Enabling Components of a Playback Device

• US 20160077791A1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Tober, Benjamin Ari, Gossain, Hrishikesh
• Granted Patent: US 10,031,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An example implementation involves a first playback device maintaining a list of MAC addresses. While one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, the first playback device may receive a data packet that comprises a payload associated with a MAC address. The MAC address may correspond to a network interface of a second playback device. The first playback device may identify the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, and based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enable at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

maintaining a list of MAC addresses;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving a data packet that comprises a payload associated with a MAC address, wherein the MAC address corresponds to a network interface of a second playback device;

identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses; and

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the data packet is a first data packet, and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the method further comprises:

after identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, transmitting to the second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload associated with the MAC address.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the MAC address is a first MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to proxy for a second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address associated with the network interface of the second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of MAC addresses.

4. The first playback device of claim 3, wherein the request to proxy for the second playback device further indicates a third MAC address associated with a network interface of a third playback device for which the second playback device is a proxy.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

6. The first playback device of claim 5, wherein the MAC address is associated with a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein the method further comprises:

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to another device, disabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the MAC address is associated with a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device comprises:

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

8. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of:

(a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) a network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device that comprises the one or more processors.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a first playback device to perform functions comprising:

maintaining a list of MAC addresses;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving a data packet that comprises a payload associated with a MAC address, wherein the MAC address corresponds to a network interface of a second playback device;

identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses; and

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the data packet is a first data packet and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the functions further comprise:

after identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, transmitting to the second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload associated with the MAC address.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the MAC address is a first MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to proxy for a second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address associated with the network interface of the second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of MAC addresses.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is no longer forwarding data packets to the second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the MAC address is associated with a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device comprises:

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of (a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) a network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device.

15. A method comprising:

maintaining, via a first playback device, a list of MAC addresses;

while one or more components of the first playback device are disabled, receiving, via the first playback device, a data packet that comprises a payload associated with a MAC address, wherein the MAC address corresponds to a network interface of a second playback device;

identifying, via the first playback device, the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses; and

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling, via the first playback device at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data packet is a first data packet and the payload is a first payload, and wherein the method further comprises:

after identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, transmitting, to the second playback device, a second data packet comprising a second payload associated with the MAC address.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the MAC address is a first MAC address, and wherein maintaining the list of MAC addresses comprises:

receiving a request to proxy for a second playback device, wherein the request indicates a second MAC address associated with the network interface of the second playback device; and

adding the second MAC address to the list of MAC addresses.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

after enabling the at least one component of the first playback device, determining that the first playback device is not forwarding data packets to the second playback device; and

based on determining that the first playback device is not forwarding data packets to the second playback device, disabling the at least one component of the first playback device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the MAC address is associated with a first network interface of the first playback device, and wherein enabling at least one of the one or more components of the first playback device comprises:

based on identifying the MAC address in the list of MAC addresses, enabling a second network interface of the first playback device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more components comprises one or more of (a) an audio stage of the first playback device, (b) a network interface of the first playback device, and (c) a processing unit of the first playback device.