US 12,273,583 B2
Methods, systems, and media for providing dynamic media sessions
Chris Chan, San Francisco, CA (US); Kenneth J. Mackay, Sunnyvale, CA (US); James Carroll West, Mountain View, CA (US); and Tavis A. Maclellan, Richmond, CA (US)
Assigned to Google LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/620,333
Filed by Google LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/063938
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/256766, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/862,416, filed on Jun. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0210502 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 21/43 (2011.01); H04N 21/436 (2011.01)
CPC H04N 21/43078 (2020.08) [H04N 21/43074 (2020.08); H04N 21/43615 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for media playback, the method comprising:
transmitting, from a leader device to a plurality of follower devices that each belong to a group of media playback devices in a group media playback session, control instructions that cause a media content item to be synchronously presented with the leader device and each of the plurality of follower devices in the group of media playback devices;
during the synchronous presentation of the media content item, receiving, by the leader device, an indication to halt playback of the media content item being presented by the leader device;
in response to receiving the indication to halt playback of the media content item being presented by the leader device, determining whether the leader device is to remain the leader device of the group of media playback devices in the group media playback session;
in response to determining that the leader device is to remain the leader device of the group of media playback devices, halting the playback of the media content item on the leader device while continuing to transmit, by the leader device, updated control instructions that cause the media content item in the group media playback session to continue being synchronously presented on the plurality of follower devices remaining in the group of media playback devices; and
in response to determining that the leader device is not to remain the leader device of the group of media playback devices, designating, by the leader device, an updated leader device for the group media playback session, wherein the updated leader device is one of the follower devices of the group of media playback devices or a new device added to the group media playback session, and the leader device transmits a control instruction to the updated leader device that identifies an application that is to be executed on the updated leader device and that causes the updated leader device to initiate execution of the identified application, wherein executing said application causes instructions to be transmitted to the follower devices.