Group volume control

• US 10,599,287 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kumar, Abhishek, Lemmon, Mike, Hughes, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shih, Haoshian
• Application Number:
  US14/205,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• Field of Search: 715716, 381108, 381109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

An example method involves providing an interface that simultaneously displays an indication of a respective volume corresponding to each of at least two zone players and displays a respective selectable icon corresponding to each of the at least two zone players. Each respective selectable icon indicates whether the corresponding zone player has been selected for a group, and at least one of the respective selectable icons indicates that a respective zone player has been selected for the group. The interface further displays an indication of a group volume associated with the at least one selected zone player. The method further includes receiving a command to change at least one of a respective volume of one or more of the at least one selected zone player or the group volume, and transmitting an indication of the received command to one or more of the at least one selected zone player.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI), (i) a first volume icon corresponding to a first volume for a first playback device configured to play first audio content via a first queue, (ii) a second volume icon corresponding to a second volume for a second playback device configured to play second audio content via a second queue, and (iii) a first selectable icon for the first playback device and a second selectable icon for the second playback device, wherein selection of first and second selectable icons causes formation of a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and the second playback device;

receiving selections of the first and second selectable icons via the GUI;

in response to receiving the selections, (i) forming the synchrony group comprising the first and second playback devices, (ii) initiating synchronous playback of the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group, and (iii) displaying in the GUI, a group icon corresponding to the synchrony group;

displaying in the GUI, a group volume icon corresponding to a group volume that represents a position relative to the first and second volumes;

receiving a command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to change the first volume when the volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds the group volume level indicated by the group volume icon, (i) changing the first volume, (ii) adjusting a position of the first volume icon to reflect the change to the first volume, and (iii) adjusting a position of the group volume icon, wherein the adjusted position of the group volume icon represents a position relative to the adjusted first volume and the second volume.

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

receiving a command to adjust the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to adjust the group volume icon, (i) adjusting a position of the first volume icon proportional to the change to the group volume icon and changing the first volume consistent with the position of the first volume icon, and (ii) adjusting a position of the second volume icon proportional to the change of the group volume icon and changing the second volume consistent with the position of the second volume icon.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein receiving a command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon comprises receiving a command via the GUI to adjust a position of the first volume icon.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein displaying in the GUI, the first volume icon corresponding to the first volume for the first playback device configured to play first audio content via the first queue comprises displaying a first playback device icon corresponding to the first playback device, and wherein displaying in the GUI, the second volume icon corresponding to the second volume for the second playback device configured to play second audio content via the second queue comprises displaying a second playback device icon corresponding to the second playback device.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein each of the first volume icon, second volume icon, and group volume icon comprise slider icons.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first volume is greater than the second volume, and wherein the group volume icon depicts a volume for the synchrony group that is greater than the second volume depicted by the second volume icon but less than the first volume depicted by the first volume icon.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first volume and second volume are independently adjustable via the first and second volumes icons, respectively, while synchronously playing the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise, while synchronously playing the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group:

receiving a command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon is less than a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to change the first volume when the volume level indicated by the first volume icon is less than the group volume level indicated by the group volume icon, (i) changing the first volume, (ii) adjusting a position of the first volume icon to reflect the change to the first volume, and (iii) adjusting a position of the group volume icon proportional to the adjustment of the first volume icon.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein receiving the selections comprises:

receiving a first selection via the GUI selecting the first playback device from a plurality of playback devices available to be grouped into the synchrony group; and

receiving a second selection via the GUI selecting the second playback device from the plurality of playback devices available to be grouped into the synchrony group.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the synchrony group consists of the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the functions further comprise, after initiating the synchronous playback of the first audio content:

receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the synchrony group; and

in response to receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the synchrony group, (i) configuring the second playback device to play second audio content via the second queue, (ii) removing the group icon from the GUI, and (iii) removing the group volume icon from the GUI.

11. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI), (i) a first volume icon corresponding to a first volume for a first playback device configured to play first audio content via a first queue, (ii) a second volume icon corresponding to a second volume for a second playback device configured to play the first audio content via the first queue, and (iii) a group volume icon corresponding to a group volume for a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and the second playback device;

receiving a command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to change the first volume when the volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds the group volume level indicated by the group volume icon, (i) changing the first volume, (ii) adjusting a position of the first volume icon to reflect the change to the first volume, and (iii) adjusting a position of the group volume icon, wherein the adjusted position of the group volume icon represents a position relative to the adjusted first volume and the second volume.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving a command to adjust the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to adjust the group volume icon, (i) adjusting a position of the first volume icon proportional to the change to the group volume icon and changing the first volume consistent with the position of the first volume icon, and (ii) adjusting a position of the second volume icon proportional to the change of the group volume icon and changing the second volume consistent with the position of the second volume icon.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein displaying in the GUI, the first volume icon corresponding to the first volume for the first playback device configured to play first audio content via the first queue comprises displaying a first playback device icon corresponding to the first playback device, and wherein displaying in the GUI, the second volume icon corresponding to the second volume for the second playback device configured to play the first audio content via the first queue comprises displaying a second playback device icon corresponding to the second playback device.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein each of the first volume icon, second volume icon, and group volume icon comprise slider icons.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first volume is greater than the second volume, and wherein the group volume icon depicts a volume for the synchrony group that is greater than the second volume depicted by the second volume icon but less than the first volume depicted by the first volume icon.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first volume and second volume are independently adjustable via the first and second volume icons, respectively, while synchronously playing the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise, while synchronously playing the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group:

receiving a command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon is less than a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon; and

in response to receiving the command to change the first volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon is less than a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon, (i) changing the first volume, (ii) adjusting a position of the first volume icon to reflect the change to the first volume, and (iii) adjusting a position of the group volume icon proportional to the adjustment of the first volume icon.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein receiving a command to change the group volume when a volume level indicated by the first volume icon exceeds a group volume level indicated by the group volume icon comprises receiving a command via the GUI to adjust a position of the group volume icon.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying, in the GUI, a first selectable icon for the first playback device and a second selectable icon for the second playback device, wherein selection of first and second selectable icons causes formation of a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and the second playback device;

receiving selections of the first and second selectable icons via the GUI; and

in response to receiving the selections, (i) forming the synchrony group comprising the first and second playback devices, (ii) initiating synchronous playback of the first audio content via the first and second playback devices of the synchrony group, and (iii) displaying, in the GUI, a group icon corresponding to the synchrony group.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the synchrony group consists of the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the functions further comprise, after initiating the synchronous playback of the first audio content:

receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the synchrony group; and

in response to receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the synchrony group, (i) configuring the second playback device to play second audio content via a second queue, (ii) removing the group icon from the GUI, and (iii) removing the group volume icon from the GUI.