Group coordinator device selection

• US 9,654,545 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Gossain, Hrishikesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Halim, Sahera
• Application Number:
  US14/041,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709208, 709231, 709232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Embodiments described herein involve selecting a group coordinator device for a group of media devices of a networked media playback system. One of the media devices in the networked media playback system may be a group coordinator device configured to provide media content and playback timing information to other media devices in the group for synchronized playback of media content. Selection of the group coordinator device may involve performing an evaluation of one or more parameters associated with each of the one or more media devices in the media playback system, determining that a particular media device is the most suitable group coordinator devices, and causing the particular media device to become the group coordinator device.

Claims

1. In a media playback system comprising a plurality of playback devices that are interconnected in a spanning tree configuration, a method comprising:

detecting, via a device, a modification to a group of playback devices, wherein modifying the group comprises one of;

(a) adding a playback device to the group, or (b) removing a playback device from the group, and wherein the group of playback devices is configured to play back media from a media device;

performing, via the device, an evaluation of one or more parameters associated with one or more of the plurality of playback devices including at least the modified group of playback devices, wherein performing the evaluation of one or more parameters comprises determining respective root path costs along the spanning tree configuration from the media device to the playback devices;

identifying, via the device, a given playback device of the group to be group coordinator for the group based on the relative root path cost of the given playback device to the determined root path costs, wherein the group coordinator provides, to other playback devices of the group, audio content data and audio content playback timing information to synchronize playback by the group of playback devices; and

causing, by the device, the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is group coordinator for the group prior to causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device comprises a playback device, and wherein the group include the device and the given playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group comprises:

determining a suitable time interval during which to cause the given playback device to become the group coordinator; and

causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group during the determined suitable time interval.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group during the determined suitable time interval comprises causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group after playback of a currently played first audio content and before playback of a subsequent second audio content by the group of playback devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group comprises:

determining that rendering of audio content by the group of playback devices has stopped; and

based on determining that rendering of audio content by the group of playback devices has stopped, causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group of playback devices in the media playback system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing at least the one or more parameters associated with the group of playback devices and the evaluation of the one or more parameters associated with the group of playback devices in the media playback system to be stored on the given playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing at least the one or more parameters associated with the group of playback devices in the media playback system and the evaluation of the one or more parameters associated with the group of playback devices in the media playback system to be stored on at least one of the group of playback devices in the media playback system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the evaluation of one or more parameters further comprises determining respective computing capabilities of the playback devices and wherein identifying the given playback device of the group to be group coordinator for the group comprises identifying the given playback device based on the relatively greater computing capability of the given playback device to the determined computing capabilities of the playback devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the evaluation of one or more parameters further comprises determining respective communications capabilities of the playback devices and wherein identifying the given playback device of the group to be group coordinator for the group comprises identifying the given playback device based on the relatively greater communications capability of the given playback device to the determined communications capabilities of the playback devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the playback device to the group comprises combining a first zone that comprises a first playback device and a second zone that comprises a second playback device into a zone group and wherein removing a playback device from the group comprises removing at least one of the first zone or the second zone from the zone group.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the media device is a first media device, and wherein modifying the group comprises causing the group of playback devices to play back media from a second media device.

13. A network device in a media playback system comprising a plurality of playback devices that are interconnected in a spanning tree configuration, the network device comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the network device to perform functions comprising;

detecting a modification to a group of playback devices, wherein modifying the group comprises one of;

(a) adding a playback device to the group, or (b) removing a playback device from the group, and wherein the group of playback devices is configured to play back media from a media device;

performing an evaluation of one or more parameters associated with one or more of the plurality of playback devices including at least the modified group of playback devices, wherein performing the evaluation of one or more parameters comprises determining respective root path costs along the spanning tree configuration from the media device to the playback devices;

identifying a given playback device of the group to be group coordinator for the group based on the relative root path cost of the given playback device to the determined root path costs, wherein the group coordinator provides, to other playback devices of the group, audio content data and audio content playback timing information to synchronize playback by the group of playback devices; and

causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group.

14. The network device of claim 13, wherein the network device is group coordinator for the group prior to causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group.

15. The network device of claim 13, wherein the network device comprises a playback device, and wherein the group include the network device and the given playback device.

16. The network device of claim 13, wherein adding the playback device to the group comprises combining a first zone that comprises a first playback device and a second zone that comprises a second playback device into a zone group and wherein removing a playback device from the group comprises removing at least one of the first zone or the second zone from the zone group.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device in communication with a media playback system comprising a plurality of playback devices that are interconnected in a spanning tree configuration, wherein the instructions are executable by the computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

detecting a modification to a group of playback devices, wherein modifying the group comprises one of;

(a) adding a playback device to the group, or (b) removing a playback device from the group, and wherein the group of playback devices is configured to play back media from a media device;

performing an evaluation of one or more parameters associated with one or more of the plurality of playback devices including at least the modified group of playback devices, wherein performing the evaluation of one or more parameters comprises determining respective root path costs along the spanning tree configuration from the media device to the playback devices;

identifying, via the computing device, a given playback device of the group to be group coordinator for the group based on the relative root path cost of the given playback device to the determined root path costs, wherein the group coordinator provides, to other playback devices of the group, audio content data and audio content playback timing information to synchronize playback by the group of playback devices; and

causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group comprises:

determining a suitable time interval during which to cause the given playback device to become the group coordinator; and

causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group during the determined suitable time interval.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group during the determined suitable time interval comprises causing the given playback device to become the group coordinator of the group after playback of a currently played first audio content and before playback of a subsequent second audio content by the group of playback devices.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing at least the one or more parameters associated with the one or more playback devices in the media playback system and the evaluation of the one or more parameters associated with the one or more playback devices in the media playback system to be stored on the given playback device.