Zone recognition

• US 10,275,138 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Vega, Luis, Bates, Paul, Kendall, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Daeho D
• Application Number:
  US14/475,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20160062606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13135 Using audio and-or video playback
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13144 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, OI operator interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• 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: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 : for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An example implementation may involve receiving, via a radio interface, a radio transmission indicating a particular playback device of a media playback system. Based on the received radio transmission, the implementation may further involve determining that the device is within a given proximity to a zone of the media playback system that includes the particular playback device. Based on determining that the device is within the given proximity to the zone of the media playback system, the implementation may also involve causing the graphical interface to display an indication of (i) an identifier of the zone and (ii) a characteristic of the zone.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

causing a display of the mobile device to display a first graphical interface comprising a presentation of (i) an identifier of a first zone of a media playback system, and (ii) a status of the first zone, wherein the status of the first zone comprises a first media item played back by a first playback device;

while causing the mobile device to display the first graphical interface, receiving, via a radio interface of the mobile device, a radio transmission indicating a second playback device, wherein the second playback device is currently playing back a second media item, and wherein the second playback device is in a second zone of the media playback system;

determining that the received radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within a given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system; and

in response to determining that the received radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system, updating, independently of user input on the mobile device, the display of the mobile device to display a second graphical interface comprising a presentation of (i) an identifier of the second zone, and (ii) a status of the second zone, wherein the status of the second zone comprises the second media item currently played back by the second playback device.

2. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the presentation of the status of the second zone further comprises an indication of at least one media item queued for playback by the second playback device.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein receiving the radio transmission indicating the second playback device of the media playback system comprises:

receiving a message that indicates that the second playback device is within a given proximity to the mobile device.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the radio interface of the mobile device comprises a short-range radio interface that operates according to a wireless protocol having a known transmission strength;

wherein receiving the radio transmission indicating the second playback device of the media playback system comprises receiving, from the second playback device, the radio transmission according to the protocol, wherein the received radio transmission has a receive strength; and

wherein determining that the received radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system comprises determining that the receive strength of the received radio transmission is greater than a pre-determined threshold strength, wherein the pre-determined threshold strength is a pre-determined percentage of the known transmission strength.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the media playback system comprises multiple playback devices that include respective wireless access points;

wherein receiving the radio transmission indicating the second playback device of the media playback system comprises detecting, from at least two of the respective wireless access points, a respective signal having a signal strength; and

wherein determining that the received radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system comprises;

based on the signal strengths of the detected signals, determining that the received radio transmission from the second playback device has the strongest signal strength among the respective signal strengths of the at least two wireless access points; and

based on the determining that the second playback device has the strongest signal strength among the respective signal strengths of the wireless access points, determining that, among the multiple playback devices, the second playback device is nearest to the mobile device.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the second zone is in a zone group that includes at least a third zone and the second zone, wherein the third zone and the second zone are configured to play back the second media item in synchrony while in the zone group; and

wherein updating the display of the mobile device to display the second graphical interface comprising the presentation of (i) the identifier of the second zone and (ii) the status of the second zone further comprises;

based on determining that the second zone is in the zone group that includes at least the third zone and the second zone, causing the second graphical interface to include an indication of (i) an identifier of the zone group, and (ii) a characteristic of the zone group.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

based on determining that the received radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system, causing the first zone and the second zone to play back the second media item in synchrony.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the radio interface, a first radio transmission indicating the first playback device, wherein the radio transmission indicating the second playback device is a second radio transmission, wherein the first radio transmission has a first signal strength, and wherein the second radio transmission has a second signal strength;

determining that the received second radio transmission indicates that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the first zone of the media playback system; and

wherein determining that the mobile device is within the given proximity to the second zone of the media playback system comprises, based on the first received radio transmission and the second received radio transmission, determining that the mobile device is nearer to the second playback device than to the first playback device.