Audio response playback

• US 10,409,549 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan P., Plagge, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Huber, Paul W
• Application Number:
  US16/154,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20190042184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• 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 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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 3/12 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

Abstract

A computing device is configured to perform functions comprising: receiving via a network microphone device of a media playback system, a voice command detected by at least one microphone of the network microphone device, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones, and the network microphone device may be a member of a default playback zone. The computing device may be further configured to perform functions comprising: dynamically selecting an audio response zone from the plurality of zones to play an audio response to the voice input and foregoing selection of the default playback zone. The selected zone may comprise a playback device, and the dynamically selecting may comprise determining that the network microphone device is paired with the playback device. The computing device may cause the playback device of the selected zone to play the audio response.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving via a network microphone device of a media playback system, a voice command detected by at least one microphone of the network microphone device, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the network microphone device is a member of a default playback zone;

determining that a presence of a user has been detected in proximity of the media playback system that resulted in a pairing between the network microphone device and a given playback device;

in response to determining that the presence of the user has been detected, dynamically selecting an audio response zone from the plurality of zones to play an audio response to the voice command and foregoing selection of the default playback zone, wherein the selected audio response zone includes the given playback device, and wherein the dynamically selecting comprises determining that the network microphone device is paired with the given playback device; and

causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the functions comprise determining that the given playback device is grouped with another playback device in the selected audio response zone, wherein causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response comprises causing only the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the given playback device is a first playback device, the selected audio response zone includes a second playback device, and the second playback device comprises the network microphone device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by the given playback device.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the given playback device is a first playback device, and determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by a second playback device.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the second playback device is not a member of the default playback zone.

7. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the second playback device is a member of a zone of the plurality of zones that is different than the default playback zone and the selected audio response zone.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of (i) the network microphone device, (ii) the given playback device, or (iii) a part of a cloud network.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises receiving an indication that the presence of the user has been detected in proximity of the media playback system that resulted in the pairing between the network microphone device and the given playback device.

10. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a processor cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving via a network microphone device of a media playback system, a voice command detected by at least one microphone of the network microphone device, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the network microphone device is a member of a default playback zone;

determining that a presence of a user has been detected in proximity of the media playback system that resulted in a pairing between the network microphone device and a given playback device;

in response to determining that the presence of the user has been detected, dynamically selecting an audio response zone from the plurality of zones to play an audio response to the voice command and foregoing selection of the default playback zone, wherein the selected audio response zone includes the given playback device, and wherein the dynamically selecting comprises determining that the network microphone device is paired with the given playback device; and

causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the functions comprise determining that the given playback device is grouped with another playback device in the selected audio response zone, wherein causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response comprises causing only the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the given playback device is a first playback device, the selected audio response zone includes a second playback device, and the second playback device comprises the network microphone device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by the given playback device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the given playback device is a first playback device, and determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by a second playback device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second playback device is a member of a zone of the plurality of zones that is different than the default playback zone and the selected audio response zone.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving via a network microphone device of a media playback system, a voice command detected by at least one microphone of the network microphone device, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the network microphone device is a member of a default playback zone;

determining that a presence of a user has been detected in proximity of the media playback system that resulted in a pairing between the network microphone device and a given playback device;

in response to determining that the presence of the user has been detected, dynamically selecting an audio response zone from the plurality of zones to play an audio response to the voice command and foregoing selection of the default playback zone, wherein the selected audio response zone includes the given playback device, and wherein the dynamically selecting comprises determining that the network microphone device is paired with the given playback device; and

causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining that the given playback device is grouped with another playback device in the selected audio response zone, wherein causing the given playback device of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response comprises causing only the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by the given playback device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the given playback device is a first playback device, and determining that the presence of the user has been detected comprises determining that the presence of the user has been detected by a second playback device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second playback device is a member of a zone of the plurality of zones that is different than the default playback zone and the selected audio response zone.