Playback Expansion

• US 20160246566A1
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Fullerton, Benjamin, Holmung, Ingve
• Granted Patent: US 10,860,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• 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 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00

Abstract

Examples described herein involve expanding playback of a media item from a first playback device to a second playback device. In one example, while a first playback device is playing a media item as part of a first zone, the first playback device identifies that a second playback device has moved to a location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback. The first playback device determines that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device, and transmits a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the first zone and (ii) begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the playback device to perform a method comprising;

while the first playback device is playing a media item as part of a first zone, identifying that a second playback device has moved to a location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device;

determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device; and

responsively, transmitting a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the first zone and (ii) begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein identifying that the second playback device has moved to the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device comprises receiving a transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location that is within the given physical proximity of the first playback device.

3. The first playback device of claim 2, wherein transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone comprises:

in response to receiving the transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location, transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone.

4. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is part of a second zone that is different from the first zone.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is not presently playing back media.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device has remained stationary at the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device for a pre-determined duration of time.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein sending the command to cause the second playback device to begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device comprises sending a command to cause the second playback device to gradually increase a playback volume by the second playback device to the same playback volume as the first playback device.

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

within a predetermined duration of time after transmitting the command, receiving a transmission indicating that the second playback device is moving outside of the given physical proximity of the first playback device; and

responsively, transmitting a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the second zone and (ii) cease playing the media item.

9. A method comprising:

while a first playback device is playing a media item as part of a first zone, identifying, via the first playback device, that a second playback device has moved to a location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device;

determining, via the playback device, that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device; and

responsively, transmitting, via the playback device, a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the first zone and (ii) begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying that the second playback device has moved to the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device comprises receiving a transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location that is within the given physical proximity of the first playback device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone comprises:

in response to receiving the transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location, transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is part of a second zone that is different from the first zone.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is not presently playing back media.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device has remained stationary at the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device for a pre-determined duration of time.

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

while the first playback device is playing a media item as part of a first zone, identifying that a second playback device has moved to a location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device;

determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device; and

responsively, transmitting a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the first zone and (ii) begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein identifying that the second playback device has moved to the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device comprises receiving a transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location that is within the given physical proximity of the first playback device.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone comprises:

in response to receiving the transmission indicating that the second playback device was placed at the location, transmitting the command to cause the second playback device to join the first zone.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is part of a second zone that is different from the first zone.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device is not presently playing back media.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device comprises determining that the second playback device has remained stationary at the location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback device for a pre-determined duration of time.