Group coordinator selection based on communication parameters

• US 9,686,351 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• 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:
  US15/219,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20160337472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 709219, 709208, 709209, 709244, 709243, 709248
• 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. An example implementation includes receiving an instruction to form a zone group comprising a first media device and a second media device. The implementation also includes comparing one or more first communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to one or more second communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device. The implementation further includes identifying the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on the comparison and based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the zone group.

Claims

1. In a media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network, wherein the local playback network is coupled to a wide area network via a router, a method comprising:

receiving, via a device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device;

comparing, via the device, one or more first communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to one or more second communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device;

wherein the one or more first communication parameters comprises an indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via a wired connection, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters comprises an indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via a wireless connection;

identifying, via the device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via the wired connection and the indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via the wireless connection; and

based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and

configuring the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises;

identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises a first communication frequency band, and the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises a second root path cost.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, receiving from the first media device, the one or more first communication parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, identifying in memory storage, the one or more first communication parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is the first media device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is the second media device.

10. A media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network, wherein the local playback network is coupled to a wide area network via a router, wherein a device of the media playback system is configured to perform functions comprising:

receiving, via the device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device;

comparing, via the device, one or more first communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to one or more second communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, wherein the one or more first communication parameters comprises an indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via a wired connection, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters comprises an indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via a wireless connection;

identifying, via the device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via the wired connection and the indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via the wireless connection; and

based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group.

11. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the functions further comprise:

after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and

configuring the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device.

12. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the functions further comprise:

comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises;

identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric.

13. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises a first communication frequency band, and the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band.

14. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises a second root path cost.

15. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the functions further comprise:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, receiving from the first media device, the one or more first communication parameters.

16. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the functions further comprise:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, identifying in memory storage, the one or more first communication parameters.

17. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the device of the media playback system is the first media device.

18. The media playback system of claim 10, wherein the device of the media playback system is the second media device.

19. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when performed by a device in a media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network that is coupled to a wide area network via a router, causes the media playback system to functions comprising:

receiving, via the device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device;

comparing, via the device, one or more first communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to one or more second communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, wherein the one or more first communication parameters comprises an indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via a wired connection, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters comprises an indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via a wireless connection;

identifying, via the device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device is coupled to the router via the wired connection and the indication that the second media device is coupled to the router via the wireless connection; and

based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the functions further comprise:

after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and

configuring the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device.

21. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the functions further comprise:

comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises;

identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric.

22. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises a first communication frequency band and the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band.

23. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises a second root path cost.

24. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the functions further comprise:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, receiving from the first media device, the one or more first communication parameters.

25. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the functions further comprise:

before comparing the one or more first communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device to the one or more second communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device, identifying in memory storage, the one or more first communication parameters.

26. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the device in the media playback system is the first media device.

27. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the device in the media playback system is the second media device.