DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Examiner’s Comments
The final rejection filed 2-2-2026 has been vacated and a new non-final rejection has been submitted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-19,21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shenoy et al (US 20240346063 A1).
As per claim 1, Shenoy discloses a method for managing track deletion in a stateless playback architecture, comprising the steps of:
receiving a media content item deletion request requesting deletion of a targeted media content item from a list of media content items that are in queue to be played back by a plurality of participant devices in a collaborative media consumption session (sent by the authoritative device per para 34 in order to remove tracks during the collaborative enjoyment experience, and also as per the indication of the change to the queue per para 58);
creating a media content item placeholder corresponding to the targeted media content item (the particular change 240 and 242 as implemented in the respective playlists on the respective devices 72, fig. 12b, where a changed media content indicated by the queue is a created media content item placeholder);
computing a playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on the media content item placeholder until the targeted media content item corresponding to the media content item placeholder has finished playing (the implementation of queue and clock synchronization data per para 65, as received by the data centers and client devices per 66 to provide synchronization of the playlist, which is a computed playback position for each device based on when the previous content item has stopped playing); and
sending the playback position to a media playback device (para. 69: selected data centers may then service synchronization requests of assigned listening client devices using the authoritative clock. For example, the queue context may be calculated using the authoritative clock indication (block 428)).
As per claim 2, the method according to claim 1, wherein the media content items deletion request is received while the targeted media content item is being played in the collaborative media consumption sessions (para. 34: based upon editing of the queue or queue playback by an authoritative device; where queue playback is while the target media item is being played).
As per claim 3, the method according to claim 1, further comprising: wherein computing the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session is also based on a prestored reference point defining a point in time of collaborative media consumption session prior to when the targeted media content item was to be played (the synchronization information/prestored reference points) provided from the data centers to the client devices before a given change to the queue occurs).
As per claim 4, the method according to claim 1, further comprising: computing the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on the next media content item in the list of media content items when the targeted media content item has finished playing (the function computing the playback position per para 55 occurs after each content item has finished playing, including that associated with the placeholder).
As per claim 5, the method according to claim 4, further comprising: wherein computing the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session is also based on an updated reference point defining a point in time of collaborative media consumption session corresponding to the beginning of the next media content item (para. 57: may be used to modify a playlist 292 and/or a current playback time, where the playlist comprises updated reference point defining a point in time of collaborative media consumption session corresponding to the beginning of the next media content item).
As per claim 6, the method according to claim 1, wherein the media content item placeholder is a temporary element in the list of media content items that plurality of participant devices is instructed to play back.
As per claim 7, the method of claim 1, further comprising: initiating, by a host device corresponding to a host of the collaborative media consumption session, a playback of a group listening session that includes reproducing at least one track from a playlist (the authoritative device per the claim 1 rejection making any change to the currently playing queue is an initiation of a new playback queue); and
receiving, from the host device, the media content item deletion request (the authoritative device sending the remove indication per the claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 8, the method of claim 1, further comprising: using a prestored playback context containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is currently being reproduced (the previous queue clock and synchronization data per the claim 1 rejection, before the queue change has been received) ; and
using an updated playback context not containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is not currently being reproduced (the indication to change to the queue per the claim 1 rejection, is made to the next track per para,55: the synchronization may result in a context that extends into a subsequent track. This may especially occur when the context indicates high network latency and/or the playback position is near the end of a track; as applied to a following track after the targeted track has been removed from the queue).
As per claim 9, the method of claim 1, further comprising:
detecting a new participant device has joined the collaborative media consumption session within a predetermined period of time following receipt of the media content item deletion request (para. 49, the added listeners to the currently playing playlist); and
using an updated playback context not containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is not currently being reproduced (after the change to the queue is implemented per the claim 1 rejection, the listening devices will use the updated playback context per the synchronization functions cited in the claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 10, Shenoy discloses a system for managing track deletion in a stateless playback architecture, the system comprising:
a stateless position coordinator configured to:
receive a media content item deletion request requesting deletion of a targeted media content item from a list of media content items that are in queue to be played back by a plurality of participant devices in a collaborative media consumption session (per claim 1 rejection);
create a media content item placeholder corresponding to the targeted media content item (per claim 1 rejection);
compute a playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on the targeted media content item placeholder until the media content item corresponding to the media content item placeholder has finished playing (per claim 1 rejection); and
send the playback position to a media playback device (per claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 11, the system according to claim 10, wherein the media content items deletion request is received while the targeted media content item is being played in the collaborative media consumption sessions (per claim 2 rejection).
As per claim 12, the system according to claim 10, the playback/stateless position coordinator further configured to:
compute the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on a prestored reference point defining a point in time of collaborative media consumption session prior to when the targeted media content item was to be played (per claim 3 rejection).
As per claim 13, the system according to claim 10, the playback/stateless position coordinator further configured to: compute the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on the next media content item in the list of media content items when the media content item has finished playing (per claim 4 rejection).
As per claim 14, the system according to claim 13, the playback/stateless position coordinator further configured to: compute the playback position for the collaborative media consumption session is based also on an updated reference point defining a point in time of collaborative media consumption session corresponding to the beginning of the next media content item (per claim 5 rejection).
As per claim 15, the system according to claim 10, the playback position coordinator further configured to: determine if a particular media playback item currently being reproduced in the collaborative media consumption session is the targeted media content item to be deleted (per claim 6 rejection).
As per claim 16, the system according to claim 10, the playback/stateless position coordinator further configured to: receive, from a host device, the media content item deletion request (per claim 7 rejection).
As per claim 17, the system according to claim 10, the playback/stateless position coordinator further configured to: use a prestored playback context containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is currently being reproduced; and use an updated playback context not containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is not currently being reproduced (per claim 8 rejection).
As per claim 18, the system according to claim 10, the playback position coordinator further configured to: detect a new participant device has joined the collaborative media consumption session within a predetermined period of time following receipt of the media content item deletion request; and use an updated playback context not containing the targeted media content item when the targeted media content item is not currently being reproduced (per claim 9 rejection).
As per claim 19, the system of Shenoy requires a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more processors to perform (for the purpose of implementing the processor based system as follows):
receiving a media content item deletion request requesting deletion of a targeted media content item from a list of media content items that are in queue to be played back by a plurality of participant devices in a collaborative media consumption session (per claim 1 rejection);
creating a media content item placeholder corresponding to the targeted media content item (per claim 1 rejection);
computing a playback position for the collaborative media consumption session based on the targeted media content item placeholder until the media content item corresponding to the media content item placeholder has finished playing (per claim 1 rejection); and
sending the playback position to a media playback device (per claim 1 rejection).
As per claim 21, The method of claim 1, wherein each participant device of the plurality of participant devices retrieves, from a media delivery system, the media content item placeholder (customized change indication para 59)
and each media content item in the list of media content items (para. 49: The queue 68 may be a stream of digital content (e.g., from a broadcast content provider) ), and
wherein each participant device is configured to initiate playback of the media content item placeholder at the playback position in response to receiving the playback position (para. 59).
Response to Arguments
The submitted arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN whose telephone number is 571-272-7498, and whose email address is alexander.krzystan@uspto.gov
The examiner can usually be reached on m-f 7:30-4:00 est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone or email are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fan Tsang can be reached on (571) 272-7547.
The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300 for regular communications and 571-273-8300 for After Final communications.
/ALEXANDER KRZYSTAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2653
Examiner Alexander Krzystan
April 3, 2026
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