US 9,977,561 B2Granted

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to provide guest access

AssigneeSonos, Inc.

InventorsPaul Bates, Lee Keyser-Allen, Jonathan P. Lang, Diane Roberts, Nicholas A. J. Millington

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Abstract

An example method includes displaying a playback queue for a media playback system to a first and second controller via a first user interface associated with the first controller and a second user interface associated with the second controller, the first controller granted a first access to the system and the second controller granted a second access to the system, the first controller displaying a subset of information available to the second controller. The example method includes displaying a plurality of controls for the system via the second user interface of the second controller, the controls associated with the second access. The example method includes displaying a subset of the controls via the first user interface, the subset including at least one control available via the second controller and associated with the first access. The example method includes facilitating control via the first user interface according to the first access.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A media playback system comprising:

a first zone comprising one or more first playback devices;
a second zone comprising one or more second playback devices;
a third zone comprising one or more third playback devices;
one or more processors;
and
tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the media playback system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, via a network interface from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including the first zone and the second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system;
in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, and wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices, wherein the zone group configuration excludes the third zone;
while in the event mode:
connecting one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;
causing display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;
according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to:
(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for the third zone;
and
according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to:
(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

13 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a media playback system from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including a first zone and a second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and wherein the first zone comprises one or more first playback devices and the second zone comprises one or more second playback devices;
in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining, via the media playback system, the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices;
while in the event mode:
connecting, via the media playback system, one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;
causing, via the media playback system, display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;
according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing, via the media playback system, display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to:
(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for a third zone;
and
according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing, via the media playback system, display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to:
(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

7 more elements

A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a media playback system, implement a method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of from a host control device, instructions to configure the media playback system into an event mode, the instructions indicating a zone group configuration for the event mode, the zone group configuration including a first zone and a second zone, wherein the host control device is granted full access to the media playback system, and wherein the first zone comprises one or more first playback devices and the second zone comprises one or more second playback devices;
in response to the received instructions to configure the media playback system into event mode, joining the first zone and the second zone into the zone group configuration for the event mode, wherein the first zone and the second zone are configured to play back a queue in synchrony, and wherein the queue is stored in data storage of at least one of the one or more first playback devices and the one or more second playback devices;
while in the event mode:
connecting one or more guest control devices to the media playback system, wherein the one or more guest control devices are granted limited access to the media playback system;
causing display of the queue in a user interface on the host control device and in respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, wherein causing display of the queue comprising sending one or more state variables indicating media items queued in the queue to the host control device and the one or more guest control devices;
according to the full access granted to the host control device, causing display of a control interface that includes (a) a full set of playback controls for the zone group configuration in the user interface on the host control device, the full set of playback controls comprising controls to:
(i) add media items to the queue, (ii) delete media items from the queue, and (iii) re-order media items within the queue (b) a full set of controls for a third zone;
and
according to the limited access granted to the one or more guest control devices, causing display of a control interface that includes a limited set of playback controls for only the zone group configuration in the respective user interfaces on the one or more guest control devices, the limited set of playback controls comprising controls to add media items to the queue and excluding controls to:
(i) delete media items from the queue, and (ii) re-order media items within the queue.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/871,785Filed 26 Apr 2013 · continuation in part
Priority: 1 Apr 2004
Published: US 2013/0254663 A126 Sep 2013
Granted: 22 May 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06F 3/162
Sound input; Sound output: interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
G06F 3/16
Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for…: sound…
G06F 21/30
Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity: authentication, i.e.…
G11B 27/105
Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers: of operating discs

Family

Application10/816,217Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 1 Apr 2004
Application60/755,751Us provisional application · filed 31 Dec 2005
Application11/278,473Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Apr 2006
Application13/533,105Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Jun 2012
US 2013/0254663 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Sep 2013
US 8,234,395 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2007/0038999 A1Published application
US 2013/0346859 A1Published application
US 9,374,607 B2Related patent
US 9,977,561 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.