Method and apparatus for displaying a list of tracks scheduled for playback by a synchrony group

• US 10,613,817 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US14/184,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,239 Days
• Field of Search: 709205, 709219, 709220, 709231, 381107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• 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: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A system is described for maintaining synchrony of operations among a plurality of devices that have independent clocking arrangements. The system includes a task distribution device that distributes tasks to a synchrony group comprising a plurality of devices that are to perform the tasks distributed by the task distribution device in synchrony. The task distribution device distributes each task to the members of the synchrony group over a network. Each task is associated with a time stamp that indicates a time, relative to a clock maintained by the task distribution device, at which the members of the synchrony group are to execute the task. Each member of the synchrony group periodically obtains from the task distribution device an indication of the current time indicated by its clock, determines a time differential between the task distribution device'"'"'s clock and its respective clock and determines therefrom a time at which, according to its respective clock, the time stamp indicates that it is to execute the task.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user interface of a controller, one or more commands to establish a synchrony group comprising at least a first zone player and a second zone player connected via a local area network, wherein, in response to receiving the one or more commands, the controller causes the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form a synchrony group;

the first zone player and the second zone player joining the synchrony group, wherein in the synchrony group, the first zone player transmits clock timing to at least the second zone player via the local area network, the second zone player determines a timing differential relative to the clock timing, and the first zone player and the second zone player playback audio content items in synchrony with each other based at least in part on audio content, playback timing information that the first zone player streams to at least the second zone player via the local area network, and the clock timing;

displaying, at the user interface, a list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group, wherein (i) at least one of the audio content items on the list is located on a device within the local area network and (ii) at least one other of the audio content items on the list is located on a wide area network, outside of the local area network; and

transmitting control information from the controller to at least the first zone player, wherein the control information comprises an identification of an audio content item selected from the list of audio content items; and

the first zone player receiving the control information from the controller, wherein receipt of the control information causes the first zone player to (i) obtain the selected audio content item, (ii) stream the audio content item and playback timing information to at least the second zone player of the synchrony group via the local area network, and (iii) use the clock timing and playback timing information to playback the selected audio content item in synchrony with at least the second zone player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second zone players are configured to play at least one audio content item from the list of audio content items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of audio content items is stored on at least one of the first zone player or the second zone player of the synchrony group.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the list of audio content from the at least one of the first zone player or the second zone player of the synchrony group, wherein none of the audio content items in the list are stored on the first or second zone players.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the audio content items in the list of audio content items is an internet radio broadcast accessible via the wide area network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the user interface of the controller, a command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting, to a zone player of the synchrony group, control information, wherein the control information enables the synchrony group to playback the list of audio content items in accordance with the command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of in response to receiving the one or more commands, the controller causes the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form a synchrony group comprises:

the controller sending configuration settings to at least one of the first zone player or the second zone player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the one or more commands, the controller additionally displays status information for the synchrony group comprising at least the first zone player and the second zone player.

10. Tangible non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a system comprising a first zone player, a second zone player and a controller comprising a user interface to perform a method comprising:

receiving via the user interface of the controller, one or more commands to establish a synchrony group comprising at least the first zone player and the second zone player connected via a local area network;

in response to receiving the one or more commands, causing the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form a synchrony group;

the first zone player and the second zone player joining the synchrony group, wherein in the synchrony group, the first zone player transmits clock timing to at least the second zone player via the local area network, the second zone player determines a timing differential relative to the clock timing, and the first zone player and the second zone player playback audio content items in synchrony with each other based at least in part on audio content, playback timing information that the first zone player streams to at least the second zone player via the local area network, and the clock timing; and

displaying via the user interface of the controller, a list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group, wherein (i) at least one of the audio content items on the list is located within the local area network, and (ii) at least one of the audio content items on the list is accessible via a wide area network, outside of the local area network; and

transmitting control information from the controller to at least the first zone player, wherein the control information comprises an identification of an audio content item selected from the list of audio content items; and

the first zone player receiving the control information from the controller, wherein receipt of the control information causes the first zone player to (i) obtain the selected audio content item, (ii) stream the audio content item and playback timing information to at least the second zone player of the synchrony group via the local area network, and (iii) use the clock timing and playback timing information to playback the selected audio content item in synchrony with at least the second zone player.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the first and second zone players are configured to play at least one audio content item from the list of audio content items.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the list of audio content items is stored on at least one zone player of the synchrony group.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the list of audio content items is received by the controller from the at least one of the first or second zone players of the synchrony group, and wherein none of the audio content items in the list are stored on the first or second zone players.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein one of the audio content items displayed in the list of audio content items is an internet radio broadcast accessible via the wide area network.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, to the method further comprises:

transmitting, to a zone player of the synchrony group, control information, wherein the control information enables the synchrony group to playback the list of audio content items in accordance with the command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the step of in response to receiving the one or more commands, causing the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form the synchrony group comprises:

the controller sending configuration settings to at least one of the first zone player or the second zone player.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein in response to receiving the one or more commands, the controller additionally displays status information for the synchrony group comprising at least the first zone player and the second zone player.

19. A system comprising:

a first zone player and a second zone player connected via a local area network; and

a controller comprising a user interface, wherein the controller is configured to (i) receive one or more commands to establish a synchrony group comprising at least the first zone player and the second zone player, (ii) in response to receiving the one or more commands to establish the synchrony group, cause the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form a synchrony group, wherein in the synchrony group, the first zone player transmits clock timing to at least the second zone player via the local area network, the second zone player determines a timing differential relative to the clock timing, and the first and second zone players playback audio content items in synchrony with each other based at least in part on audio content, playback timing information that the first zone player streams to at least the second zone player via the local area network, and the clock timing;

(iii) display via the user interface of the controller, a list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group, wherein (a) at least one of the audio content items on the list is located within the local area network, and (b) at least one of the audio content items on the list is accessible via a wide area network outside of the local area network;

(iv) receive one or more playback commands for the synchrony group to playback an audio content item selected from the list of audio content items; and

(v) in response to receiving the one or more playback commands, transmit control information from the controller to at least the first zone player, wherein the control information comprises an identification of the selected audio content item;

wherein receipt of the control information causes the first zone player to (i) obtain the selected audio content item, (ii) stream the audio content item and playback timing information to at least the second zone player of the synchrony group via the local area network, and (iii) use the clock timing and playback timing information to playback the selected audio content item in synchrony with at least the second zone player; and

wherein after the first zone player begins streaming the audio content item and playback timing information to the second player, the second zone player uses the playback timing information and the timing differential to playback the selected audio content item in synchrony with at least the first zone player.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second zone players are configured to play at least one audio content item from the list of audio content items.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the list of audio content items is stored on at least one zone player of the synchrony group.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to receive the list of audio content items from at least one of the first or second zone players of the synchrony group, wherein none of the audio content items in the list are stored on the first or second zone players.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface is further arranged to receive a command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the user interface is further arranged to transmit, to a zone player of the synchrony group, control information, wherein the control information enables the synchrony group to playback the list of audio content items in accordance with the command to re-order the list of audio content items for playback in synchrony by the first and second zone players of the synchrony group.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein in response to receiving the one or more commands to establish the synchrony group, causing the first zone player and at least the second zone player to form the synchrony group comprises:

the controller sending configuration settings to at least one of the first zone player or the second zone player.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein in response to receiving the one or more commands, the controller is additionally configured to display status information for the synchrony group comprising at least the first zone player and the second zone player.