# US 10,120,533 B2 · Intelligent media queue > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,120,533 B2 - Document ID: US10120533B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/182,902 - Filed: 2016-06-15 - Published: 2016-10-06 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-09-10 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Christopher John Sanders; Anne Jones; Jeffrey L. Robbin; William Martin Bachman; Timothy B. Martin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120533B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G11B 27/002: {Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; (transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22)} - G06F 3/0484: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range - G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - G06F 16/4387: {by the use of playlists} - G06F 16/639: {using playlists} - G11B 27/105: {of operating discs} - G11B 27/34: Indicating arrangements {(indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for intelligently managing a playlist of digital media provide an intelligent dynamic queue that is configured to manage the playback of digital media. The queue can transition between passive playback mode, active playback mode, and mixed playback mode. The queue can handle the playback of the songs in the queue according to the playback mode and/or a queue status field that is associated with each song in the queue. ## Claims ### Claim 1 At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions executable by at least one processor to: present, on a graphical user interface, a queue including a plurality of entries that represents a playback sequence for a plurality of media items, wherein each entry comprises a link to a respective media item and a queue status field being set to either a value indicating that the entry was automatically queued or a value indicating that the entry was manually queued; receive a user input to place a particular media item within the queue at a particular slot in the playback sequence, wherein the particular slot follows at least one automatically queued entry and one manually queued entry in the playback sequence; after receiving the user input to place the particular media item at the particular slot in the playback sequence: mark the entry of the particular media item's queue status field as manually queued; change the queue status field, from automatically queued to manually queued, of the at least one automatically queued entry that is in a position preceding the particular media item that was manually placed in the queue; and maintain the queue status field of the entries that follow the entry of the particular media item. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the queue is a persistent data structure stored in a memory associated with the at least one processor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: delete from the queue, based on a detection of a triggering event, each of the plurality of entries having a queue status field indicating that the entry was automatically queued. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the triggering event comprises a change in a media source. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the media source comprises a personal music library, a remote streaming service, another user's music library, cloud storage, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the triggering event comprises an addition of entries corresponding to a collection of media items to the queue. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: detect that a specific media item associated with a specific entry in the queue is played in a media player; and add a representation of the specific media item as an additional entry to a history queue indicating media items that have been played by the media player. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: determine that the specific media item played in the media player was played for a predetermined minimum playtime before adding the representation of the specific media item as the additional entry to the history queue. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: at least one processor; a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions executable by the at least one processor to: present, on a graphical user interface, a queue including a plurality of entries that represents a playback sequence for a plurality of media items, wherein each entry comprises a link to a respective media item and a queue status field being set to either a value indicating that the entry was automatically queued or a value indicating that the entry was manually queued; receive a user input instructing the at least one processor to place a particular media item within the queue at a particular slot in the playback sequence, wherein the particular slot follows at least one automatically queued entry and one manually queued entry in the playback sequence; after receiving the user input to place the particular media item at the particular slot in the playback sequence: mark the entry of the particular media item's queue status field as manually queued; change the queue status field, from automatically queued to manually queued, of the at least one automatically queued entry that is in a position preceding the particular media item that was manually placed in the queue; and maintain the queue status field of the entries that follow the entry of the particular media item. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the queue comprises a persistent data structure stored in a memory associated with the at least one processor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: detect a triggering event that causes the at least one processor to delete from the queue each of the plurality of entries having a queue status field value indicating that the entry was automatically queued. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the triggering event comprises a change in a media source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the media source comprises one or more of a personal music library, a remote streaming service, another user's music library, and cloud storage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the triggering event comprises an addition of entries corresponding to a collection of media items to the queue. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: detect that a specific media item from associated with a specific entry in the queue is played in a media player; and add a representation of the specific media item as an additional entry to a history queue indicating media items that have been played by the media player. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to: determine that the specific media item played in the media player was played for a predetermined minimum playtime before adding the representation of the specific media item as the additional entry to the history queue. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: presenting, on a graphical user interface, a queue including a plurality of entries that represents a playback sequence for a plurality of media items, wherein each entry comprises a link to a respective media item and a queue status field being set to either a value indicating that the entry was automatically queued or a value indicating that the entry was manually queued; receiving a user input to place a particular media item within the queue at a particular slot in the playback sequence, wherein the particular slot follows at least one automatically queued entry and one manually queued entry in the playback sequence; after receiving the user input to place the particular media item at the particular slot in the playback sequence: marking the entry of the particular media item's queue status field as manually queued; changing the queue status field, from automatically queued to manually queued, of the at least one automatically queued entry that is in a position preceding the particular media item that was manually placed in the queue; and maintaining the queue status field of the entries that follow the entry of the particular media item. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the queue comprises a persistent data structure stored in a memory associated with at least one processor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: deleting, based on a detection of a triggering event, from the queue each of the plurality of entries having a queue status field with a value indicating that the entry was automatically queued. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the triggering event comprises a change in a media source. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the media source comprises one or more of a personal music library, a remote streaming service, another user's music library, and cloud storage. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the triggering event comprises an addition of entries corresponding to a collection of media items to the queue. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: detecting that a specific media item corresponding to a specific entry in the queue is played in a media player; and adding a representation of the specific media item as an additional entry to a history queue indicating media items that have been played by the media player. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: determining that the specific media item played in the media player was played for a predetermined minimum playtime before adding the representation of the specific media item as the additional entry to the history queue.