Playback according to playback responsibility in stereo pair

• US 9,400,632 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Beckhardt, Steven, Lang, Jonathan Paul, Reilly, Jonathon
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US14/630,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 381/58, 381/59, 381/80, 381/81, 381/84, 381/85, 381/123, 381/394
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• 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 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• 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 2420/05 Detection of connection of 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 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/00 Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for audio device playback failure recovery and redistribution. The systems and methods may be configured to render an audio content according to a first playback responsibility that involves rendering both (a) a left channel of an audio content and (b) a right channel of the audio content, detect an instruction to form a stereo pair with another network device; render the audio content according to a second playback responsibility that involves rendering one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content; while rendering the audio content according to the second playback responsibility, detect a failure of the another network device; and render the audio content according to the first playback responsibility.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform functions comprising;

rendering an audio content according to a first playback responsibility, wherein the first playback responsibility comprises rendering both (a) a left channel of an audio content and (b) a right channel of the audio content

detecting an instruction to form a stereo pair with another network device;

based on detecting the instruction, rendering the audio content according to a second playback responsibility, wherein the second playback responsibility comprises rendering one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content;

while rendering the audio content according to the second playback responsibility, detecting a failure of the another network device; and

based on detecting the failure of the another network device, rendering the audio content according to the first playback responsibility.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the network device to perform functions further comprising:

sending the audio content to the another network device.

3. The network device of claim 2, wherein detecting the failure of the another network device comprises detecting an inability of the another network device to render the audio content.

4. The network device of claim 2, wherein detecting the failure of the another network device comprises not receiving, from the another network device, device status information for a given number of periodic intervals.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the network device to perform functions further comprising:

after detecting the failure of the another network device, detecting that the another network device has been connected to a playback system that comprises the network device; and

based on detecting that the another network device has been connected to the playback system, rendering the audio content according to the second playback responsibility.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the detecting the instruction to form the stereo pair with the another network device comprises receiving, from a controller device via a local area network (LAN), the instruction to form the stereo pair with the another network device.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the network device to perform functions further comprising:

based on detecting the failure of the another network device, updating a state variable stored by the network device.

8. The network device of claim 7, wherein the instructions cause the network device to perform functions further comprising:

sending, to a controller device via a local area network (LAN), the updated state variable.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein rendering the audio content according to a second playback responsibility comprises filtering, from the audio content, the one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content that is not rendered by the network device.

10. A method comprising:

rendering, by a network device, an audio content according to a first playback responsibility, wherein the first playback responsibility comprises rendering both (a) a left channel of an audio content and (b) a right channel of the audio content

detecting, by the network device, an instruction to form a stereo pair with another network device;

based on detecting the instruction, rendering, by the network device, the audio content according to a second playback responsibility, wherein the second playback responsibility comprises rendering one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content;

while rendering the audio content according to the second playback responsibility, detecting, by the network device, a failure of the another network device; and

based on detecting the failure of the another network device, rendering, by the network device, the audio content according to the first playback responsibility.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending, by the network device, the audio content to the another network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the failure of the another network device comprises detecting an inability of the another network device to render the audio content.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the failure of the another network device comprises not receiving, from the another network device, device status information for a given number of periodic intervals.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after detecting the failure of the another network device, detecting, by the network device, that the another network device has been connected to a playback system that comprises the network device; and

based on detecting that the another network device has been connected to the playback system, rendering, by the network device, the audio content according to the second playback responsibility.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting the instruction to form the stereo pair with the another network device comprises receiving, from a controller device via a local area network (LAN), the instruction to form the stereo pair with the another network device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on detecting the failure of the another network device, updating, by the network device, a state variable stored by the network device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending, to a controller device via a local area network (LAN), the updated state variable.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein rendering the audio content according to a second playback responsibility comprises filtering, from the audio content, the one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content that is not rendered by the network device.

19. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a network device to perform functions comprising:

rendering an audio content according to a first playback responsibility, wherein the first playback responsibility comprises rendering both (a) a left channel of an audio content and (b) a right channel of the audio content

detecting an instruction to form a stereo pair with another network device;

based on detecting the instruction, rendering the audio content according to a second playback responsibility, wherein the second playback responsibility comprises rendering one of (a) the left channel of the audio content or (b) the right channel of the audio content;

while rendering the audio content according to the second playback responsibility, detecting a failure of the another network device; and

based on detecting the failure of the another network device, rendering the audio content according to the first playback responsibility.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the network device to perform functions further comprising:

sending the audio content to the another network device.