System and method for controlling media rendering in a network using a mobile device

A system for managing media rendering in a network using a first mobile device wherein a first media rendering device is connected to the network and further wherein the first media rendering device renders a first queue of multimedia files wherein a second media rendering device is connected to the network and further wherein the second media rendering device renders a second queue of multimedia files wherein the first mobile device, the first media rendering device and the second media rendering device are different devices, the system comprising:

• a first control interface connected to the first mobile device;
• a core component connected to the first control interface wherein the first mobile device transmits first queue rendering instructions to the core component via the first control interface wherein the first queue rendering instructions comprise one or more communications sent from the first mobile device to the core component via the first control interface;
• a storage component connected to the core component wherein the storage component stores information about the first queue and the second queue;
• and
• a control point component connected to the core component and the network wherein the core component, the storage component and the control point component are resident in a single device which is a different device than the first mobile device, the first media rendering device and the second media rendering device wherein the control point component transmits a first message to the first media rendering device and further wherein the first message is based on the first queue rendering instructions wherein the first media rendering device provides playback of the first queue of multimedia files based on the first message wherein the control point component transmits a second message to the second media rendering device and further wherein the second message is based on the first queue rendering instructions and further wherein the second media rendering device provides playback of the second queue of multimedia files based on the second message wherein the control point component automatically directs the first media rendering device to render the next multimedia file in the first queue in response to the control point component receiving a first event message which indicates completion of rendering of one of the multimedia files in the first queue and further wherein the control point component automatically directs the second media rendering device to render the next multimedia file in the second queue in response to the control point component receiving a second event message which indicates completion of rendering of one of the multimedia files in the second queue.

A method for managing media rendering in a network wherein a control element, a first media rendering device and a first media server are connected to the network and further wherein a first mobile device and a second mobile device are connected to the control element wherein the first mobile device, the second mobile device and the first media rendering device are different devices wherein the control element is resident in a single device which is a different device than the first mobile device, the second mobile device and the first media rendering device wherein a first multimedia file and a second multimedia file are available from the first media server wherein the first multimedia file is associated with first metadata and the second multimedia file is associated with second metadata, the method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting a first message wherein the first message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the control element;
• creating a first device queue having the first metadata and the second metadata wherein the first device queue is created based on the first message transmitted to the control element;
• and
• rendering the first device queue on the first media rendering device wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device control rendering of the first device queue using rendering instructions transmitted from the first mobile device and the second mobile device to the control element.