Systems and methods for player setup room names

• US 9,344,292 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Trplett, Mark, Griffiths, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres-Diaz, Lizbeth
• Application Number:
  US13/341,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/228, 709223-224, 386/262, 386/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate configuration and naming of a multimedia playback device on a local playback network are disclosed. An example method includes identifying and analyzing local network topology to identify playback device(s) connected to the network at location(s). The example method includes analyzing a playback device to be added and comparing the playback device to be added to the playback device(s) already connected to the network. The example method includes displaying available option(s) to name the playback device to be added based on the analysis of the network, the already connected playback device(s) and the playback device to be added to the network. The example method includes naming the playback device to be added based on a selected available option.

Claims

1. A method to identify a first playback device to be connected to a playback network at a first location, the method comprising:

identifying and analyzing, automatically using a processor, a playback network topology to identify one or more second playback devices connected to the playback network at one or more second locations;

analyzing, using the processor, the first playback device to be added to the playback network to identify the first playback device and the first location associated with the first playback device;

comparing, using the processor, a) the first playback device to be added to the playback network to b) the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network to identify a relationship between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network, wherein comparing the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices includes comparing a) at least one of the identification of the first playback and the first location with b) at least one of the identification of the one or more second playback devices and the one or more second locations to determine a compatibility in the relationship between the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices based on the comparison;

when the first playback device is determined to be compatible with at least one of the one or more second playback devices, generating a first playback device name for the first playback device according to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible and configuring the first playback device with respect to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible;

when the first playback device is determined to be not compatible with the one or more second playback devices, generating a subset of names for selection as the first playback device name for the first playback device based on the identification of the first playback device and the first location;

updating a configuration of the playback network topology based on the first playback device name, the identification of the first playback device, and the relationship between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises a pairing between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises a range between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of names comprises a standalone room name.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of names comprises a standalone room name plus an identifier.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising

facilitating the pairing between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network based on the first playback device name.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises an integration of the first playback device to be added to the playback network with at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising

facilitating the integration of the first playback device to be added to the playback network with at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network based on the first playback device name.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of names comprises a name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network, and wherein, upon user selection of the name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network, the first playback device to be added to the playback network is grouped with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, if the user declines to select the name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network, then the first playback device to be added to the playback network is added as a standalone playback device.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a confirmation of the generated first playback device name before updating the configuration of the playback network topology.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting an input of the first playback device name overriding the generated first playback device name.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the input comprises at least one of a standalone room name and a standalone room name plus an identifier.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein compatibility comprises a match in type of playback device, a match in location, a suitability for pairing, and a suitability for integration between the first playback device and at least one of the one or more second playback devices.

6. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method to identify a first playback device to be connected to a playback network at a first location, the method comprising:

identifying and analyzing a playback network topology to identify one or more second playback devices connected to the playback network at one or more second locations;

analyzing the first playback device to be added to the playback network to identify the first playback device and the first location associated with the first playback device; and

comparing a) the first playback device to be added to the playback network to b) the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network to identify a relationship between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network wherein comparing the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices includes comparing a) at least one of the identification of the first playback device and the first location with b) at least one of the identification of the one or more second playback devices and the one or more second locations to determine a compatibility in the relationship between the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices based on the comparison;

when the first playback device is determined to be compatible with at least one of the one or more second playback devices, generating a first playback device name for the first playback device according to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible and configuring the first playback device with respect to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible;

when the first playback device is determined to be not compatible with the one or more second playback devices, generating a subset of names for selection as the first playback device name for the first playback device based on the identification of the first playback device and the first location;

updating a configuration of the playback network topology based on the first playback device name, the identification of the first playback device, and including the relationship between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the playback network.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the relationship comprises a pairing between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the relationship comprises a range between the first playback device to be added to the playback network and at least one second playback device already connected to the playback network.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the subset of names comprises a standalone room name.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the subset of names comprises a standalone room name plus an identifier.

11. A system to configure one or more devices on a local playback network, the system comprising:

a processor and tangible, non-transitory computer-readable a memory, the memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor, the processor configured to;

identify and analyze a local playback network topology to identify one or more second playback devices connected to the local playback network at one or more second locations;

analyze a first playback device to be added to the local playback network to identify the first playback device and a first location associated with the first playback device; and

compare a) the first playback device to be added to the local playback network to b) the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network to identify a relationship between the first playback device to be added to the local playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network, wherein comparing the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices includes comparing a) at least one of the identification of the first playback device and the first location with h) at least one of the identification of the one or more second playback devices and the one or more second locations to determine a compatibility in the relationship between the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices based on the comparison; and

when the first playback device is determined to be compatible with at least one of the one or more second playback devices, generating a first playback device name for the first playback device according to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible and configuring the first playback device with respect to the one or more second playback devices determined to be compatible;

when the first playback device is determined to be not compatible with the one or more second playback devices, generating a subset of names for selection as the first playback device name for the first playback device based on the identification of the first playback device and the first location;

updating a configuration of the local playback network topology based on the first playback device name, the identification of the first playback device, and the relationship between the first playback device to be added to the local playback network and the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of names comprises a name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network, and wherein, upon user selection of the name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network, the first playback device to be added to the local playback network is grouped with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein, if the user declines to select the name associated with the one or more second playback devices already connected to the local playback network, then the first playback device to be added to the local playback network is added as a standalone playback device.