Invented by Moloney-Egnatios; Kate, Kuper; Ron, Anderson; Jerry

Media has changed the way we live and connect. Now, streaming music or other audio is as easy as a few taps on our phones or smart speakers. Behind this magic are clever inventions that make sure you can choose, play, and enjoy your favorite songs in any room, on any device, without fuss. Today, we’re diving into a recent patent application that brings together smart controllers, playback devices, and cloud media services to make media playback seamless, easy, and fun.

Background and Market Context

The world of music and media has seen a big shift. Not long ago, people listened to music on CDs, radios, or downloaded files. Today, streaming is king. You can pick from millions of songs, podcasts, and shows, all delivered over the internet to speakers, phones, and TVs. This has changed what people want from their music systems. They want to play music in every room, switch between songs or services, and have all their devices work together.

Companies have raced to make products that meet these new needs. Smart speakers let you ask for songs with your voice. Apps let you control music from anywhere in your house. Some systems even let you group speakers, so the same song plays in the kitchen and the living room at the same time. But there are still problems. Not every speaker works with every service. Some devices have limits—like not enough memory or support for certain file types. And as more companies launch music services, it’s hard for new services to quickly work with all the devices people already own.

This creates a challenge for both users and companies. Users want freedom to use any service, on any device, without hassle. Companies want to bring new music services to users fast, without spending months testing and fixing problems. The market is crowded with smart speakers, connected TVs, and all kinds of playback devices. Each has its own way of working, making it tough for a new music service to work everywhere.

To solve this, there’s a need for a system that lets controllers—like apps on your phone or tablet—talk smoothly with music services in the cloud and playback devices in your home. The goal is simple: let users search, pick, and play music from any service, on any device, in any room, and do it fast and easy. That’s where this patent comes in.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

Let’s look at how things worked before this invention. In the early days of digital audio, each smart speaker or playback device would often need special software to work with a music service. If a new service launched, device makers had to update their products, which could take months. Sometimes, only a few devices could work with the new service, and people had to buy new hardware just to enjoy it.

Then came systems that let you control music around your home with an app. You could group speakers, pick songs, and set the volume from your phone. But even here, adding new music services was slow. Each service had its own way of connecting, searching for music, and playing tracks. Devices had to support each service’s special rules for searching, playing, and keeping track of what’s playing. If a device didn’t have enough memory, it might not play certain songs, or it would crash.

There were also security issues. How could a music service make sure only the right devices and users accessed their songs? Some systems used usernames and passwords for every request, which was slow and sometimes not secure. Others used “tokens”—special codes that proved you were allowed to play music—but these weren’t always easy to manage across many devices and services.

Another problem was keeping everything in sync. If you wanted the same song playing in every room, devices had to coordinate timing, which was tricky over Wi-Fi or in big houses. Some systems worked like a chain, passing music from one device to the next, but if one device failed, the whole system could stop.

To try to solve these problems, companies made “APIs”—a set of rules that let devices and services talk to each other. Some used open standards, like SOAP or REST, to make it easier to add new services. But even then, each device might support only certain features. A new music service would have to test on dozens of devices, fix bugs, and wait for firmware updates before users could listen.

What was missing was a simple, flexible way for any controller (like your phone), any playback device (like a smart speaker), and any music service (like Spotify, Pandora, or a new startup) to talk to each other. The system needed to be secure, fast, and easy to add new services—without waiting for updates or special software. It needed to consider device limits, like memory size, and only show music that could actually be played. It also needed to keep everything synced, so music played at the same time in every room.

This new patent takes these problems head-on. It combines smart tokens for security, device awareness (so it knows what each speaker can handle), and a way for new music services to plug in without long delays. It also lets users search, pick, and play music from many services, all from one place, and keeps playback smooth and in sync.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

Now, let’s walk through what this patent actually does, and why it’s special.

At the heart of the invention is a controller device. This could be an app on your phone or tablet, or it could be a special remote. The controller talks to both your playback devices (like speakers in different rooms) and to music services in the cloud (like streaming apps).

Here’s how it works, step by step:

First, when you want to use a new music service, the controller sends a request to that service, asking for a “session token.” Think of this token as a hall pass—it proves that your devices are allowed to talk to the service and play music. The service checks your credentials, and if everything’s okay, sends back the token. Now, the controller and your speakers don’t need to keep sending your username and password—they just use the token.

Next, you open the controller app and search for a song, album, or artist. You type in your request—maybe you want to hear “Imagine” by John Lennon. The controller already knows what playback devices you have (like which speakers are in your kitchen or living room). Each playback device has its own unique identifier, and the controller knows details about it—like how much memory it has, or what formats it supports.

When you search, the controller sends the request to the music service, including the session token and details about the playback device. This way, the service can filter out music that won’t play on that device. For example, if your speaker has limited memory, the service won’t show songs that are too big or in the wrong format.

The music service searches its library and sends back a list of songs or albums that match your search and will work on your chosen device. The controller shows this list to you in the app. You pick the song you want, and the controller tells the playback device to start playing it. It sends the right commands, including the song’s identifier, so the device can fetch and play the music.

If you have more than one playback device grouped together (like speakers in your kitchen and living room), the controller can make sure both play the same song at the same time. This is called synchronous playback. The system handles the timing, so there are no delays or echo.

What if you want to use more than one music service? Maybe you have accounts with Spotify and Apple Music. The controller can ask each service for a session token, keep track of them, and let you search both at once. The list of results can include songs from both services, and you pick what to play, all from the same app.

Another smart feature: When you add a new music service, the controller can store your access credentials securely. You don’t have to log in every time. It also lets you add or remove services quickly, so you can try new ones as they become available.

On the technical side, the invention uses a “non-transitory computer-readable medium,” which means the instructions are stored on real hardware—like a chip, hard drive, or memory card—not just in the cloud. This makes the system fast and reliable. The patent also covers the method of how the controller, playback devices, and services interact, making sure the process works smoothly from start to finish.

The invention is very flexible. It can work with all kinds of devices: speakers with built-in amps, external amps and speakers, headphones, soundbars, or even TVs. It can use wired or wireless networks, and can support many services and device types at once. The invention even covers ways to handle device limits—like only letting a certain number of devices play from the same account at once, or blacklisting a service if there are too many errors.

Here’s what makes this invention stand out:

– Fast, easy onboarding of new music services. No waiting months for updates.

– Smart filtering of music, so only songs your device can play are shown.

– Secure, token-based authentication, so your credentials are safe and playback is smooth.

– Support for groups of devices playing music in sync, so your whole house can groove together.

– A flexible platform for both users and music providers, making it easy to try new services and get feedback.

– Tools for developers to test and launch their services quickly, with open beta programs and clear feedback systems.

All of this adds up to a system where users get more choice and better experiences, and music services can reach more people, faster, with less hassle.

Conclusion

This patent application is more than just a technical paper. It’s a blueprint for making media playback simple, powerful, and user-friendly in our connected world. By combining secure tokens, smart device awareness, and easy integration of new services, it solves real problems faced by both users and companies. Whether you’re a music fan who wants to listen anywhere, or a developer launching the next big streaming app, this invention promises a smoother ride. It’s a big step forward for smart homes, connected devices, and the way we all enjoy media, making sure that no matter what you want to play, or where you want to play it, the experience is always easy, fast, and fun.

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250220054.