DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s Amendment filed on February 2, 2026 has been reviewed.
Claims 1, 5, 9,12, 16 and 20 are amended in the amendment.
Claims 1-20 have been examined.
Continued Examination under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 2, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 12 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, at lines 12-13 , “a selection of a plurality of playback devices” should be changed to “a selection of the one or more of playback devices” and at lines 18-19 and 21-22, “the selected plurality of playback devices” should be changed to “the selected one or more of playback [[devices]] device”. For the purpose of examination, Examiner interpret that one or more playback devices as the one playback device.
In claim 12 and 16, at lines 10-11 , “a selection of a plurality of playback devices” should be changed to “a selection of the one or more of playback devices” and at lines 15-16 and 17-18, “the selected plurality of playback devices” should be changed to “the selected one or more of playback [[devices]] device”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 7, 10, 12 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pressnell et al. (US 2022/0086536 A1), hereinafter referred to as Pressnell, in view of Bernstein et al. (US 2021/0141992 A1), hereinafter referred to as Bernstein.
With respect to claim 1, Pressnell teaches A media playback system comprising:
a first playback device having a first content store (process 12 (e.g., a helper) running on a media playing device 14 and that provides services 16 to (e.g., helps) a player 18 that is also running on the playing device, para. 0037); and
one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that (memory storing instructions, claim 37), when executed by one or more processors (processor, para. 0005), cause the media playback system to perform operations comprising:
configuring the first playback device to stream content items received via a network connection without storing the streamed content items in the first content store (the communication channel 24 between the playing device and the CDN 26 through which the streaming files 28 of the media item are delivered, para. 0037; providing the streaming files received from the CDN directly to the player, for example, without storing them persistently in the persistent storage, para. 0046), and
after receiving an indication to store content (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity); user must choose to engage the download feature by clicking a download button or in one case (Netflix Smart Download) automatically in response to a user's viewing behavior, para. 0012),
identifying one or more content items to download onto the first playback device (to support its services, the helper can, among other things, use the manifest to request, receive, store, and maintain streaming files for the media item in the long-term storage cache, para. 0105; also see para. 0012),
retrieving the plurality of playback devices (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity), para. 0012; to support its services, the helper can, among other things, use the manifest to request, receive, store, and maintain streaming files for the media item in the long-term storage cache, para. 0105; the services provided by the helper to storage and retrieval of portions or all of the media items at the playing device or other co-located or co-used or co-owned devices, para. 0066),
storing the retrieved one or more content items in the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020), and
configuring the first playback device to play content items from the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, for example, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020).
Pressnell does not explicitly teach
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices;
receiving, from a user, a selection of a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device;
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items,
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices;
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices,
However, Bernstein teaches
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072);
receiving, from a user, a selection of a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072);
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items (the audio content source region 333e includes a listing of one or more media content sources from which a user can select media items for play back and/or adding to a playback queue, para. 0076; fig. 3),
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices (if a user selects “Browse” in the lower display region 233f, the control device 230 can be configured to output a second user interface display 231b (FIG. 2B) comprising a plurality of music services 233g (e.g., Spotify, Radio by Tunein, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, TV, local music, line-in) through which the user can browse and from which the user can select media content for play back via one or more playback devices (e.g., one of the playback devices 110, para. 0075; receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134);
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices (receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134) in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070),
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Bernstein to the system of Pressnell in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070).
With respect to claim 7, Pressnell teaches The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the streamed content items are played at a first resolution and wherein the content items stored in the first content store are played at a second resolution different from the first resolution (the temporarily stored versions and at least one of the persistently stored other versions have different qualities; the use of the persistently stored other versions to enhance the presentation includes providing other stored versions of a minimum quality when a quality of the temporarily stored versions falls to the minimum quality level or lower or the playing device is unable to receive the versions to be temporarily stored, para. 0020; the “quality” of a digital file for a media item can refer to the fineness of the detail captured by the file, such as its resolution; higher quality digital files are larger than lower quality digital files for a given content, para. 0043).
With respect to claim 10, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Further, Bernstein teaches the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device is playing a first content item from the first content store, receiving, from a controller device, a control command to modify playback of the first content item by the first playback device (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions such as, play or pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode, enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode, etc., the playback control region 133d include selectable icons to modify equalization settings, playback volume, and/or other suitable playback actions, para. 0072) in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Bernstein to the system of Pressnell in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070).
With respect to claim 12, Pressnell teaches A method comprising:
configuring a first playback device, having a first content store (process 12 (e.g., a helper) running on a media playing device 14 and that provides services 16 to (e.g., helps) a player 18 that is also running on the playing device, para. 0037), to stream content items received via a network connection without storing the streamed content items in the first content store (the communication channel 24 between the playing device and the CDN 26 through which the streaming files 28 of the media item are delivered, para. 0037; providing the streaming files received from the CDN directly to the player, for example, without storing them persistently in the persistent storage, para. 0046),
after receiving an indication to store content (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity); user must choose to engage the download feature by clicking a download button or in one case (Netflix Smart Download) automatically in response to a user's viewing behavior, para. 0012),
retrieving the plurality of playback devices (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity), para. 0012; to support its services, the helper can, among other things, use the manifest to request, receive, store, and maintain streaming files for the media item in the long-term storage cache, para. 0105; the services provided by the helper to storage and retrieval of portions or all of the media items at the playing device or other co-located or co-used or co-owned devices, para. 0066),
storing the retrieved one or more content items in the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020), and
configuring the first playback device to play content items from the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, for example, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020).
Pressnell does not explicitly teach
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices,
receiving, from a user, a selection of a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device,
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items,
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices,
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices,
However, Bernstein teaches
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072),
receiving, from a user, a selection of a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072),
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items (the audio content source region 333e includes a listing of one or more media content sources from which a user can select media items for play back and/or adding to a playback queue, para. 0076; fig. 3),
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices (if a user selects “Browse” in the lower display region 233f, the control device 230 can be configured to output a second user interface display 231b (FIG. 2B) comprising a plurality of music services 233g (e.g., Spotify, Radio by Tunein, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, TV, local music, line-in) through which the user can browse and from which the user can select media content for play back via one or more playback devices (e.g., one of the playback devices 110, para. 0075; receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134),
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices (receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134) in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070),
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Bernstein to the method of Pressnell in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070).
With respect to claim 16, Pressnell teaches One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that (process 12 (e.g., a helper) running on a media playing device 14 and that provides services 16 to (e.g., helps) a player 18 that is also running on the playing device, para. 0037; memory storing instructions, claim 37), when executed by one or more processors of a media playback system (processor, para. 0005), cause the media playback system to perform operations comprising:
configuring a first playback device, having a first content store (process 12 (e.g., a helper) running on a media playing device 14 and that provides services 16 to (e.g., helps) a player 18 that is also running on the playing device, para. 0037), to stream content items received via a network connection without storing the streamed content items in the first content store (the communication channel 24 between the playing device and the CDN 26 through which the streaming files 28 of the media item are delivered, para. 0037; providing the streaming files received from the CDN directly to the player, for example, without storing them persistently in the persistent storage, para. 0046),
after receiving an indication to store content (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity); user must choose to engage the download feature by clicking a download button or in one case (Netflix Smart Download) automatically in response to a user's viewing behavior, para. 0012),
identifying one or more content items to download onto the first playback device (to support its services, the helper can, among other things, use the manifest to request, receive, store, and maintain streaming files for the media item in the long-term storage cache, para. 0105; also see para. 0012),
retrieving the plurality of playback devices (the downloaded media items will play from the locally stored set of streaming files, without the playing device needing to request them from the CDN (with the potential associated fluctuating, limited, or absent connectivity), para. 0012; to support its services, the helper can, among other things, use the manifest to request, receive, store, and maintain streaming files for the media item in the long-term storage cache, para. 0105; the services provided by the helper to storage and retrieval of portions or all of the media items at the playing device or other co-located or co-used or co-owned devices, para. 0066),
storing the retrieved one or more content items in the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020), and
configuring the first playback device to play content items from the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel quality declines, for example, if available bandwidth declines or connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020).
Pressnell does not explicitly teach
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices,
a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device,
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items,
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selectedplurality of playback devices,
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices,
However, Bernstein teaches
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of one or more playback devices (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072),
a plurality of playback devices from among the list of one or more playback devices, wherein the selection includes the first playback device (the playback control region 133d can include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions, para. 0072),
providing, for display, a user interface comprising a list of content items (the audio content source region 333e includes a listing of one or more media content sources from which a user can select media items for play back and/or adding to a playback queue, para. 0076; fig. 3),
receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more content items, from among the list of content items, to download onto the selectedplurality of playback devices (if a user selects “Browse” in the lower display region 233f, the control device 230 can be configured to output a second user interface display 231b (FIG. 2B) comprising a plurality of music services 233g (e.g., Spotify, Radio by Tunein, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, TV, local music, line-in) through which the user can browse and from which the user can select media content for play back via one or more playback devices (e.g., one of the playback devices 110, para. 0075; receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134),
retrieving theselected one or more content items to download onto the selected plurality of playback devices (receiving user input representing a selection of the displayed media content data, and responsive to receiving the selection, causing the one or more networked playback devices to retrieve, from the media streaming service, media content corresponding to the selected media content data for playback, para. 0134) in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070),
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Bernstein to the medium of Pressnell in order to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the media playback system as taught by Bernstein (para. 0070).
Claims 4-6, 15 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pressnell et al. (US 2022/0086536 A1), hereinafter referred to as Pressnell, in view of Bernstein et al. (US 2021/0141992 A1), hereinafter referred to as Bernstein, and further in view of in view of Schoenwald (US 2021/0037071 A1).
With respect to claim 4, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device.
However, Schoenwald teaches the operations further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device (the user can select the option for automatic downloading and select if they want automatic downloads to occur over both mobile data and WiFi, depending on availability, or via WiFi only; where downloading via mobile data is permitted, download speeds can be increased by using both WiFi and mobile data for downloading content, a file's packets can be divided into two groups, one which will download over WiFi, and one which will download over data, the size of these queues would adjust based off of the speeds of the networks, para. 0041) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
With respect to claim 5, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
accessing a playlist associated with the first playback device
identifying, from the accessed playlist, content items marked for download.
However, Schoenwald teaches the operations further comprising:
accessing a playlist associated with the first playback device(a list of media marked for archival can listed with the download queue for easy access and, should the user choose, deselection or deletion, para. 0048); and
identifying, from the accessed playlist, content items marked for download (a list of media marked for archival can listed with the download queue for easy access and, should the user choose, deselection or deletion, para. 0048) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
With respect to claim 6, Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald teaches The media playback system of claim 5 as described above,
Further, Schoenwald teaches the operations further comprising:
providing, for display, a user interface comprising, for each of the one or more content items identified by the accessed playlist, an indication of whether the content item is stored in the first content store of the first playback device (Saved media marked by either an icon, a color highlight, or a shaded area to indicate their designation, a list of media marked for archival can listed with the download queue for easy access and, should the user choose, deselection or deletion, para. 0048) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
With respect to claim 15, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The method of claim 12 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device.
However, Schoenwald teaches further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device (the user can select the option for automatic downloading and select if they want automatic downloads to occur over both mobile data and WiFi, depending on availability, or via WiFi only; where downloading via mobile data is permitted, download speeds can be increased by using both WiFi and mobile data for downloading content, a file's packets can be divided into two groups, one which will download over WiFi, and one which will download over data, the size of these queues would adjust based off of the speeds of the networks, para. 0041) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the method of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
With respect to claim 19, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device.
However, Schoenwald teaches the operations further comprising:
after determining that a first content item has been added to a queue associated with the first playback device, automatically downloading the first content item to the first playback device (the user can select the option for automatic downloading and select if they want automatic downloads to occur over both mobile data and WiFi, depending on availability, or via WiFi only; where downloading via mobile data is permitted, download speeds can be increased by using both WiFi and mobile data for downloading content, a file's packets can be divided into two groups, one which will download over WiFi, and one which will download over data, the size of these queues would adjust based off of the speeds of the networks, para. 0041) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the media of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
With respect to claim 20, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
accessing a playlist associated with the first playback device
identifying, from the accessed playlist, content items marked for download.
However, Schoenwald teaches the operations further comprising:
accessing a playlist associated with the first playback device(a list of media marked for archival can listed with the download queue for easy access and, should the user choose, deselection or deletion, para. 0048); and
identifying, from the accessed playlist, content items marked for download (a list of media marked for archival can listed with the download queue for easy access and, should the user choose, deselection or deletion, para. 0048) in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Schoenwald, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Schoenwald to the media of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to ensure the user always has content as soon as it becomes available while the latter could be set so that downloads would take place as taught by Schoenwald (para. 0043).
Claims 2-3, 13-14 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pressnell et al. (US 2022/0086536 A1), hereinafter referred to as Pressnell, in view of Bernstein et al. (US 2021/0141992 A1), hereinafter referred to as Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain (US 2014/0181202 A1).
With respect to claim 2, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item,
identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item, and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item.
However, Gossain teaches the operations further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item (providing multimedia content (requested or otherwise) to local playback networks, para. 0095),
identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item (the audio source found locally from another device over the data network 128, from the controller 130, stored on the zone player itself, or from an audio source communicating directly to the zone player, para. 0042), and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item (a first device from the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group to facilitate the synchronized audio content playback, establishing the group of one or more devices in a playback system involve selecting or designating the first device as the group coordinator of the group, para. 0099) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
With respect to claim 3, Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain teaches The media playback system of claim 2 as described above,
Further, Gossain teaches wherein the playback coordinator is configured to:
during coordinated playback of the first content item,
send timing information to a first identified playback device storing the first content item without sending audio content to the first identified playback device (the first media device 1010 perform group coordinator device tasks, which include receiving media content through the media device 1006 and the media device 1008; processing the media content, generating playback timing information, and subsequently sending at least playback timing information back to the media device 1008 for synchronized playback, para. 0111), and
send timing information and audio content to at least one playback device that does not store the first content item (a first device of the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group, para. 0030) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
With respect to claim 13, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The method of claim 12 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item,
identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item, and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item.
However, Gossain teaches further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item (providing multimedia content (requested or otherwise) to local playback networks, para. 0095),
identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item (the audio source found locally from another device over the data network 128, from the controller 130, stored on the zone player itself, or from an audio source communicating directly to the zone player, para. 0042), and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item (a first device from the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group to facilitate the synchronized audio content playback, establishing the group of one or more devices in a playback system involve selecting or designating the first device as the group coordinator of the group, para. 0099) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
With respect to claim 14, Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain teaches The method of claim 13 as described above,
Further, Gossain teaches wherein the playback coordinator is configured to:
send timing information to a first identified playback device storing the first content item without sending audio content to the first identified playback device (the first media device 1010 perform group coordinator device tasks, which include receiving media content through the media device 1006 and the media device 1008; processing the media content, generating playback timing information, and subsequently sending at least playback timing information back to the media device 1008 for synchronized playback, para. 0111), and
send timing information and audio content to at least one playback device that does not store the first content item (a first device of the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group, para. 0030) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
With respect to claim 17, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item,
identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item, and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item.
However, Gossain teaches the operations further comprising:
after receiving a request to play a first content item (providing multimedia content (requested or otherwise) to local playback networks, para. 0095), identifying, from among a plurality of synchronized playback devices, one or more playback devices storing the first content item (the audio source found locally from another device over the data network 128, from the controller 130, stored on the zone player itself, or from an audio source communicating directly to the zone player, para. 0042), and
selecting, from among the identified one or more playback devices storing the first content item, a playback coordinator for coordinating playback of the first content item (a first device from the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group to facilitate the synchronized audio content playback, establishing the group of one or more devices in a playback system involve selecting or designating the first device as the group coordinator of the group, para. 0099) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
With respect to claim 18, Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain teaches The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 as described above,
Further, Gossain teaches wherein the playback coordinator is configured to:
during coordinated playback of the first content item,
send timing information to a first identified playback device storing the first content item without sending audio content to the first identified playback device (the first media device 1010 perform group coordinator device tasks, which include receiving media content through the media device 1006 and the media device 1008; processing the media content, generating playback timing information, and subsequently sending at least playback timing information back to the media device 1008 for synchronized playback, para. 0111), and
send timing information and audio content to at least one playback device that does not store the first content item (a first device of the one or more devices in the media playback system is a group coordinator configured to provide audio content data and audio content playback timing information to other devices in the group, para. 0030) in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Gossain, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Gossain to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network and enable control of one or more zone players as taught by Gossain (para. 0067).
Claims 8 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pressnell et al. (US 2022/0086536 A1), hereinafter referred to as Pressnell, in view of Bernstein et al. (US 2021/0141992 A1), hereinafter referred to as Bernstein, and further in view of Sant et al. (US 2015/0222950 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sant.
With respect to claim 8, Pressnell teaches The media playback system of claim 1, the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device has a network connection, configuring the first playback device to stream content items received via the network connection (the communication channel 24 between the playing device and the CDN 26 through which the streaming files 28 of the media item are delivered, para. 0037; providing the streaming files received from the CDN directly to the player, for example, without storing them persistently in the persistent storage, para. 0046); and
after determining that the network connection has been lost, configuring the first playback device to stream content items from the first content store of the first playback device (indicating the availability of bandwidth on the communication channel in conjunction with the player's requests during which the helper can request and store streaming files to establish one or more backup sets of streaming files of a chosen quality level or levels; the backup set can be made available to the player if channel connectivity is lost altogether, para. 0096; also see para. 0011, 0020).
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device has a WiFi connection, configuring the first playback device to stream content items received via the WiFi connection; and
after determining that the WiFi connection has been lost, configuring the first playback device to stream content items from the first content store of the first playback device.
However, Sant teaches the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device has a WiFi connection, configuring the first playback device to stream content items received via the WiFi connection (the system accesses the content, a wireless connection, such as wifi, para. 0091; the system uses its network connectivity to download, progressively download and/or stream the content, para. 0104); and
after determining that the WiFi connection has been lost, configuring the first playback device to stream content items from the first content store of the first playback device (cached data is used to provide the system with access to content and/or associated metadata when "offline" (when online connectivity is unavailable), such as when travelling on some planes and underground railways or when connectivity is disabled, para. 0107) in order to permit content to be broadcast to one or more suitable media players, whether connected directly or wirelessly as taught by Sant (para. 0113).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Sant, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Sant to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to permit content to be broadcast to one or more suitable media players, whether connected directly or wirelessly as taught by Sant (para. 0113).
With respect to claim 11, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device is streaming content via a WiFi connection, receiving one or more control instructions via the WiFi connection; and
while the first playback device is playing content stored in the first content store, receiving one or more control instructions via a second connection other than the WiFi connection.
However, Sant teaches teach the operations further comprising:
while the first playback device is streaming content via a WiFi connection, receiving one or more control instructions via the WiFi connection (the system accesses the content, a wireless connection, such as wifi, para. 0091; the system uses its network connectivity to download, progressively download and/or stream the content, para. 0104); and
while the first playback device is playing content stored in the first content store, receiving one or more control instructions via a second connection other than the WiFi connection (cached data is used to provide the system with access to content and/or associated metadata when "offline" (when online connectivity is unavailable), such as when travelling on some planes and underground railways or when connectivity is disabled, para. 0107) in order to permit content to be broadcast to one or more suitable media players, whether connected directly or wirelessly as taught by Sant (para. 0113).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Sant, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Sant to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to permit content to be broadcast to one or more suitable media players, whether connected directly or wirelessly as taught by Sant (para. 0113).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pressnell et al. (US 2022/0086536 A1), hereinafter referred to as Pressnell, in view of Bernstein et al. (US 2021/0141992 A1), hereinafter referred to as Bernstein, and further in view of Nagarajan et al. (US 2020/0218329 A1), hereinafter referred to as Nagarajan.
With respect to claim 9, Pressnell in view of Bernstein teaches The media playback system of claim 1 as described above,
Pressnell in view of Bernstein does not explicitly teach the operations further comprising:
determining a current battery level for the first playback device; and ,
identifying
However, Nagarajan teaches the operations further comprising:
determining a current battery level for the first playback device (a third-party content provider choose a ‘search and display’ campaign type, a third-party content provider elect to offer third-party content of a ‘click to download’ type only when the battery level of a particular user device is at a high battery level, when the battery level is low, the third-party content provider elect to offer third-party content including text and links to additional content, the third-party content being offered correspond to the battery level of the user device so as to avoid inconveniencing the user by depleting a remaining charge amount, para. 0030); and ,
identifying (a third-party content provider choose a ‘search and display’ campaign type, a third-party content provider elect to offer third-party content of a ‘click to download’ type only when the battery level of a particular user device is at a high battery level, when the battery level is low, the third-party content provider elect to offer third-party content including text and links to additional content, the third-party content being offered correspond to the battery level of the user device so as to avoid inconveniencing the user by depleting a remaining charge amount, para. 0030) in order to avoid inconveniencing the user by depleting a remaining charge amount as taught by Nagarajan (para. 0030).
Therefore, based on Pressnell in view of Bernstein, and further in view of Nagarajan, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Nagarajan to the system of Pressnell in view of Bernstein in order to avoid inconveniencing the user by depleting a remaining charge amount as taught by Nagarajan (para. 0030).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAO HONG NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2666. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8AM-4:30PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joon H. Hwang can be reached on (571)272-40364036. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/H.H.N/Examiner, Art Unit 2447
April 21, 2026
/JOON H HWANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2447
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