Enabling components of a playback device

• US 10,031,716 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Gossain, Hrishikesh, Tober, Benjamin Ari
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHIL K
• Application Number:
  US14/950,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An example implementation involves a first playback device maintaining a list of MAC addresses. While one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, the first playback device may receive a data packet that comprises a payload associated with a MAC address. The MAC address may correspond to a network interface of a second playback device. The first playback device may identify the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, and based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enable at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

maintaining a list of one or more unicast MAC addresses indicating one or more respective second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the one or more second playback devices indicated in the list;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving, via the network interface, a data packet that comprises a payload representing a given unicast MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of a particular second playback device;

determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, wherein determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device comprises identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses; and

in response to receiving the data packet that comprises the payload representing the given unicast MAC address that corresponds to the network interface of the particular second playback device and determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the data packet is a first data packet, and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the method further comprises:

after identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more MAC addresses, transmitting to the particular second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload representing the given unicast MAC address.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the given unicast MAC address is a first unicast MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to network proxy for a another second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of the another second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of one or more MAC addresses.

4. The first playback device of claim 3, wherein the request to network proxy for the another second playback device further indicates a third MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of a third playback device for which the another second playback device is a network proxy, and wherein maintaining the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses comprises adding the third MAC address to the list of one or more MAC addresses.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

6. The first playback device of claim 5,

wherein the network interface is a first network interface, and wherein disabling the at least one component of the first playback device comprises disabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of:

(a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) the network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device that comprises the one or more processors.

8. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a first playback device to perform functions comprising:

maintaining a list of one or more unicast MAC addresses indicating one or more respective second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the one or more second playback devices indicated in the list;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving, via a network interface, a data packet that comprises a payload representing a given unicast MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of a particular second playback device;

determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, wherein determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device comprises identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses; and

in response to receiving the data packet that comprises the payload representing the given unicast MAC address that corresponds to the network interface of the particular second playback device and determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

9. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data packet is a first data packet and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the functions further comprise:

after identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more MAC addresses, transmitting to the particular second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload representing the given unicast MAC address.

10. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the given unicast MAC address is a first unicast MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to network proxy for a another second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of the another second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of one or more MAC addresses.

11. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

12. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the network interface is a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device comprises:

enabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

13. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of (a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) the network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device.

20. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the given unicast MAC address is a first unicast MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to network proxy for a another second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of the another second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of one or more MAC addresses.

14. A method comprising:

maintaining, via a first playback device, a list of one or more unicast MAC addresses indicating one or more respective second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the one or more second playback devices indicated in the list;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving, via a network interface of the first playback device, a data packet that comprises a payload representing a given unicast MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of a particular second playback device;

determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, wherein determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device comprises identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses; and

in response to receiving the data packet that comprises the payload representing the given unicast MAC address that corresponds to the network interface of the particular second playback device and determining that the first playback device is configured to network proxy for the particular second playback device, enabling, via the first playback device, at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data packet is a first data packet, and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the method further comprises:

after identifying the given unicast MAC address in the list of one or more MAC addresses, transmitting to the particular second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload representing the given unicast MAC address.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the given unicast MAC address is a first unicast MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of one or more unicast MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to network proxy for a another second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address that corresponds to a network interface of the another second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of one or more MAC addresses.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the particular second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the network interface is a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device comprises:

enabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of (a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) the network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device.