Playback system join with base

• US 10,489,108 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2018
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan P., Butts, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mundur, Padma
• Application Number:
  US16/011,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/021 Aspects relating to docking-station type assemblies to obtain an acoustical effect, e.g. the type of connection to external loudspeakers or housings, frequency improvement
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• 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 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

An example implementation may involve a playback device detecting placement of the playback device onto a device base of a particular media playback system. The playback device may determine that it is configured to automatically join media playback systems. Based on such a determination, the playback device may send, to the particular media playback system, a request to join the particular media playback system. The playback device may receive, from the media playback system, one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the particular media playback system, which the playback device may use to join the particular media playback system.

Claims

1. A device base of a media playback system, the device base comprising:

a wireless communications interface;

one or more processors;

data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the device base to perform a method comprising;

detecting placement of a playback device onto the device base;

based on detecting placement of the playback device onto the device base, listening, via the wireless communications interface, for join requests;

receiving, via the wireless communications interface, a join request indicating a universally unique ID (UUID) of the playback device; and

sending, via the wireless communications interface in response to the join request indicating the UUID of the playback device, one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system for audio playback via an audio stage of the playback device, wherein the playback device is controllable, via a network interface of the playback device, by one or more control devices of the media playback system while the playback device is joined to the media playback system, and wherein the one or more control devices are incompatible with placement on the device base.

2. The device base of claim 1, wherein the one or more control devices and one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system are interconnected via a network, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to connect to the one or more control devices and the one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system via the network.

3. The device base of claim 1, wherein the device base is assigned to a particular zone of the media playback system, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system.

4. The device base of claim 3, wherein the particular zone consists of the playback device, and wherein the particular zone corresponds to a particular zone name.

5. The device base of claim 3, wherein the at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system causes the playback device to join the particular zone as a first channel of a stereo pair that includes an additional playback device as a second channel of the stereo pair.

6. The device base of claim 3, wherein the particular zone is a first zone of a zone group that includes a second zone of one or more additional playback devices, and wherein the at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system causes the playback device to join the zone group such that the playback device and the one or more additional playback devices are configured to playback media in synchrony.

7. The device base of claim 3, wherein the particular zone is configured to play back media items from a pre-existing queue of media items, and wherein joining the particular zone of the media playback system comprises adopting the pre-existing queue of media items as the queue of the playback device.

8. The device base of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises charging a battery of the playback device from current delivered through the device base while the playback device is placed on the device base.

9. A system comprising a playback device and a device base of a media playback system, the system configured to perform a method comprising:

detecting placement of the playback device onto the device base;

based on detecting placement of the playback device onto the device base, listening, via a wireless communications interface, for join requests;

receiving, via the wireless communications interface, a join request indicating a universally unique ID (UUID) of the playback device; and

sending, via the wireless communications interface in response to the join request indicating the UUID of the playback device, one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system for audio playback via an audio stage of the playback device, wherein the playback device is controllable, via a network interface of the playback device, by one or more control devices of the media playback system while the playback device is joined to the media playback system, and wherein the one or more control devices are incompatible with placement on the device base.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more control devices and one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system are interconnected via a network, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to connect to the one or more control devices and the one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system via the network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the device base is assigned to a particular zone of the media playback system, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular zone consists of the playback device, and wherein the particular zone corresponds to a particular zone name.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system causes the playback device to join the particular zone as a first channel of a stereo pair that includes an additional playback device as a second channel of the stereo pair.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular zone is a first zone of a zone group that includes a second zone of one or more additional playback devices, and wherein the at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system causes the playback device to join the zone group such that the playback device and the one or more additional playback devices are configured to playback media in synchrony.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular zone is configured to play back media items from a pre-existing queue of media items, and wherein joining the particular zone of the media playback system comprises adopting the pre-existing queue of media items as the queue of the playback device.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprise charging a battery of the playback device from current delivered through the device base while the playback device is placed on the device base.

17. A method to be performed by a device base of a media playback system, the method comprising:

detecting placement of a playback device onto the device base;

based on detecting placement of the playback device onto the device base, listening, via a wireless communications interface, for join requests;

receiving, via the wireless communications interface, a join request indicating a universally unique ID (UUID) of the playback device; and

sending, via the wireless communications interface in response to the join request indicating the UUID of the playback device, one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system for audio playback via an audio stage of the playback device, wherein the playback device is controllable, via a network interface of the playback device, by one or more control devices of the media playback system while the playback device is joined to the media playback system, and wherein the one or more control devices are incompatible with placement on the device base.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more control devices and one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system are interconnected via a network, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to connect to the one or more control devices and the one or more additional playback devices of the media playback system via the network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the device base is assigned to a particular zone of the media playback system, and wherein sending the one or more messages that enable the playback device to join the media playback system comprises sending at least one message that enables the playback device to join the particular zone of the media playback system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the particular zone consists of the playback device, and wherein the particular zone corresponds to a particular zone name.