SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING OPERATIONS AMONG A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENTLY CLOCKED DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING DEVICES

• US 20130232416A1
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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 3/04842 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 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• 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: G11B 20/10527 : Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10592 : specifically adapted for recording or reproducing multichannel signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/00 : Gain control in amplifiers or frequency changers
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 : Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 : Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 : Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/20 : digital audio broadcasting [DAB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0644 : External master-clock
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 : unidirectional timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 : Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 65/61 : for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 : for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 : Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 : Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4307 : Synchronising the rendering of multiple content streams or additional data on devices, e.g. synchronisation of audio on a mobile phone with the video output on the TV screen
• 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 21/43615 : 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 5/04 : Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7904 : using intermediate digital signal processing
• 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 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 3/12 : for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 : one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 : Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A tangible computer-readable memory having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a zone player to: receive control information from any one of a plurality of user interface modules; based on the received control information enter into a synchrony group with a second zone player; and transmit status information to the plurality of user interface modules, wherein the status information provides an indication of an operational status of the synchrony group.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A tangible computer-readable memory having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a zone player to:

receive control information from any one of a plurality of user interface modules;

based on the received control information enter into a synchrony group with a second zone player; and

transmit status information to the plurality of user interface modules, wherein the status information provides an indication of an operational status of the synchrony group.

22. The computer-readable memory of claim 21, wherein the status information comprises an identification of a track currently being played by the synchrony group.

23. The computer-readable memory of claim 22, wherein the identification of a track currently being played by the synchrony group comprises a name of the track currently being played by the synchrony group.

24. The computer-readable memory of claim 21, wherein the status information comprises an identification of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group.

25. The computer-readable memory of claim 24, wherein the identification of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group comprises a list of names of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group.

26. The computer-readable memory of claim 21, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of a zone player that is operating as a master device of the synchrony group.

27. The computer-readable memory of claim 21, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of at least one zone player that is operating as a slave device of the synchrony group.

28. A system comprising a plurality of zone players and a plurality of user interface modules, wherein:

each of the plurality of user interface modules is operable to provide control information to any of the plurality of zone players;

each of the plurality of zone players is operable to receive the control information from any one of the plurality of user interface modules, and enter into a synchrony group based on the received control information; and

each of the plurality of zone players is operable to transmit status information to the plurality of zone players, wherein the status information provides an indication of an operational status of the synchrony group.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein each of the plurality of zone players is operable to transmit the status information while it is operating as a master device of the synchrony group.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the status information comprises an identification of a track currently being played by the synchrony group.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the status information comprises an identification of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of a zone player of the plurality of zone players that is operating as a master device of the synchrony group.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of at least one zone player of the plurality of zone players that is operating as a slave device of the synchrony group.

34. In a network comprising a plurality of user interface modules, and a plurality of zone players, including a first zone player and a second zone player, a method comprising:

receiving, at the first zone player, control information from any one of the plurality of user interface modules, wherein the control information instructs the first zone player to enter into a synchrony group with a second zone player; and

transmitting, by the first zone player to the plurality of user interface modules, status information, wherein the status information provides an indication of an operational status of the synchrony group.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the status information comprises an identification of a track currently being played by the synchrony group.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the identification of a track currently being played by the synchrony group comprises a name of the track currently being played by the synchrony group.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the status information comprises an identification of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the identification of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group comprises a list of names of tracks scheduled to be played by the synchrony group.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of a zone player that is operating as a master device of the synchrony group.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the status information further comprises an identification of at least one zone player that is operating as a slave device of the synchrony group.