Controlling and Displaying Zones in a Multi-Zone System

• US 20140181658A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: KUMAR, Abhishek, Brown, Amber
• Granted Patent: US 9,720,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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: 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A multimedia controller for controlling and displaying zones in a multi-zone system is provided. In one example the controller is configured to provide a user interface for a plurality of zones, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones includes at least one player in a local area network. The controller is also configured to accept via the user interface, an input to display a list of the zones in the local area network, and to identify, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a state associated with each zone of the plurality of zones. The controller is also configured to display the list of the zones, wherein the list of the zones identifies each zone of the plurality of zones, and wherein the list of zones is ordered at least according to the state associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones.

Claims

1. A multimedia controller including a processor, the controller configured to:

provide a user interface for a plurality of zones, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones includes at least one player in a local area network;

accept via the user interface, an input to display a list of the zones in the local area network;

identify, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a state associated with each zone of the plurality of zones; and

display, via the user interface, the list of the zones, wherein the list of the zones identifies each zone of the plurality of zones, and wherein the list of zones is ordered at least according to the state associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones.

2. The multimedia controller of claim 1, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone has at least one item queued for playback in a playback queue associated with the respective zone.

3. The multimedia controller of claim 2, wherein the list of zones further identifies, for each zone of the plurality of zones that has at least one item queued for playback in the playback queue, at least one of the items in the playback queue.

4. The multimedia controller of claim 1, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone is currently playing back audio content.

5. The multimedia controller of claim 1, wherein the list of zones is further ordered according to the name of the respective zone.

6. The multimedia controller of claim 1, wherein the list of zones further identifies whether a zone of the plurality of zones is currently playing back multimedia content.

7. The multimedia controller of claim 1, wherein the input to display the list of the zones comprises a selection, on the user interface, of a name of one of the plurality of zones.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to cause a controller device to perform functions comprising:

providing a user interface for a plurality of zones, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones includes at least one player in a local area network;

accepting via the user interface, an input to display a list of the zones in the local area network;

determining, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a state associated with each zone of the plurality of zones; and

displaying, via the user interface, the list of the zones, wherein the list of the zones identifies each zone of the plurality of zones, and wherein the list of zones is ordered at least according to the state associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone has at least one item queued for playback in a playback queue associated with the respective zone.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the list of zones further identifies, for each zone of the plurality of zones that has at least one item queued for playback in the playback queue, at least one of the items in the playback queue.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone is currently playing back audio content.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the list of zones is further ordered according to the name of the respective zone.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the list of zones further identifies whether a zone of the plurality of zones is currently playing back multimedia content.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the input to display the list of the zones comprises a selection, on the user interface, of a name of one of the plurality of zones.

15. A method comprising:

providing, by a computing device, a user interface for a plurality of zones, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones includes at least one player in a local area network;

accepting, by the computing device via the user interface, an input to display a list of the zones in the local area network;

determining, by the computing device for each zone of the plurality of zones, a state associated with each zone of the plurality of zones; and

displaying, by the computing device via the user interface, the list of the zones, wherein the list of the zones identifies each zone of the plurality of zones, and wherein the list of zones is ordered at least according to the state associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone has at least one item queued for playback in a playback queue associated with the respective zone.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the list of zones further identifies, for each zone of the plurality of zones that has at least one item queued for playback in the playback queue, at least one of the items in the playback queue.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the state comprises whether the respective zone is currently playing back audio content.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the list of zones is further ordered according to the name of the respective zone.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the list of zones further identifies whether a zone of the plurality of zones is currently playing back multimedia content.