Provisioning and streaming media to wireless speakers from fixed and mobile media sources and clients

• US 8,239,559 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blackfire Research Corporation
• Inventors: Rajapakse, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ibrahim, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US11/777,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20080025535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709229-231, 709/246, 709/248, 381/300, 381/311
• US Class Current: 709/231
• 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 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

Embodiments include system architectures and processes for handling the provisioning, management and control of media renderers. A plurality of media renderers are organized into a plurality of zones. Provisioning is performed dynamically as mobile media sources move between zones. Media renderers are dynamically detected, resources are allocated, and the system is configured for playback without noticeable interruption of the streaming and rendering of the media.

Claims

1. A system for reproducing a media, the system comprising:

a plurality of media renderers, each media renderer connected to a wireless network and assigned to one or more zones;

a mobile media device operably communicating with the media renderers via the wireless network, the mobile media device comprising;

a repository for storing media;

a zone manager configured to the receive responses from the media renderers responsive to broadcasting messages periodically to the media renderers by the zone manager, the responses indicating presence and states of the media renderers, the zone manager further configured to track communication signal strength information indicating strength of wireless signals to and from the media renderers; and

a control point configured to;

interact with the zone manager to identify media renderers assigned to a zone based on the responses collected by the zone manager,

select and reserve media renderers within the zone for rendering a media stream corresponding to the stored media,

receive communication signal strength information from the zone manager, and

select another zone assigned with at least one media renderer compared to the zone responsive to communication signal strength from a media renderer in the zone being below a threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media renderers comprise a first set of media renders closer to a first location compared to a second location and a second set of media renderers close to the second location compared to the first location, wherein the media stream is rendered in the first set of media renderers responsive to the mobile media device closer to the first location than the second location, and the media stream is rendered in the second set of media renderers responsive to the mobile media device closer to the second location than the first location.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein proximity of mobile media device to the first location or the second location is determined based on strength of wireless signal transmitted by the media renderers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the zone manager is configured to broadcast the messages with a predetermined time interval or a variable time interval.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection of media renderers by the mobile media device reserves the selected media renderers for use by the mobile media device until the selected media renderers are released by the mobile media device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile media device is configured to release the reserved media renderers responsive to detecting subsequent reservation for the media renderers by another mobile media device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservation of the media renderers by the mobile media device is canceled and made available for subsequent reservation and use by another mobile media device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of zone managers installed other than on the mobile media device, wherein the control point selects a zone based at least in part on signal strength of communications between the control point and the plurality of zone managers.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for a zone manager to authenticate requests from a control point.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the media stream is streamed from a media source comprising a media player, and wherein a virtual audio device driver intercepts the media being played by the media player and streams the media to the plurality of media renderers.

11. The system of claim 1, where the media renderer provides information comprising speaker volume or role that the control point displays to a user, wherein the role comprises one selected from a group consisting of front left, front right, front center, back left, back right, back center, and subwoofer.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the zone manager provides information regarding the zone to the control point, the information comprising physical location and zone ownership information, and wherein the control point displays the information to a user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of media renderers is assigned to more than one zone.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the control point displays zone information to a user of the control point.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the control point causes a pre-recorded or real time media to be streamed to at least one zone.

16. A method of reproducing a media by a mobile media device, comprising:

storing media in the mobile media device;

assigning each of a plurality of media renders to one or more zones;

broadcasting messages to the plurality of media renderers periodically via a wireless network;

receiving responses from at least a subset of the plurality of media renderers via the wireless network responsive to broadcasting the messages, the responses indicating presence and states of the media renderers;

tracking communication signal strength information indicating strength of wireless signals to and from the plurality of media renderers;

reserving media renders in a zone for rendering a media stream sent by the mobile media device based on the received responses;

sending a media stream corresponding to the stored media to the reserved media renderers; and

selecting media renderers in another zone for rendering the media stream responsive to communication signal strength from media renderers in the zone being below a threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying, on the mobile media device, information about media available for playback using the plurality of media renderers; and

responsive to receiving an input selecting media for playback, causing at least a subset of the media renderers to receive and play media stream corresponding to the selected media.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising charging a user a price for playing back the selected media.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the messages are broadcasted with a predetermined time interval or a variable time interval.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising releasing the reserved media renderers for use by another mobile media device.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising releasing the reserved media renderers responsive to detecting subsequent reservation for the media renderers by another mobile media device.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying to a user speaker volume or role of each media renderer.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the mobile media device is closer to a first location or a second location;

sending the media stream to a first set of media renderers closer to the first location compared to the second location responsive to the mobile media device closer to the first location; and

sending the media stream to a second set of media renderers closer to the second location compared to the first location responsive to the mobile media device closer to the second location.

24. A mobile media device, comprising:

a communication module configured to operably communicate with a plurality of media renderers via a wireless network, each media renderer assigned to one or more zones;

a repository for storing media;

a zone manager configured to receive responses from the media renderers responsive to broadcasting messages periodically to the media renderers by the zone manager, the responses indicating presence and states of the media renderers, the zone manager further configured to track communication signal strength information indicating strength of wireless signals to and from the media renderers; and

a control point configured to

interact with the zone manager to identify media renderers assigned to a zone based on the responses collected by the zone manager,

select and reserve media renderers within the zone for rendering a media stream corresponding to the stored media,

receive communication signal strength information from the zone manager, and

select another zone responsive to a communication signal strength from a media renderer in the zone being below a threshold.

25. The mobile media device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of media renderers comprise a first set of media renders closer to a first location compared to a second location and a second set of media renderers close to the second location compared to the first location, wherein the media stream is rendered in the first set of media renderers responsive to the mobile media device closer to the first location than the second location, and the media stream is rendered in the second set of media renderers responsive to the mobile media device closer to the second location than the first location.

26. The mobile media device of claim 25, wherein proximity of mobile media device to the first location or the second location is determined based on strength of wireless signal transmitted by the media renderers.

27. The mobile media device of claim 24, wherein the zone manager is configured to broadcast the messages with a predetermined time interval or a variable time interval.

28. The mobile media device of claim 24, where the media renderer provides information comprising speaker volume or role that the control point displays to a user, wherein the role comprises one selected from a group consisting of front left, front right, front center, back left, back right, back center, and subwoofer.

29. The mobile media device of claim 24, wherein the zone manager provides information regarding the zone to the control point, the information comprising physical location and zone ownership information, and wherein the control point displays the information to a user.