Controlling and displaying zones in a multi-zone system

• US 9,720,576 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, Amber, Kumar, Abhishek
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SILVERMAN, SETH ADAM
• Application Number:
  US14/041,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A multimedia controller for controlling and displaying zones in a multi-zone system is provided. In one example the controller is configured to provide a user interface for a plurality of zones, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones includes at least one player in a local area network. The controller is also configured to accept via the user interface, an input to display a list of the zones in the local area network, and to identify, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a state associated with each zone of the plurality of zones. The controller is also configured to display the list of the zones, wherein the list of the zones identifies each zone of the plurality of zones, and wherein the list of zones is ordered at least according to the state associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones.

Claims

1. A control device including a processor, the control device configured to:

provide a user interface for multiple zones of a media playback system comprising multiple playback devices, wherein each zone of the multiple zones consists of one or more a respective playback devices of the multiple playback devices, and wherein the multiple playback devices are controllable from one or more control devices that are separate and distinct from the multiple playback devices, the one or more control devices comprising the control device;

detect, via the user interface for the multiple zones, an input to display a list of zones;

identify respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, wherein identifying the respective states comprises;

in response to detecting the input to display the list of zones, sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones, wherein state information indicating current states of the multiple zones is maintained in data storage on the one or more particular playback devices; and

receiving, from at least one of the one or more particular playback devices, one or more messages representing state information for the multiple zones, the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones;

in response to identifying respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, determine an order of the multiple zones within the list of zones, wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises;

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more first zones of the multiple zones before one or more second zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more first zones are currently playing back media and that the one or more second zones are not currently playing back media, wherein the one or more first zones are streaming media from one or more audio sources that are separate and distinct from the control device; and

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more third zones of the multiple zones before one or more fourth zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more third zones have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each third zone and that the one or more fourth zones do not have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each fourth zone, the one or more third zones including the one or more first zones and a subset of the one or more second zones;

after detecting the input to display the list of zones, display, via the user interface, the list of zones, wherein the list of zones identifies each zone of the multiple zones in the determined order; and

display, in association with the one or more first zones within the list of zones, respective graphical elements indicating that each of the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back media.

2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the control device is further configured to display, in association with the one or more third zones within the list of zones, metadata indicating current media items of the respective playback queues that are associated with each third zone.

3. The control device of claim 1,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone was most-recently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

4. The control device of claim 1,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone is most-frequently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

5. The control device of claim 1, wherein the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones;

and wherein receiving one or more messages indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises receiving data representing the one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones, the one or more state variables indicating that the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back one or more particular media items.

6. The control device of claim 1, wherein detecting the input to display the list of zones comprises detecting a selection, on the user interface, of a zone name of a given zone of the multiple zones.

7. The control device of claim 1, wherein sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones comprises sending a request to a given playback device, wherein the given playback device maintains state information for each zone of the multiple zones.

8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor to cause a control device to perform functions comprising:

providing a user interface for multiple zones of a media playback system comprising multiple playback devices, wherein each zone of the multiple zones consists of one or more a respective playback devices of the multiple playback devices, and wherein the multiple playback devices are controllable from one or more control devices that are separate and distinct from the multiple playback devices, the one or more control devices comprising the control device;

detecting via the user interface for the multiple zones, an input to display a list of zones;

identifying respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, wherein determining the respective states comprises;

in response to detecting the input to display the list of zones, sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones, wherein state information indicating current states of the multiple zones is maintained in data storage on the one or more particular playback devices; and

receiving, from at least one of the one or more particular playback devices, one or more messages representing state information for the multiple zones, the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones;

in response to identifying respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, determining an order of the multiple zones within the list of zones, wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises;

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more first zones of the multiple zones before one or more second zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more first zones are currently playing back media and that the one or more second zones are not currently playing back media, wherein the one or more first zones are streaming media from one or more audio sources that are separate and distinct from the control device; and

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more third zones of the multiple zones before one or more fourth zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more third zones have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each third zone and that the one or more fourth zones do not have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each fourth zone, the one or more third zones including the one or more first zones and a subset of the one or more second zones;

after detecting the input to display the list of zones, displaying, via the user interface, the list of zones, wherein the list of zones identifies each zone of the multiple zones in the determined order; and

displaying, in association with the one or more first zones within the list of zones, respective graphical elements indicating that each of the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back media.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise displaying, in association with the one or more third zones within the list of zones, metadata indicating current media items of the respective playback queues that are associated with each third zone.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone was most-recently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone is most-frequently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones;

and wherein receiving one or more messages indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises receiving data representing the one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones, the one or more state variables indicating that the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back one or more particular media items.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein detecting the input to display the list of zones comprises detecting a selection, on the user interface, of a zone name of a given zone of the multiple zones.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones comprises sending a request to a given playback device, wherein the given playback device maintains state information for each zone of the multiple zones.

15. A method comprising:

providing, via a computing device, a user interface for multiple zones of a media playback system comprising multiple playback devices, wherein each zone of the multiple zones consists of one or more a respective playback devices of the multiple playback devices, and wherein the multiple playback devices are controllable from one or more control devices that are separate and distinct from the multiple playback devices, the one or more control devices comprising the control device;

detecting, via the user interface for the multiple zones, an input to display a list of zones;

determining, via the computing device, respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, wherein determining the respective states comprises;

in response to detecting the input to display the list of zones, sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones, wherein state information indicating current states of the multiple zones is maintained in data storage on the one or more particular playback devices; and

receiving, from at least one of the one or more particular playback devices, one or more messages representing state information for the multiple zones, the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones;

in response to identifying respective states associated with each zone of the multiple zones, determining an order of the multiple zones within the list of zones, wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises;

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more first zones of the multiple zones before one or more second zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more first zones are currently playing back media and that the one or more second zones are not currently playing back media, wherein the one or more first zones are streaming media from one or more audio sources that are separate and distinct from the control device; and

ordering, within the list of zones, one or more third zones of the multiple zones before one or more fourth zones of the multiple zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the one or more third zones have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each third zone and that the one or more fourth zones do not have at least one media item queued for playback in respective playback queues associated with each fourth zone, the one or more third zones including the one or more first zones and a subset of the one or more second zones;

after detecting the input to display the list of zones, displaying, via the computing device via the user interface, the list of zones, wherein the list of zones identifies each zone of the multiple zones in the determined order; and

displaying, via the computing device in association with the one or more first zones within the list of zones, respective graphical elements indicating that each of the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back media.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises displaying, in association with the one or more third zones within the list of zones, metadata indicating current media items of the respective playback queues that are associated with each third zone.

17. The method of claim 15,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone was most-recently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

18. The method of claim 15,

wherein determining the order of the multiple zones within the list of zones comprises ordering a particular zone first within the list of zones based on the state information in the one or more received messages indicating that the particular zone is most-frequently controlled by the control device among the multiple zones.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the state information indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones;

and wherein receiving one or more messages indicating current states of the multiple zones comprises receiving data representing the one or more state variables indicating respective current states of the multiple zones, the one or more state variables indicating that the one or more first zones of the multiple zones are currently playing back one or more particular media items.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein sending, to one or more particular playback devices of the multiple playback devices, one or more requests for respective states of the multiple zones comprises sending a request to a given playback device, wherein the given playback device maintains state information for each zone of the multiple zones.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting the input to display the list of zones comprises detecting a selection, on the user interface, of a zone name of a given zone of the multiple zones.