Routing data over wireless communication links

• US 10,051,023 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Beckhardt, Steven, Gossain, Hrishikesh, Millington, Nicholas A. J., Peters, Jeffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US15/613,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6402 Address allocation for clients address allocation in data networks H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting

Abstract

Certain examples accommodate data routing optimizations. An example method comprises receiving, by a first playback device, data to be directed to at least a second playback device, the data comprising: i) audio data and ii) non-audio data. The method comprises transmitting, by the first playback device, the non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device according to a network protocol for communication between the first playback device and at least the second playback device via a wireless communication link. The method further comprises determining, by the first playback device, that a signal strength of the wireless communication link is above a threshold, and in response to the determination, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link, wherein transmitting the audio data comprises transmitting the audio data over the wireless communication link not according to the network protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first playback device, data to be directed to at least a second playback device, the data comprising;

i) audio data and ii) non-audio data;

transmitting, by the first playback device, the non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device according to a network protocol for communication between the first playback device and at least the second playback device, wherein the first playback device is directly coupled to the third playback device via a wireless communication link;

determining, by the first playback device, that a signal strength of the wireless communication link is above a threshold, and wherein the determining includes determining a port state of a network interface of the third playback device;

in response to the determination, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link, wherein transmitting the audio data comprises transmitting the audio data over the wireless communication link not according to the network protocol;

maintaining a table comprising state information corresponding to the port state of the third playback device;

changing the state information; and

in response changing the state information, transmitting, by the first playback device, audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the signal strength is above a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold;

in response to the determination that the signal strength is above the second threshold, establishing the wireless communication link.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the second threshold; and

while the signal strength is below the second threshold;

continuing to transmit the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link so long as the signal strength remains above the first threshold;

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold; and

in response to determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold, transmitting, by the first playback device, the audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio data includes a plurality of frames, and wherein the determining further comprises determining a threshold quality of service (QoS) associated with transmitting the frames over the wireless communication link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises determining a number of network hops to transmit the audio data from the first playback device to the second playback device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network protocol comprises a spanning tree protocol (STP), and wherein transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link comprises overriding the STP protocol.

7. A first playback device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the first playback device to perform functions comprising;

receiving data to be directed to at least a second playback device, the data comprising;

i) audio data and ii) non-audio data;

transmitting the non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device according to a network protocol for communication between the first playback device and at least the second playback device, wherein the first playback device is directly coupled to the third playback device via a wireless communication link;

determining that a signal strength of the wireless communication link is above a threshold, and wherein the determining includes determining a port state of a network interface of the third playback device;

in response to the determination, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link, wherein transmitting the audio data comprises transmitting the audio data over the wireless communication link not according to the network protocol;

maintaining a table comprising state information corresponding to the port state of the third playback device;

changing the state information; and

in response changing the state information, transmitting, by the first playback device, audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

8. The first playback device of claim 7, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, and wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that the signal strength is above a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold;

in response to the determination that the signal strength is above the second threshold, establishing the wireless communication link.

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

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the second threshold; and

while the signal strength is below the second threshold;

continuing to transmit the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link so long as the signal strength remains above the first threshold;

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold; and

in response to determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

10. The first playback device of claim 7, wherein the audio data includes a plurality of frames, and wherein the functions further comprise determining a threshold quality of service (QoS) associated with transmitting the frames over the wireless communication link.

11. The first playback device of claim 7, wherein the determining further comprises determining a number of network hops to transmit the audio data from the first playback device to the second playback device.

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

receiving data to be directed to at least a second playback device, the data comprising;

i) audio data and ii) non-audio data;

transmitting the non-audio data to the second playback device via a third playback device according to a network protocol for communication between the first playback device and at least the second playback device, wherein the first playback device is directly coupled to the third playback device via a wireless communication link;

determining that a signal strength of the wireless communication link is above a threshold, and wherein the determining includes determining a port state of a network interface of the third playback device;

in response to the determination, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link, wherein transmitting the audio data comprises transmitting the audio data over the wireless communication link not according to the network protocol;

maintaining a table comprising state information corresponding to the port state of the third playback device;

changing the state information; and

in response changing the state information, transmitting, by the first playback device, audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of 12, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, and wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that the signal strength is above a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold;

in response to the determination that the signal strength is above the second threshold, establishing the wireless communication link.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the second threshold; and

while the signal strength is below the second threshold;

continuing to transmit the audio data to the second playback device via the wireless communication link so long as the signal strength remains above the first threshold;

determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold; and

in response to determining that the signal strength has fallen below the first threshold, transmitting the audio data to the second playback device via the third playback device according to the network protocol.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of 12, wherein the audio data includes a plurality of frames, and wherein the functions further comprise determining a threshold quality of service (QoS) associated with transmitting the frames over the wireless communication link.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of 12, wherein the determining further comprises determining a number of network hops to transmit the audio data from the first playback device to the second playback device.