Method and apparatus for causing a device to join a synchrony group

• US 9,176,519 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US13/888,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20130236029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/220, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

Receiving, by a first zone player, first control information from a user interface module; based on the received first control information, transmitting, by the first zone player, a notification to a second zone player, wherein the notification indicates that the first zone player is joining a synchrony group with the second zone player; receiving, by the first zone player, second control information from the second zone player, wherein the second control information comprises a multicast address that an audio information channelization device uses to broadcast audio information and playback timing information to the synchrony group; and playing, by the first zone player, the audio information in synchrony with the second zone player.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first zone player, the method comprising:

receiving first control information from a controller over a local area network (LAN);

in response to receiving the first control information, transmitting a notification to a second zone player over the LAN, wherein the notification indicates (i) that the first zone player is joining a synchrony group with the second zone player and (ii) a first network address of the first zone player to which the second zone player will transmit clock information of the second zone player;

receiving second control information from the second zone player over the LAN, wherein the second control information comprises a second network address to which the second zone player will transmit audio information;

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player configuring itself to (i) receive the clock information via the first network address and (ii) receive the audio information via the second network address; and

playing, by the first zone player, the audio in synchrony with the second zone player using (i) the clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address, wherein the first and second zone players remain independently clocked while playing back the audio information in synchrony with each other.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first zone player, third control information from the controller over the LAN, wherein the third control information comprises a command for the first zone player to leave the synchrony group; and

in response to receiving the third control information, the first zone player (i) notifying, over the LAN, the second zone player that the first zone player is leaving the synchrony group and (ii) ceasing playback of the audio information received from the second zone player.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player further configures itself to receive playback timing information via the second network address; and

wherein the step of playing, by the first zone player, the audio in synchrony with the second zone player using (i) the clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address further comprises;

synchronizing the first zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio with the second zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio based on the clock information and the playback timing information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player sending status information over the LAN to the controller, wherein the status information comprises an indication that the first and second zone players are configured to playback audio in synchrony with each other.

5. A first zone player comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory having instructions encoded thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first zone player to perform a method comprising;

receiving, by the first zone player, first control information from a controller over a local area network (LAN);

in response to receiving the first control information, transmitting, by the first zone player, a notification to a second zone player over the LAN, wherein the notification indicates (i) that the first zone player is joining a synchrony group with the second zone player and (ii) a first network address of the first zone player to which the second zone player will transmit clock information of the second zone player;

receiving, by the first zone player, second control information from the second zone player over the LAN, wherein the second control information comprises a second network address to which the second zone player will transmit audio information;

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player receiving the clock information via the first network address and receiving the audio information via the second network address; and

playing, by the first zone player, audio in synchrony with the second zone player using (i) the clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address, wherein the first and second zone players remain independently clocked during synchronous playback.

6. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the notification further indicates that the first zone player is to become a slave player in the synchrony group.

7. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the second zone player is a master device of the synchrony group.

8. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player additionally receiving playback timing information via the second network address.

9. The first zone player of claim 8, wherein the step of playing, by the first zone player, the audio in synchrony with the second zone player using the (i) clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address further comprises:

synchronizing the first zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio with the second zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio based on the clock information and the playback timing information.

10. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first zone player, third control information from the controller over the LAN, wherein the third control information comprises a command for the first zone player to leave the synchrony group; and

in response to receiving the third control information, the first zone player (i) notifying, over the LAN, the second zone player that the first zone player is leaving the synchrony group and (ii) ceasing playback of the audio information received from the second zone player.

11. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the first control information comprises a command for the first zone player to form a synchrony group with the second zone player.

12. The first zone player of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

after receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player sending status information over the LAN to the controller, wherein the status information comprises an indication that the first and second zone players are configured to playback audio in synchrony with each other.

13. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first zone player to perform a method comprising:

receiving first control information from a user interface module over a local area network (LAN);

in response to receiving the first control information, transmitting a notification to a second zone player over the LAN, wherein the notification indicates (i) that the first zone player is joining a synchrony group with the second zone player and (ii) a first network address of the first zone player to which the second zone player will transmit clock information of the second zone player;

receiving second control information from the second zone player over the LAN, wherein the second control information comprises a second network address to which the second zone player will transmit audio information;

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player configuring itself to (i) receive the clock information via the first network address and (ii) receive the audio information via the second network address; and

playing, by the first zone player, audio in synchrony with the second zone player using (i) the clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address, wherein the first and second zone players remain independently clocked during synchronous playback.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the notification further indicates that the first zone player is to become a slave player in the synchrony group.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second zone player is a master device of the synchrony group.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player further configuring itself to receive playback timing information via the second network address.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the step of playing, by the first zone player, the audio in synchrony with the second zone player using (i) the clock information received via the first network address and (ii) the audio information received via the second network address further comprises:

synchronizing the first zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio with the second zone player'"'"'s playback of the audio based on the clock information and the playback timing information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first zone player, third control information from the user interface module over the LAN, wherein the third control information comprises a command for the first zone player to leave the synchrony group; and

in response to receiving the third control information, the first zone player (i) notifying, over the LAN, the second zone player that the first zone player is leaving the synchrony group and (ii) ceasing playback of the audio information received from the second zone player.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first control information comprises a command for the first zone player to form a synchrony group with the second zone player.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

after receiving the second control information from the second zone player, the first zone player sending status information over the LAN to the user interface module, wherein the status information comprises an indication that the first and second zone players are configured to playback audio in synchrony with each other.