Patents by Inventor Andrew J. Schulert

Andrew J. Schulert has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20160379008
    Abstract: Based on a credential, an access level of a playback queue for a first control interface and a first subset and second subset of media items in the playback queue may be determined. Media items in the playback queue that were added via a second control interface may be included in the first subset. Media items that were added via a control interface different from the second control interface may be included in a second subset. Information may be provided which identifies the first subset of the media items in the playback queue and the second subset of the media items in the playback queue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Patent number: 9501533
    Abstract: Embodiments are discussed for providing private playback queues in a media playback system such that users without access rights to the playback queue may not access the contents of the playback queue. The embodiments may involve receiving at a playback device of a network media system a playlist responsive to an instruction via a first controller interface, adding the playlist to a playback queue associated with the zone, receiving a request from a second controller interface for the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, determining that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, and providing the information identifying a subset of the one or more items in the playback queue to the second controller interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: SONOS, INC.
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Patent number: 9497182
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a media playback system obtaining an authorization token corresponding to a particular queue of media items at a remote server. The media playback system may send to the remote server, (i) the obtained authorization token, and (ii) a request for access to one or more media items of the particular queue. The media playback system may receive, from the remote server, an indication that the media playback system may access the one or more media items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Publication number: 20160239567
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for updating a playlist that has been added to a playback queue in response to changes to the playback queue. The playback queue may be associated with a zone of a network media system such that items in the playback queue are to be rendered by the zone. The playlist may include one or more items playable by the zone, and may be stored separately from where the playback queue is maintained. Embodiments are also provided for updating a playback queue in response to modifications to a playlist included in the playback queue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Abhishek Kumar, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Publication number: 20160231984
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a computing system receiving, from a media playback system, a request to initiate playback of a cloud queue. The cloud queue may currently have a first access status that authorizes a first set of queue operations, which may include playback of the cloud queue. After receiving the request to initiate playback, the computing system may cause audio tracks of the cloud queue to be queued in a local queue of the media playback system such that the media playback system may playback audio tracks of the cloud queue via the local queue. The computing system may modify the access status of the cloud queue to a second access status. This second access status may authorize a second set of queue operations on the cloud queue. The computing system may cause access to the local queue to be restricted to the second set of queue operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Patent number: 9361371
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for updating a playlist that has been added to a playback queue in response to changes to the playback queue. The playback queue may be associated with a zone of a network media system such that items in the playback queue are to be rendered by the zone. The playlist may include one or more items playable by the zone, and may be stored separately from where the playback queue is maintained. Embodiments are also provided for updating a playback queue in response to modifications to a playlist included in the playback queue. In some cases, a user modifying the playlist or playback queue may be prompted upon making the modifications whether to also apply the modification to the playback queue or playlist, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: SONOS, INC.
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Abhishek Kumar, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Patent number: 9363254
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a computing system receiving a request to establish a queue of media items. The computing system may assign a first access status to the queue. The first access status may indicate that at least one media playback system is authorized to perform a first set of queue operations. After assigning the first access status to the queue, the computing system may detect a trigger that indicates a change in access status of the queue. Based on the detected trigger, the computing system may modify the access status of the queue from the first access status to a second access status. The second access status may indicate that the at least one media playback system is authorized to perform a second set of queue operations. The computing system may send an indication of the second access status to a media playback system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Publication number: 20150358310
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a computing system receiving a request from a first media playback system for access to a queue of media items, and a request from a second media playback system for access to the queue of media items. The computing system may grant a first type of access to the first media playback system and a second type of access to the second media playback system. The first type of access and the second type of access may authorize a first set of operations and a second set of operations on the queue of media items, respectively. The computing system may provide an indication that the first media playback system may access the queue as authorized by the first type of access, and an indication that the second media playback system may access the queue as authorized by the second type of access.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Publication number: 20150355879
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a computing system receiving a request to establish a queue of media items. The computing system may assign a first access status to the queue. The first access status may indicate that at least one media playback system is authorized to perform a first set of queue operations. After assigning the first access status to the queue, the computing system may detect a trigger that indicates a change in access status of the queue. Based on the detected trigger, the computing system may modify the access status of the queue from the first access status to a second access status. The second access status may indicate that the at least one media playback system is authorized to perform a second set of queue operations. The computing system may send an indication of the second access status to a media playback system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Publication number: 20150358304
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a media playback system obtaining an authorization token corresponding to a particular queue of media items at a remote server. The media playback system may send to the remote server, (i) the obtained authorization token, and (ii) a request for access to one or more media items of the particular queue. The media playback system may receive, from the remote server, an indication that the media playback system may access the one or more media items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert, Gregory Ramsperger
  • Publication number: 20150358375
    Abstract: An example implementation may involve a playback device of a media playback system sending a request for an indication of at least one media item from a remote queue of media items and an indication of a particular media item that is being played by the playback device. The implementation may also involve the playback device receiving an indication of one or more media items from the remote queue of media items. The one or more media items may include the particular media item is being played by the playback device. The implementation may further involve the playback device incorporating an indication of the one or more media items into a local queue of media items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Steven Beckhardt, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Publication number: 20150277737
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture to manage tracks and/or other multimedia items are disclosed. An example method includes displaying on an interface of a computing device, a plurality of tracks in a sequential order. The example method receiving, via the interface, an input to play a particular track from the plurality of tracks, wherein the particular track is at a particular position in the sequential order. The example method displaying on the interface, a queue comprising at least a subset of the plurality of tracks to be played after playback of the particular track, wherein each track in the subset of the plurality of tracks is at a different position in the sequential order than the particular position of the particular track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Nicholas A.J. Millington, Paul Wren, Andrew J. Schulert, Robert A. Lambourne, Jonathan P. Lang
  • Publication number: 20150261397
    Abstract: An example implementation involves a control device displaying on a graphical user interface, an indicator positioned with respect to a particular multimedia item in a displayed list of a plurality of multimedia items. After displaying the indicator on the graphical user interface for a first predefined time, the control device displays on the graphical user interface, an information panel obstructing a portion of the displayed list, the information panel providing information associated with the particular multimedia item that is not shown in the displayed list. After displaying the information panel for a second predefined time, the control device terminates display of the information panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Robert A. Lambourne, Andrew J. Schulert, Steve Holmgren
  • Patent number: 9075509
    Abstract: Techniques pertaining to efficient scrolling a list are disclosed. One of the features of the efficient scrolling is to provide a graphic user interface that displays items in the list so that a user may scroll the list using a scroll wheel. After an item is highlighted for a predefined time, an information panel is automatically displayed to show hidden information associated with the item. The information panel is superimposed in an area of the graphic user interface, without obstructing the highlighted item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Lambourne, Andrew J. Schulert, Steve Holmgren
  • Publication number: 20140310316
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for updating a playlist that has been added to a playback queue in response to changes to the playback queue. The playback queue may be associated with a zone of a network media system such that items in the playback queue are to be rendered by the zone. The playlist may include one or more items playable by the zone, and may be stored separately from where the playback queue is maintained. Embodiments are also provided for updating a playback queue in response to modifications to a playlist included in the playback queue. In some cases, a user modifying the playlist or playback queue may be prompted upon making the modifications whether to also apply the modification to the playback queue or playlist, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: SONOS, INC.
    Inventors: Arthur L. COBURN, IV, Abhishek KUMAR, Andrew J. SCHULERT
  • Publication number: 20140181107
    Abstract: Embodiments are discussed for providing private playback queues in a media playback system such that users without access rights to the playback queue may not access the contents of the playback queue. The embodiments may involve receiving at a playback device of a network media system a playlist responsive to an instruction via a first controller interface, adding the playlist to a playback queue associated with the zone, receiving a request from a second controller interface for the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, determining that the second controller interface lacks a credential to receive the information identifying the one or more items in the playback queue, and providing the information identifying a subset of the one or more items in the playback queue to the second controller interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: SONOS, INC.
    Inventors: Arthur L. COBURN, IV, Andrew J. SCHULERT
  • Publication number: 20130254695
    Abstract: Techniques pertaining to efficient scrolling a list are disclosed. One of the features of the efficient scrolling is to provide a graphic user interface that displays items in the list so that a user may scroll the list using a scroll wheel. After an item is highlighted for a predefined time, an information panel is automatically displayed to show hidden information associated with the item. The information panel is superimposed in an area of the graphic user interface, without obstructing the highlighted item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Lambourne, Andrew J. Schulert, Steve Holmgren
  • Publication number: 20130254207
    Abstract: Techniques for managing a playlist in a multimedia system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the techniques, the playlist is structured to be able to include as many items as desired. To facilitate the manageability of such playlist, the playlist is built with a plurality of items. Each of the items is associated with metadata that includes information related to, for example, artist, album, genre, composer, and track number. The metadata for each item may be parsed, updated or logically operated upon to facilitate the management of the playlist. In another embodiment, each of the items is either a single item or a group item. A single item contains metadata of a corresponding source. A group item contains metadata of accessing other constituent items, which again may be single items or group items. As a result, the playlist can accommodate as many items as desired in a limited memory space without compromising the manageability of the playlist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Nicholas A. J. Millington, Paul Wren, Andrew J. Schulert, Robert A. Lambourne, Jonathan P. Lang
  • Patent number: 6009441
    Abstract: A token identifies a special comment that includes information usable by a specific Web page editor. Tile information included within a special comment may include authoring state information, such as parameters used by "WEBBOT" components to provide extensions to hypertext markup language (HTML) features. When a Web page is opened, the editor parses each element on the page and determines if a comment is special by detecting the presence of a predefined token. In the preferred embodiment, the token is the word "WEBBOT." The information included within this special comment can include references to extensions to HTML tags, including those that are not known by the editor, and parameters required by HTML extensions. Since the special comment is in a format ignored by Web browsers, it does not impact upon the ability of a browser to render the page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael C. Mathieu, Theodore Stefanik, Peter R. Amstein, Andrew J. Schulert
  • Patent number: 5793966
    Abstract: A client/server system for authoring an on-line service uses a server machine accessed a client machine which performs authoring operations on information stored on the server machine comprising the on-line service. Requests for authoring operations to be performed on information on the server machine, for authoring the online service, are translated on the client machine into at least one message which is sent to the server machine. The server machine receives the at least one message from the client machine and performs authoring operations identified in the received at least one message so as to author the online service. This information on the server machine is then made accessible by the server machine to other client systems that can be used to access the information without modifying the information, such as a browser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Vermeer Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter R. Amstein, Thomas P. Blumer, Arthur L. Coburn, IV, Randy J. Forgaard, Andrew J. Schulert, Ted Stefanik, Robert J. Mauceri