Patent ID: 8544046

Claim:
A method for controlling media rendering in a local area network wherein a first control element, a first media rendering device and a first media server are located in the local area network and further wherein a first mobile device is connected to the first control element wherein the first mobile device and the first media rendering device are different devices and further wherein the first control element is resident in a single device which is a different device than the first mobile device and the first media rendering device wherein a first multimedia file is available from the first media server, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting a first message wherein the first message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element; transmitting a second message wherein the second message is transmitted from the first control element to the first mobile device and further wherein the second message corresponds to the first message wherein the second message has the metadata associated with the first multimedia file; accepting user input on the first mobile device requesting that the first media rendering device provides playback of a first plurality of multimedia files wherein the first plurality of multimedia files includes the first multimedia file; transmitting a third message which requests that the first media rendering device provides the playback of the first plurality of multimedia files wherein the third message is transmitted from the first mobile device to the first control element; creating a first device queue which lists the first plurality of multimedia files in a first order which begins with the first multimedia file wherein the first control element creates the first device queue in response to the third message; storing information about the first device queue on the first control element wherein the information identifies the first plurality of multimedia files, an association of the first media rendering device with the first device queue, and a playback position in the first plurality of multimedia files wherein the first control element stores the information about the first device queue after creating the first device queue; transmitting a fourth message wherein the fourth message is transmitted from the first control element to the first media rendering device using the local area network; and initiating the playback of the first plurality of multimedia files listed by the first device queue wherein the first media rendering device initiates the playback of the first plurality of multimedia files listed by the first device queue by initiating playback of the first multimedia file and further wherein receipt of the fourth message by the first media rendering device directs the first media rendering device to render the first multimedia file.