed Aug. 8, 2014, 22 pages.
Final Office Action dated May 31, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 22 pages.
Final Office Action dated May 31, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/821,513, filed Aug. 7, 2015, 16 pages.
First Action Interview Pilot Program Pre-Interview Communication dated Apr. 3, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,590, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 5 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051968 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 10 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051975 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 9 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051983 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 7 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051989 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 7 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/051993 filed on Sep. 24, 2015, 8 pages.
International Searching Authority, International Preliminary Report on Patentability dated Feb. 23, 2017, issued in connection with International Application No. PCT/US2015/044218, filed on Aug. 7, 2015, 10 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jul. 10, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 33 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jun. 14, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 15 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Apr. 6, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/197,403, filed Mar. 5, 2014, 5 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Jan. 26, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,706, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 8 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated May 31, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,684, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 5 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated May 4, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,595, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 5 pages.
Advisory Action dated Aug. 22, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/173,253, filed Feb. 5, 2014, 4 pages.
Chinese Patent Office, First Office Action dated Sep. 4, 2017, issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 2014800172148.0, 16 pages.
European Patent Office, EP Supplemental Search dated Dec. 19, 2017, issued in connection with EP Application No. 15829058.5, 12 pages.
European Patent Office, European Supplemental Search Report dated Sep. 18, 2017, issued in connection with EP Application No. 15829058.5, 13 pages.
Final Office Action dated Nov. 2, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/275,112, filed May 12, 2014, 20 pages.
Final Office Action dated Jan. 19, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 32 pages.
Japanese Patent Office, Full English Translation of Office Action dated Nov. 28, 2017, issued in connection with Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-555529, 2 pages.
Japanese Patent Office, Office Action dated Nov. 28, 2017, issued in connection with Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-555529, 5 pages.
Japanese Patent Office, Office Action dated Nov. 7, 2017, issued in connection with Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-550231, 5 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jan. 24, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/607,267, filed May 26, 2017, 17 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Nov. 28, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/821,513, filed Aug. 7, 2015, 17 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Sep. 19, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/455,651, filed Aug. 8, 2014, 12 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Aug. 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,590, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 10 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Dec. 27, 2017, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/495,659, filed Sep. 24, 2014, 6 pages.
Chinese Patent Office, Second Office Action dated Apr. 11, 2018, issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 201480017214.8, 7 pages.
European Patent Office, European Extended Search Report dated Feb. 5, 2018, issued in connection with EP Application No. 15803430.6, 8 pages.
European Patent Office, Summons to Attend Oral Proceedings dated Mar. 27, 2018, issued in connection with European Patent Application No. 15781794.1, 11 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jun. 21, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/692,090, filed Aug. 31, 2017, 20 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Mar. 23, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/227,074, filed Aug. 3, 2016, 11 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Jul. 18, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/227,074, filed Aug. 3, 2016, 8 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Aug. 30, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/821,513, filed Aug. 7, 2015, 10 pages.
Pre-Brief Conference Decision dated Sep. 7, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 2 pages.
Advisory Action dated Mar. 19, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/595,519, filed May 15, 2017, 3 pages.
Chinese Patent Office, First Office Action and Translation dated Feb. 2, 2019, issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 201580011640.5, 12 pages.
Chinese Patent Office, Third Office Action dated Oct. 18, 2018, issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 2014800172148, 8 pages.
European Patent Office, Decision to Refuse EP Application dated Oct. 16, 2018, issued in connection with European Application No. 157758970, 48 pages.
European Patent Office, Decision to Refuse EP Application dated Sep. 27, 2018, issued in connection with European Application No. 15781794.1, 54 pages.
European Patent Office, European Office Action dated Jan. 2, 2019, issued in connection with European Application No. 15829058.5, 4 pages.
Final Office Action dated Jan. 2, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/595,519, filed May 15, 2017, 14 pages.
Final Office Action dated Oct. 29, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/607,267, filed May 26, 2017, 17 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Nov. 13, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 16/143,301, filed Sep. 26, 2018, 27 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jan. 16, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/664,634, filed Jul. 31, 2017, 17 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Feb. 19, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/966,337, Apr. 30, 2018, 14 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Mar. 19, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/607,267, May 26, 2017, 18 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jan. 22, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 16/174,703, filed Oct. 30, 2018, 15 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Dec. 27, 2018, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 14/297,193, filed Jun. 5, 2014, 37 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Feb. 11, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/692,090, filed Aug. 31, 2017, 8 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Feb. 11, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 16/143,301, filed Sep. 26, 2018, 15 pages.
Chinese Patent Office, First Office Action dated Feb. 27, 2019, issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 201580007534.X, 9 pages.
European Patent Office, Summons to Attend Oral Proceedings dated Jun. 11, 2019, issued in connection with European Application No. 14743335.3, 10 pages.
Final Office Action dated Aug. 20, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/607,267, filed May 26, 2017, 19 pages.
Final Office Action dated Jul. 31, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/664,634, filed Jul. 31, 2017, 16 pages.
Final Office Action dated Jul. 5, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/966,337, filed Apr. 30, 2018, 16 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Jul. 31, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/595,519, filed May 15, 2017, 14 pages.
Non-Final Office Action dated Apr. 4, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/612,126, filed Jun. 2, 2017, 9 pages.
Notice of Allowance dated Aug. 5, 2019, issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 15/612,126, filed Jun. 2, 2017, 5 pages.

Related Publications (1)

	Number	Date	Country
	20160088036 A1	Mar 2016	US

Playback updates

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

CPC

Field of Search

US

CPC