Playback zone representations

• US 9,898,246 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kumar, Abhishek, Lambourne, Robert Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/170,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20160274863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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

Abstract

Method and systems are provided for displaying playback zone representations in a controller interface for a media playback system. An example implementation involves a computing device receiving a command to display representations of playback zones in a media playback system. After receiving the command, the computing system determines that (i) each zone of a first subset of playback zones is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a second subset of playback zones is not associated with media content. In response to determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones is associated with media content, the computing system displays an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset and in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones is not associated with media content, displays a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving a command to display representations of playback zones in a media playback system;

after receiving the command, determining that (i) each zone of a first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content;

in response to determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset.

2. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises:

displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of respective media content associated with the corresponding playback zone.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content comprises:

determining that at least one playback zone in the first subset of playback zones is playing media content.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining that the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content comprises:

determining that at least one playback zone in the first subset of playback zones corresponds to a playback queue populated with media content.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the first subset of playback zones, and wherein displaying the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset comprises displaying in each collapsed format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the second subset of playback zones.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

after displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset and the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset, determining that (i) each zone of a third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a fourth subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, wherein the third subset is different from the first subset and the fourth subset is different from the second subset;

in response to determining that each zone of the third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the third subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the fourth subset.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein two or more particular playback zones in the first subset are arranged into a zone group, and wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises:

displaying in the expanded format representation of the zone group, representations indicating the two or more particular playback zones.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein two or more particular playback zones in the second subset are arranged into a zone group, and wherein displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset comprises:

displaying in the collapsed format representation of the zone group, representations indicating the two or more particular playback zones.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, a command to display representations of playback zones in a media playback system;

after receiving the command, determining, via the computing device, that (i) each zone of a first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content;

in response to determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying by the computing device, an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying by the computing device, a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises:

displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of respective media content associated with the corresponding playback zone.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content comprises:

determining that at least one playback zone in the first subset of playback zones is playing media content.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content comprises:

determining that at least one playback zone in the first subset of playback zones corresponds to a playback queue populated with media content.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the first subset of playback zones, and wherein displaying the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset comprises displaying by the computing device, in each collapsed format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the second subset of playback zones.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

after displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset and the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset, determining that (i) each zone of a third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a fourth subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, wherein the third subset is different from the first subset and the fourth subset is different from the second subset;

in response to determining that each zone of the third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the third subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the fourth subset.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a playback zone in the first subset is a zone group comprising two or more playback zones, and wherein displaying by the computing device, an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises:

displaying by the computing device, in the expanded format representation of the zone group, representations indicating the two or more playback zones.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a playback zone in the second subset is a zone group comprising two or more playback zones, and wherein displaying by the computing device, a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset comprises:

displaying by the computing device, in the collapsed format representation of the zone group, representations indicating the two or more playback zones.

17. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving a command to display representations of playback zones in a media playback system;

after receiving the command, determining that (i) each zone of a first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content;

in response to determining that each zone of the first subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises:

displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of respective media content associated with the corresponding playback zone.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset comprises displaying in each expanded format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the first subset of playback zones, and wherein displaying the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset comprises displaying in each collapsed format representation, a representation of a name of the corresponding playback zone in the second subset of playback zones.

20. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the functions further comprise:

after displaying the expanded format representation of each playback zone in the first subset and the collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the second subset, determining that (i) each zone of a third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content and (ii) each zone of a fourth subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, wherein the third subset is different from the first subset and the fourth subset is different from the second subset;

in response to determining that each zone of the third subset of playback zones in the media playback system is associated with media content, displaying an expanded format representation of each playback zone in the third subset; and

in response to determining that each zone of the second subset of playback zones in the media playback system is not associated with media content, displaying a collapsed format representation of each playback zone in the fourth subset.