Portable playback device state variable

• US 9,710,222 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kusano, Mieko
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, SM
• Application Number:
  US14/976,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate playback of multimedia content are disclosed. A network interface configured to receive audio content over a playback network. A processor comprises instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to join the playback network. The processor is to set a state variable to indicate that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network, wherein prior to joining the playback network the state variable was set to indicate that the portable playback device was not joined to the network. The processor is to play the audio content received over the playback network when the portable playback device is joined to the playback network.

Claims

1. A portable playback device comprising:

a network interface;

a processor comprising instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to;

join, by the portable playback device, a playback network having two or more zone players;

after joining the playback network, wirelessly receive, by the portable playback device via the network interface from a first zone player of the two or more zone players, a state variable which (i) identifies the two or more zone players joined to the playback network but does not identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network, and (ii) identifies that the playback network has a first zone group comprising first zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a first zone and a second zone group comprising second zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a second zone, wherein the portable playback device is not a member of the first zone group or the second zone group; and

wherein the first zone group comprising the first zone players indicated by the state variable play back first audio in synchrony and the second zone group comprising the second zone players indicated by the state variable play back second audio in synchrony;

update, by the portable playback device, the received state variable stored on the portable playback device to identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group;

wirelessly send, by the portable playback device via the network interface, the updated state variable to a second zone player of the two or more zone players; and

play, by the portable playback device, the first audio which is associated with audio content received over the playback network via the network interface when the portable playback device is joined to the playback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group of the playback network.

2. The portable playback device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for:

detecting that the portable playback device has left a network range of the playback network; and

after detecting that the portable playback device has left the network range of the playback network, updating the state variable to remove identification that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network.

3. The portable playback device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for sending the state variable to a controller device on the playback network via the network interface.

4. The portable playback device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for determining that the portable playback device was previously joined to the playback network and then left the playback network;

and wherein the instructions for joining the playback network comprises the portable playback device rejoining the playback network based on the determination.

5. The portable playback device of claim 4, wherein the state variable indicates that the portable playback device was previously joined to the playback network.

6. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein wirelessly sending, by the portable playback device, the updated state variable comprises providing the updated state variable to a controller device to notify a user of the audio playback configuration.

7. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable indicates which playback devices on the playback network are playing the audio.

8. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable identifies the audio being played by the plurality of playback devices on the playback network.

9. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable initially indicates that the first zone group of first zone players comprises one or more zone players and the updated state variable indicates that the first zone group of first zone players comprises two or more zone players.

10. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein the updated state variable indicates that the portable playback player is the only zone player of the first zone group.

11. The portable playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback network comprises a third zone group of third zone players, the portable playback device further comprising instructions to (i) wirelessly receive, by the portable playback device via the network interface, the updated state variable after sending the updated state variable to the second zone player and (ii) update, by the portable playback device, the received updated state variable to identify that the portable playback device is no longer a member of the first zone group and to identify that the portable playback device is a member of the third zone group.

12. A method comprising:

joining, by a portable playback device, a playback network having two or more zone players;

after joining the playback network, wirelessly receiving, by the portable playback device via a network interface from a first zone player of the two or more zone players, a state variable which (i) identifies the two or more zone players joined to the playback network but does not identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network, and (ii) identifies that the playback network has a first zone group comprising first zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a first zone and a second zone group comprising second zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a second zone, wherein the portable playback device is not a member of the first zone group or the second zone group; and

wherein the first zone group comprising the first zone players indicated by the state variable play back first audio in synchrony and the second zone group comprising the second zone players indicated by the state variable play back second audio in synchrony;

updating, by the portable playback device, the received state variable stored on the portable playback device to identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group;

wirelessly sending, by the portable playback device via the network interface, the updated state variable to a second zone player of the two or more zone players; and

playing, by the portable payback device, the first audio which is associated with audio content received over the playback network via the network device when the portable payback device is joined to the payback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group of the first zone group of the playback network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, by the portable playback device, that the portable playback device has left a network range of the playback network; and

after detecting that the portable playback device has left the network range of the playback network, updating, by the portable playback device, the state variable stored in the portable playback device to remove identification that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising instructions for sending the state variable to a controller device on the playback network via the network interface.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the portable playback device was previously joined to the playback network and then left the playback network;

and wherein joining the playback network comprises the portable playback device rejoining the playback network based on the determination.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the state variable indicates that the portable playback device was previously joined to the playback network.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method comprising:

joining, by a portable playback device, a playback network having two or more zone players;

after joining the playback network, wirelessly receiving, by the portable playback device via a network interface from a first zone player of the two or more zone players, a state variable which (i) identifies the two or more zone players joined to the playback network but does not identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network, and (ii) identifies that the playback network has a first zone group comprising first zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a first zone and a second zone group comprising second zone players of the two or more zone players for playing audio in a second zone, wherein the portable playback device is not a member of the first zone group or the second zone group; and

wherein the first zone group comprising the first zone players indicated by the state variable play back first audio in synchrony and the second zone group comprising the second zone players indicated by the state variable play back second audio in synchrony;

updating, by the portable playback device, the received state variable stored on the portable playback device to identify that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group;

wirelessly sending, by the portable playback device via the network interface, the updated state variable to a second zone player of the two or more zone players; and

playing, by the portable playback device, the first audio which is associated with the audio content received over the playback network via the network device when the portable playback device is joined to the playback network and the portable playback device is a member of the first zone group of the playback network.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for:

detecting, by the portable playback device, that the portable playback device has left a network range of the playback network; and

after detecting that the portable playback device has left the network range of the playback network, updating, by the portable playback device, the state variable to remove identification that the portable playback device is joined to the playback network.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for sending the state variable to a controller device on the playback network via the network interface.