Default playback device designation

• US 10,225,651 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US15/818,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20180077488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 381110, 381 92, 381 56- 59, 381314, 381300, 381 61, 381 77, 381 96, 700 94, 4554143, 715736, 715716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/14 using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] G10L15/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Systems and methods discussed herein involve designating a default playback device in a local playback network. One method may involve determining that a networked microphone device is available for assignment to one or more playback zones within a local playback network, displaying a prompt to indicate at least one playback zone to which the network microphone device is to be assigned, receiving an input indicating a particular playback zone in the local playback system to which the network microphone device is to be assigned, and storing data indicating an assignment of the network microphone device to the particular playback zone.

Claims

1. A system comprising a first network device, a second network device, and a third network device communicatively coupled to the first and second network devices over a network, wherein the first network device comprises a first network microphone device, wherein the second network device comprises a second network microphone device, and wherein the third network device comprises a processor and memory storing instructions executable by the third network device to perform functions comprising:

determining that the first and second network microphone devices are available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within a local playback network;

causing a controller device to display a prompt to select, from the plurality of playback zones, at least one playback zone to which the first and second network microphone devices are to be assigned;

receiving an input indicating a selection of a particular playback zone of the plurality of playback zones as the at least one playback zone;

after receiving the input, assigning the particular playback zone to the first and second network microphone devices, wherein the assigning comprises (i) configuring a playback device of the particular playback zone to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device and (ii) further configuring the playback device to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device; and

causing to be stored data indicating an assignment of the first and second network microphone devices to the particular playback zone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input indicating the selection of the particular playback zone comprises an input indicating the playback device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, wherein the particular playback zone comprises a second playback device, and wherein the assigning comprises further assigning the second playback device as a default output device of one of the first and second and playback devices in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein one of the first playback device and second playback device comprises the network microphone device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the input indicating the selection of the particular playback zone in the media playback system comprises an input indicating (i) the first and second playback devices are to be the default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device (ii) and the second playback device is to be another default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the first and second first and second network microphone devices are available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within the local playback network comprises receiving from the first network microphone device, a message indicating that the first network microphone device is available for assignment to one of the plurality of playback devices within the local playback network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein determining that the first and second network microphone devices are available for assignment to one of the plurality of playback zones further comprises receiving from the second network microphone device, a message indicating that the second network microphone device is available for assignment to one of the plurality of playback devices within the local playback network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second network devices, are coupled to the third network device over a wide area network, and wherein the playback network comprises a local area network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network microphone device corresponds to a first unique identifier, wherein the second network microphone device corresponds to a second unique identifier, and wherein causing to be stored, data indicating an assignment of the first and second network microphone devices to the particular playback zone comprises causing to be stored data indicating (i) an assignment of the first and second unique identifiers to the particular playback zone and (ii) an assignment of the first and second unique identifiers to the playback device of the particular playback zone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular playback zone is a first playback zone, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving an input indicating a second playback zone in the local playback network; and

causing to be stored, data indicating an assignment of the first network microphone device to the second playback zone such that the first network microphone device is assigned to both the first playback zone and the second playback zone.

11. A method, comprising:

determining that a first network microphone device and a second network microphone device are available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within a local playback network;

causing a controller device to display a prompt to select, from the plurality of playback zones, at least one playback zone to which the first and second network microphone devices are to be assigned;

receiving an input indicating a selection of a particular playback zone of the plurality of playback zones as the at least one playback zone;

after receiving the input, assigning the particular playback zone to the first and second network microphone devices, wherein the assigning comprises (i) configuring a playback device of the particular playback zone to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device and (ii) further configuring the playback device to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device; and

causing to be stored data indicating an assignment of the first and second network microphone devices to the particular playback zone.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that the first network microphone device is available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within the local playback network comprises transmitting from the first network microphone device to a server over a network, a message indicating that the first network microphone device is available for assignment to one of the plurality of playback devices within the local playback network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, wherein the particular playback zone comprises a second playback device, wherein the assigning comprises further assigning the second playback device as a default output device of one of the first and second and playback devices in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device, wherein the input indicating the selection of the particular playback zone in the media playback system comprises an input indicating (i) the first and second playback devices are to be the default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device (ii) and the second playback device is to be another default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular playback zone is a first playback zone, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an input indicating a second playback zone in the local playback network; and

causing to be stored, data indicating an assignment of the first network microphone device to the second playback zone such that the first network microphone device is assigned to both the first playback zone and the second playback zone.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method comprising:

determining that a first network microphone device and a second network microphone device are available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within a local playback network;

causing a controller device to display a prompt to select among the plurality of playback zones, a given playback zone to which the first and second network microphone devices are to be assigned, wherein assigning the given playback zone to the network microphone device comprises (i) configuring a playback device of the given playback zone to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device and (ii) further configuring the playback device to be a default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device; and

receiving an input indicating a selection of a particular playback zone of the plurality of playback zones; and

causing to be stored data indicating an assignment of the first and second network microphone devices to the particular playback zone.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining that the first and second network microphone devices are available for assignment to one of a plurality of playback zones within the local playback network comprises receiving from the first network microphone device over a network, a message indicating that the first network microphone device is available for assignment to one of the plurality of playback devices within the local playback network.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, wherein the particular playback zone comprises a second playback device, wherein the assigning comprises further assigning the second playback device as a default output device of one of the first and second and playback devices in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device, wherein the input indicating the selection of the particular playback zone in the media playback system comprises an input indicating (i) the first and second playback devices are to be the default output device in response to voice inputs received via the first network microphone device (ii) and the second playback device is to be another default output device in response to voice inputs received via the second network microphone device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the particular playback zone is a first playback zone, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving an input indicating a second playback zone in the local playback network; and

causing to be stored, data indicating an assignment of the first network microphone device to the second playback zone such that the first network microphone device is assigned to both the first playback zone and the second playback zone.