- Number
- 12069117
- Published
- 2024-08-20
- Filed
- 2022-01-05
- Assignee
- DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
- Inventors
- Schneider; Evan
- CPC
- H04N21/4333; H04L65/613; H04N21/8455; G11B27/11; H04N21/6587; H04N21/2387
- Verdict
- Set aside playback-state transfer, business/media feature
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
Abstract
A system for transferring a playback of media content from a first network-connected playback device to a second network-connected playback device is disclosed. The system includes a processor; a computer-readable non-transitory storage media with instructions that cause the processor to perform operations including: receiving, at a media navigation device, a request to transfer a playback marker of the media content from the first playback device to the second playback device; responsive to receiving the request, stopping a playback of the media content on the first playback device, wherein the playback marker indicates a stop timecode within a timeline associated with the media content at which the playback of the media content is stopped on the first playback device; responsive to the media navigation device being within a predetermined distance to the second playback device, automatically resuming playback of the media content on the second playback device at the stop timecode.
Background
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (1) This application claims the benefit of priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/583,138, filed 25 Sep. 2019, entitled “Media Content System for Transferring a Playback Marker Between Network-Connected Playback Devices,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND Field (2) This disclosure generally relates to the field of audio/visual (“A/V”) equipment. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an A/V system that transfers playback of media content. General Background (3) With recent advances in technology, media content (e.g., movies, shows, music, etc.) received via the Internet may be consumed through different devices in the same general vicinity. For example, a conventional home network configuration may allow for multiple televisions in the same home to view content received via the Internet. Yet content playback amongst those multiple devices is typically performed in an uncoordinated manner. For example, a user may start streaming a movie on a television in his or her dining room. In the middle of playing back the movie, that user may then want to move to his or her den and continue watching the movie on a television in the den. In some conventional configurations, such a change necessitates the user stopping playback of the movie on the television in the dining room, and restarting playback of the movie on the television in the den from the beginning of
Claims
1. A system for transferring a playback of media content from a first network-connected playback device to a second network-connected playback device comprising: one or more processing elements; a computer-readable non-transitory storage media encoded with instructions that when executed cause the one or more processing elements to perform operations comprising: receiving, at a media navigation device, a request to transfer a playback marker of the media content from the first network-connected playback device to the second network-connected playback device, wherein the media navigation device provides a transfer indicium to enable transmission of a respective command to at least one of the first network-connected playback device or the second-network-connected playback device; generating, by the media navigation device, a transfer command to cause the first network-connected playback device to transfer the playback marker of the media content from the first network-connected playback device to the second network-connected playback device; responsive to the transfer command, stopping a playback of the media content on the first network-connected playback device, wherein the playback marker indicates a stop timecode within a timeline associated with the media content at which the playback of the media content is stopped on the first network-connected playback device; generating, by the media navigation device, a play command to resume playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode; sending the play command and the playback marker to the second network-connected playback device; and responsive to receipt of the play command at the second network-connected playback device, automatically resuming playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode. ||
15. A method comprising: receiving, at a media navigation device, a request to transfer a playback marker of a media content from a first network-connected playback device to a second network-connected playback device, wherein the media navigation device provides a transfer indicium to enable transmission of a respective command to at least one of the first network-connected playback device or the second-network-connected playback device; generating, by the media navigation device, a transfer command to cause the first network-connected playback device to transfer the playback marker of the media content from the first network-connected playback device to the second network-connected playback device; responsive to receiving the transfer command, stopping a playback of the media content on the first network-connected playback device, wherein the playback marker indicates a stop timecode within a timeline associated with the media content at which the playback of the media content is stopped; generating, by the media navigation device, a play command to resume playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode; sending the play command and the playback marker to the second network-connected playback device; and responsive to receipt of the play command at the second network-connected playback device, automatically resuming playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode. ||
21. A media content system comprising: a receiver configured to: receive, via a media navigation device, a request to transfer a playback marker of a media content from a first network-connected playback device to a second network-connected playback device, wherein the media navigation device provides a transfer indicium to enable transmission of a respective command to at least one of the first network-connected playback device or the second-network-connected playback device; and a processor configured to: generate, by the media navigation device, a transfer command to cause the first network-connected playback device to transfer the playback marker of the media content from the first network-connected playback device to the second network-connected playback device; stop a playback of the media content on the first network-connected playback device responsive to the transfer command, wherein the playback marker indicates a stop timecode within a timeline associated with the media content at which the playback of the media content is stopped, generate, by the media navigation device, a play command to resume playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode, send the play command and the playback marker to the second network-connected playback device, and responsive to receipt of the play command at the second network-connected playback device, automatically resume the playback of the media content on the second network-connected playback device at the stop timecode.