Method and apparatus for providing synchrony group status information

• US 9,207,905 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• 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:
  US14/184,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• 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 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• 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: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• 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 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A system is described for maintaining synchrony of operations among a plurality of devices that have independent clocking arrangements. The system includes a task distribution device that distributes tasks to a synchrony group comprising a plurality of devices that are to perform the tasks distributed by the task distribution device in synchrony. The task distribution device distributes each task to the members of the synchrony group over a network. Each task is associated with a time stamp that indicates a time, relative to a clock maintained by the task distribution device, at which the members of the synchrony group are to execute the task. Each member of the synchrony group periodically obtains from the task distribution device an indication of the current time indicated by its clock, determines a time differential between the task distribution device'"'"'s clock and its respective clock and determines therefrom a time at which, according to its respective clock, the time stamp indicates that it is to execute the task.

Claims

1. A method performed by an audio processing device, the method comprising:

connecting to one or both of a wide area network (WAN) and a local area network (LAN) via a network interface;

receiving audio information over one or both of the WAN and the LAN via the network interface;

generating playback timing information for the audio information;

dividing the audio information into a series of frames comprising audio content and playback timing information;

transmitting audio processing device clock timing information and the series of frames to at least one additional audio processing device over at least the LAN;

generating an analog signal based on the audio information;

using the audio information, the playback timing information, and the audio processing device clock time information to output the analog signal based on the audio information to a speaker of the audio processing device in synchrony with the at least one additional audio processing device, wherein the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device remain independently clocked during the synchronous output of the analog signal; and

transmitting to a user interface module over the LAN, via the network interface, status information comprising a status of a synchrony group, wherein the synchrony group comprises the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device as members.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information further comprises one or both of (a) an identification of the audio currently being played by the members of the synchrony group and (b) an identification of audio scheduled to be played by the members of the synchrony group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving control information from the user interface module over the LAN via the network interface; and

operating the audio processing device in accordance with the received control information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio processing device comprises a master member of the synchrony group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the synchrony group comprises an identification of the synchrony group and wherein the identification of the synchrony group comprises an identification of each member of the synchrony group.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the audio processing device clock time information via a device clock of the audio processing device, wherein the device clock of the audio processing device operates independently of a device clock of the at least one additional audio processing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the audio processing device clock time information via a device clock of the audio processing device, wherein the device clock of the audio processing device operates independently of a device clock of the at least one additional audio processing device; and

wherein each frame of the series of frames has a corresponding playback time, and wherein outputting the audio signal based on the audio information comprises, for each frame of the series of frames, playing back the frame when the device clock of the audio processing device reaches the playback time for the frame.

8. An audio processing device comprising:

a network interface configured to connect the audio processing device to one or both of a wide area network (WAN) and a local area network (LAN);

an audio information channelization device configured to (i) receive audio information via the network interface over one or both of the WAN and the LAN, (ii) generate playback timing information, (iii) divide the audio information into a series of frames comprising audio content and the playback timing information, and (iv) transmit audio processing device clock time information and the series of frames to at least one additional audio processing device over the LAN;

an audio reproduction device interface configured to use the audio information, the playback timing information, and the audio processing device clock time information to output an audio signal in synchrony with the at least one additional audio processing device, wherein the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device remain independently clocked during the synchronous output of the audio signal; and

a user interface module interface configured to transmit, via the network interface to a user interface module over the LAN, status information that comprises a status of a synchrony group, wherein the synchrony group comprises the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device as members.

9. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the status information further comprises one or both of (a) an identification of the audio currently being played by the members of the synchrony group and (b) an identification of audio scheduled to be played by the members of the synchrony group.

10. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the user interface module interface is further configured to transmit the status information via the network interface to one or more additional user interface modules, wherein each of the one or more additional user interface modules is not a member of the synchrony group.

11. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the audio information channelization device is further configured to transmit the audio processing device clock time information and the series of frames via the network interface to one or more additional members of the synchrony group.

12. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the user interface module interface is further configured to (a) receive control information from the user interface module via the LAN and (b) cause the audio processing device to operate in accordance with the received control information.

13. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the audio processing device is further configured to (a) receive status information from the at least one additional audio processing device of the synchrony group and (b) based on the received status information, update the status information that comprises the status of the synchrony group.

14. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the audio processing device comprises a master member of the synchrony group.

15. The audio processing device of claim 8, wherein the status of the synchrony group comprises an identification of the synchrony group and wherein the identification of the synchrony group comprises an identification of each member of the synchrony group.

16. The audio processing device of claim 8, further comprising:

a device clock configured to generate the audio processing device clock time information, and wherein the device clock of the audio processing device operates independently of a device clock of the at least one additional audio processing device.

17. The audio processing device of claim 8, further comprising:

a device clock configured to generate the audio processing device clock time information, and wherein the device clock of the audio processing device operates independently of a device clock of the at least one additional audio processing device; and

wherein each frame of the series of frames has a corresponding playback time, and wherein outputting the audio signal based on the audio information comprises, for each frame of the series of frames, playing back the frame when the device clock of the audio processing device reaches the playback time for the frame.

18. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an audio processing device to:

connect to one or both of a wide area network (WAN) and a local area network (LAN);

receive audio information via one or both of the LAN and the WAN;

generate playback timing information;

divide the received audio information into a series of frames comprising audio content and the playback timing information;

transmit audio processing device clock time information and the series of frames to at least one additional audio processing device;

use the audio information, the playback timing information, and the audio processing device clock time information to output one or more analog signals in synchrony with the at least one additional audio processing device, wherein the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device remain independently clocked during the synchronous output of the one or more analog signals; and

transmit via the LAN to a user interface module, status information comprising a status of a synchrony group, wherein the synchrony group comprises the audio processing device and the at least one additional audio processing device as members.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the status information further comprises one or both of (a) an identification of the audio currently being played by the members of the synchrony group and (b) an identification of audio scheduled to be played by the members of the synchrony group.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the audio processing device to:

transmit the audio processing device clock time information and the series of frames to one or more additional members of the synchrony group.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the audio processing device to:

receive control information from the user interface module via the LAN; and

cause the audio processing device to operate in accordance with the received control information.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the audio processing device to:

receive status information from one or more additional members of the synchrony group; and

based on the received status information, update the status information that comprises the status of the synchrony group.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the audio processing device comprises a master member of the synchrony group.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the status of the synchrony group comprises an identification of the synchrony group and wherein the identification of the synchrony group comprises an identification of each member of the synchrony group.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the audio processing device to generate the audio processing device clock time information via a device clock, wherein the device clock of the audio processing device operates independently of a device clock of the at least one additional audio processing device.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein each frame of the series of frames has a corresponding playback time, and wherein the audio processing device outputting the audio signal based on the audio information comprises, for each frame of the series of frames, the audio processing device playing back the frame when the device clock of the audio processing device reaches the playback time for the frame.