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AppleGranted patentAudio & voiceInterest 6/10

Apple patents system that remembers where you send music

Apple describes a method where a phone predicts which speaker or TV you want to play music on based on your location and past habits. If you are in a room where you usually send audio, the device can automatically route the next song to that speaker without you asking.

Why it mattersThis could make switching between speakers or TVs less annoying by removing the need to manually select a device every time you move around the house.

In the filing’s own words

In some implementations, a user device can predictively route media content to a remote playback device based on playback context information obtained by the user device. The playback context can include local playback context information related to the state and/or context of the user device. The playback context can include remote playback context information related to the state and/or context of available remote playback devices. Based on the playback context information obtained by the user device, the user device can generate a predictive score for each available playback device that indicates or predicts the likelihood that the user will want to send media content to the corresponding playback device. The user device can generate and present a graphical user interface that can identify the playback devices having predictive scores over a threshold score. In some instances, the user device can automatically route selected media content to a predicted playback device.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method comprising: receiving, by a user device, a first input to route a first media item to a remote playback device, wherein the first input is received while the user device is at a first location; routing, by the user device, the first media item to the remote playback device via a first connection between the user device and the remote playback device; receiving, by the user device, a second input to initiate playback of a second media item, wherein the second input is received while the user device is at a second location; and in response to receiving the second input to initiate playback of the second media item: determining, by the user device, that a current location corresponds to a previous location, wherein the current location is the second location, and wherein the previous location is the first location; and responsive to determining that the current location corresponds to the previous location without receiving an input to route the second media item to the remote playback device, routing the second media item to the remote playback device.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Predictive media routing
Patent number
US12739473B2
Application number
18915902
Filed
Oct 15, 2024
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Inventors
11
Claims
21

Classified under

H04N 21/4667 Electricity & electronicsH04N 21/43615 Electricity & electronicsH04N 21/44227 Electricity & electronicsH04N 21/4661 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.