Identification of audio content facilitated by playback device

• US 10,001,969 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Clayton, Eric, Ramos, Aurelio Rafael
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODUNUKWE, UBACHUKWU A
• Application Number:
  US15/587,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77, 381 80, 707758, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An example implementation involves a playback device receiving digital data representing audio content, the digital data encoded in a first format. The playback device causes one or more speaker drivers to playback the audio content. The playback device decodes a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format and transmits, via a network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data. The playback device receives, from via the network interface from the identification system, metadata corresponding to the audio content, and in response, causes a control device to display a graphical representation of the received metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received metadata to the control device.

Claims

1. A playback device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a network interface mounted in the enclosure;

one or more speaker drivers mounted in the enclosure;

one or more processors mounted in the enclosure; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media mounted in the enclosure and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, via the network interface from a control device, an command to play back audio content, wherein the audio content is identified by metadata;

receiving digital data representing the audio content, wherein the digital data is encoded in a first format;

decoding a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format;

based on the received command, causing, via the one or more speaker drivers, playback of the audio content;

while playing back the audio content via the one or more speaker drivers, transmitting, via the network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data;

receiving, via the network interface from the identification system in response to transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data, additional metadata corresponding to the audio content; and

in response to receiving, from the identification system, the additional metadata corresponding to the audio content, causing the control device to display a graphical representation of the received additional metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received additional metadata to the control device.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change a sample rate of the decoded portion of the received digital data from a first sample rate to a second sample rate, and

wherein the transmitting, via the network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data comprises;

transmitting, via the network interface to the computing device of the identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data having the second sample rate.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the digital data of the audio content has a first sample rate, and wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at a second sample rate; and

in response to determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at the second sample rate, dynamically causing the playback device to transmit the decoded portion of the received digital data after processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change the decoded portion of the received digital data from the first sample rate to the second sample rate.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

segregating the received digital data into at least a first portion representing a first audio frequency range of the audio content and a second portion representing a second audio frequency range of the audio content; and

receiving the first portion of the received digital data.

5. The playback device of claim 4, wherein decoding the portion of the received digital data comprises:

decoding the first portion of the received digital data.

6. The playback device of claim 4, wherein the functions further comprise:

transmitting, via the network interface to a second playback device, the second portion of the audio content for playback by the second playback device, and

wherein causing, via the one or more speaker drivers, playback of the audio content comprises;

causing, via the one or more speaker drivers, playback of the first portion of the audio content.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device further comprises an audio port, and wherein receiving digital data representing audio content comprises:

receiving, via the audio port, the digital data representing the audio content.

8. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, via the network interface from the control device, a command to transmit the portion of the received digital data to the identification system for identification; and

wherein transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data comprises;

based on the received command, transmitting, via the network interface to the computing device of the identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data.

9. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor mounted in an enclosure of a playback device, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a control device, an command to play back audio content, wherein the audio content is identified by metadata, and wherein the network interface is mounted in an enclosure of the playback device;

receiving digital data representing audio content, wherein the digital data is encoded in a first format;

decoding a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format;

based on the received command, causing, via one or more speaker drivers, playback of the audio content, wherein the one or more speaker drivers are mounted in the enclosure of the playback device;

while playing back the audio content via the one or more speaker drivers, transmitting, via the network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data;

receiving, via the network interface from the identification system in response to transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data, additional metadata corresponding to the audio content; and

in response to receiving the additional metadata corresponding to the audio content, causing the control device to display a graphical representation of the received additional metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received additional metadata to the control device.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change a sample rate of the decoded portion of the received digital data from a first sample rate to a second sample rate, and

wherein the transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data comprises;

transmitting, via the network interface to the computing device of the identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data having the second sample rate.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the digital data of the audio content has a first sample rate, and wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at a second sample rate; and

in response to determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at the second sample rate, dynamically causing the playback device to transmit the decoded portion of the received digital data after processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change the decoded portion of the received digital data from the first sample rate to the second sample rate.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

segregating the received digital data into at least a first portion representing a first audio frequency range of the audio content and a second portion representing a second audio frequency range of the audio content; and

receiving the first portion of the received digital data.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein decoding the portion of the received digital data comprises:

decoding the first portion of the received digital data.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the functions further comprise:

transmitting, via the network interface to a second playback device, the second portion of the audio content for playback by the second playback device, and

wherein causing, via the one or more speaker drivers, playback of the audio content comprises;

causing, via the one or more speaker drivers, playback of the first portion of the audio content.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the playback device comprises an audio port, and wherein receiving digital data representing audio content comprises:

receiving, via the audio port, the digital data representing the audio content.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a playback device from a control device, an command to play back audio content, wherein the audio content is identified by metadata, and wherein the network interface is mounted in an enclosure of the playback device;

receiving, via the playback device, digital data representing audio content, wherein the digital data is encoded in a first format;

decoding a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format;

based on the received command, causing, via one or more speaker drivers, playback of the audio content, wherein the one or more speaker drivers are mounted in the enclosure of the playback device;

while playing back the audio content via the one or more speaker drivers, transmitting, via the network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data;

receiving, via the network interface from the identification system in response to transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data, additional metadata corresponding to the audio content; and

in response to receiving, from the identification system, the additional metadata corresponding to the audio content, causing the control device to display a graphical representation of the received additional metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received additional metadata to the control device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change a sample rate of the decoded portion of the received digital data from a first sample rate to a second sample rate, and

wherein the transmitting the decoded portion of the received digital data comprises;

transmitting, via the network interface to the computing device of the identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data having the second sample rate.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital data of the audio content has a first sample rate, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at a second sample rate; and

in response to determining that the identification system is configured to identify portions of digital data at the second sample rate, dynamically causing the playback device to transmit the decoded portion of the received digital data after processing the decoded portion of the received digital data to change the decoded portion of the received digital data from the first sample rate to the second sample rate.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

segregating the received digital data into at least a first portion representing a first audio frequency range of the audio content and a second portion representing a second audio frequency range of the audio content; and

receiving the first portion of the received digital data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein decoding, via a first data processing module, a portion of the received digital data comprises:

decoding the first portion of the received digital data.