Base properties in a media playback system

• US 9,544,701 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Rappoport, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bernardi, Brenda
• Application Number:
  US14/803,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170019742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 541 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

An example implementation may involve a playback device assigning, to the playback device, a zone property that is assigned to a device base (e.g., a charging base) that the playback device is placed upon. For instance, a playback device may identify a particular base onto which the playback device is placed. The playback device may determine that the particular base is assigned a zone property that is associated with a first zone of a media playback system. The playback device may assign, to the playback device, the zone property that is assigned to the particular base. By acquiring the zone property, the playback device may join the first zone of the media playback system. Other example implementations may involve assigning a zone property to a device base, or modify a zone property of a device base, among other examples.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

one or more processors;

a data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising;

identifying a particular base onto which the playback device is placed;

determining that the particular base is assigned a zone property that is associated with a first zone of a media playback system; and

assigning, to the playback device, the zone property that is assigned to the particular base, wherein assigning the zone property comprises joining the playback device into the first zone of the media playback system.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise charging a battery of the playback device from current delivered through the particular base while the playback device is placed on the particular base.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting removal of the playback device from the particular base; and

upon detecting removal of the playback device from the particular base, unassigning the zone property that is associated with the first zone of the media playback system and assigning, to the playback device, a zone property that is associated with a second zone of the media playback system, wherein assigning, to the playback device, the zone property that is associated with the second zone of the media playback system comprises joining the playback device into the second zone of the media playback system.

4. The playback device of claim 3, wherein joining the playback device into the second zone of the media playback system comprises joining a zone that consists of the playback device.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device is configured to play back media items from a queue, wherein the first zone is associated with a pre-existing queue of media items, and wherein assigning, to the playback device, the zone property that is assigned to the particular base further comprises adopting the pre-existing queue of media items as the queue of the playback device.

6. The playback device of claim 5, wherein the first zone comprises one or more additional playback devices that are playing back the queue of media items, and assigning, to the playback device, the zone property that is assigned to the particular base further comprises playing back the adopted queue of media items in synchrony with the one or more additional playback devices.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein assigning, to the playback device, the zone property that is assigned to the particular base comprises joining the playback device into the first zone of the media playback system as a first channel of a stereo pair that includes an additional playback device as a second channel of the stereo pair.

8. The playback device of claim 1, wherein identifying the particular base onto which the playback device is placed comprises receiving, from the particular base, a signal indicating an identifier that uniquely identifies the particular base among bases of a media playback system that comprises the playback device, and wherein determining that the particular base is assigned the zone property that is associated with the first zone of a media playback system comprises receiving from another playback device within the media playback system a zone property corresponding to the identifier that uniquely identifies the particular base among bases of the media playback system.

9. A playback device comprising:

one or more processors;

a data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising;

receiving an instruction that assigns a first zone property to the playback device, wherein assigning the first zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into a first zone of a media playback system;

identifying a base onto which the playback device is placed;

determining that a zone property is not assigned to the identified base; and

upon determining that a zone property is not assigned to the identified base, assigning the first zone property to the identified base.

10. The playback device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base; and

upon detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base, assigning, to the playback device, a second zone property, wherein assigning the second zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into a second zone of the media playback system.

11. The playback device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting placement of the playback device onto the identified base; and

upon detecting placement of the playback device onto the identified base, losing the second zone property and assigning, to the playback device, the first zone property that is assigned to the identified base, wherein assigning, to the playback device, the first zone property that is assigned to the identified base comprises joining the playback device into the first zone of the media playback system.

12. The playback device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise charging a battery of the playback device from current delivered through the base while the playback device is placed on the base.

13. The playback device of claim 9, wherein assigning the first zone property to the playback device comprises updating a state variable so as to cause the playback device to join the first zone of the media playback system.

14. The playback device of claim 13, wherein assigning the first zone property to the playback device comprises updating the state variable so as to cause the playback device to join the first zone of the media playback system as a first channel of a stereo pair that includes an additional playback device as a second channel of the stereo pair.

15. The playback device of claim 9, wherein identifying the base onto which the playback device is placed comprises receiving, from the base, a signal indicating an identifier that uniquely identifies the base among one or more bases of the media playback system, and wherein determining that a zone property is not assigned to the identified base comprises querying a database of the playback device for a zone property that is associated with the identifier indicated in the received signal.

16. The playback device of claim 15, wherein assigning the first zone property to the identified base comprises updating the database of the playback device to associate the first zone property with the identifier that uniquely identifies the base among the one or more bases of the media playback system.

17. A playback device comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors;

a data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the network interface, an instruction that assigns a first zone property to the playback device, wherein assigning the first zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into a first zone of a media playback system;

identifying a base onto which the playback device is placed, wherein the first zone property is assigned to the identified base;

receiving, via the network interface, an instruction that assigns a second zone property to the playback device, wherein assigning the second zone property to the playback device comprises withdrawing the playback device from the first zone and joining the playback device into a second zone of the media playback system; and

assigning the second zone property to the identified base onto which the playback device is placed.

18. The playback device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base; and

upon detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base, assigning, to the playback device, a third zone property, wherein assigning the third zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into a third zone of the media playback system.

19. The playback device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a control device of the media playback system, an instruction to reassign the identified base from the second zone property to the first zone property;

assigning the first zone property to the identified base; and

assigning, to the playback device, the first zone property that is assigned to the identified base, wherein assigning the first zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into the first zone of the media playback system.

20. The playback device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise

detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base;

upon detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base, assigning, to the playback device, a third zone property, wherein assigning the third zone property to the playback device comprises joining the playback device into a third zone of the media playback system,

after detecting removal of the playback device from the identified base, receiving, from a control device of the media playback system, an instruction to reassign the identified base from the second zone property to the first zone property;

assigning the first zone property to the identified base;

detecting replacement of the playback device onto the identified base; and

upon detecting replacement of the playback device onto the identified base, losing the third zone property and assigning, to the playback device, the first zone property that is assigned to the identified base, wherein assigning the first zone property to the identified base comprises joining the playback device into the first zone of the media playback system.