Synchronizing audio content to audio and video devices

• US 9,948,980 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Glazier, Adam, Shekel, Tomer
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US14/803,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

In one general aspect, a method can include receiving, by a computing device, a selection of a group of devices that receive content under control of the computing device, and identifying a first device and a second device included in the group of devices. The computing device and each device included in the group of devices can be connected to a network. The first and second devices can be available to receive content, under the control of the computing device, from a server connected to the network that is remote from the group of devices and the computing device. The method can include providing an indication that the content be provided to the first device by the server and providing an indication that at least a portion of the content be provided to the second device synchronously with the providing of the content to the first device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating, by a casting application executing on a computing device, a group of cast-enabled devices, each device included in the group of cast-enabled devices able to receive content under control of the computing device and from a server remote from the group of cast-enabled devices, each device included in the group of cast-enabled devices being connected to the computing device and to the server by way of a network;

establishing, by the computing device by way of the network, communications with the server;

executing, by the computing device, a web browser application;

displaying, on a display device included in the computing device and by a browser-based application executing in an instance of the web browser application, a first user interface including a video portion of streaming media content and a cast icon;

in response to receiving a selection of the cast icon, displaying, on the display device and by the browser-based application, a second user interface including the video portion of the streaming media content, the cast icon, and a pull-down menu superimposed over the video portion of the streaming media content and including a listing of the cast-enabled devices and the group of cast-enabled devices; and

in response to receiving a selection of the group of cast-enabled devices, controlling, by the browser-based application, the streaming media content for input to each of the cast-enabled devices included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the browser-based application providing the streaming media content synchronously for input to each of the cast-enabled devices.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises casting an audio portion of the streaming media content to the group of devices.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker, and

wherein the method further comprises playing an audio portion of the streaming media content on the at least one built-in speaker.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a first speaker, wherein a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a second speaker, and

wherein the method further comprises playing an audio portion of the streaming media content on the first speaker and the second speaker.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein an audio portion of the streaming media content is for playing on a speaker included in the computing device, and

wherein the method further comprises mirroring the audio portion of the streaming media content to the group of devices.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises casting the streaming media content to the group of devices.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker,

wherein a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a speaker, and

wherein the method further comprises:

playing the streaming media content on the first device, the playing including;

displaying the video portion of the streaming media content in the display area; and

playing an audio portion of the streaming media content on the at least one built-in speaker; and

playing the audio portion of the streaming media content on the second device.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises:

displaying the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device included in the computing device;

playing an audio portion of the streaming media content on a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device; and

playing the audio portion of the streaming media content on a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device.

9. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to:

create, by a casting application executing on the computing device, a group of cast-enabled devices, each device included in the group of cast-enabled devices able to receive content under control of the computing device and from a server remote from the group of cast-enabled devices, each device included in the group of cast-enabled devices being connected to the computing device and to the server by way of a network;

establish, by the computing device by way of the network, communications with the server;

execute a web browser application;

display, on a display device included in the computing device and by a browser-based application executing in an instance of the web browser application, a first user interface including a video portion of streaming media content and a cast icon;

in response to receiving a selection of the cast icon, display, on the display device and by the browser-based application, a second user interface including the video portion of streaming media content, the cast icon, and a pull-down menu superimposed over the video portion of the streaming media content and including a listing of the cast-enabled devices and the group of cast-enabled devices; and

in response to receiving a selection of the group of cast-enabled devices, control, by the browser-based application, the streaming media content for input to each of the cast-enabled devices included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the browser-based application providing the streaming media content synchronously for input to each of the cast-enabled devices.

10. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to cast an audio portion of the streaming media content to the group of devices.

11. The medium of claim 9,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to play an audio portion of the streaming media content on the at least one built-in speaker.

12. The medium of claim 9,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a first speaker, wherein a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a second speaker, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to play an audio portion of the streaming media content on the first speaker and the second speaker.

13. The medium of claim 9,

wherein an audio portion of the streaming media content is for playing on a speaker included in the computing device, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to mirror the audio portion of the streaming media content to the group of devices.

14. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to cast the streaming media content to the group of devices.

15. The medium of claim 9,

wherein a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a display device including a display area and at least one built-in speaker,

wherein a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a speaker, and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:

play the streaming media content on the first device, the playing including;

displaying the video portion of the streaming media content in the display area; and

playing an audio portion of the streaming media content on the at least one built-in speaker; and

play the audio portion of the streaming media content on the second device.

16. The medium of claim 9,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:

display the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device included in the computing device;

play an audio portion of the streaming media content on a first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device; and

play the audio portion of the streaming media content on a second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the playing being synchronized with the displaying of the video portion of the streaming media content on the display device.

17. A system comprising:

a network;

a computing device connected to the network and configured to execute a casting application, a web browser application, and a browser-based application, the computing device including a display device;

a server;

a first device external to the computing device and connected to the network, the first device included in a group of cast-enabled devices configured to receive content under control of the computing device and from the server; and

a second device external to the computing device and connected to the network, the second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices configured to receive content under the control of the computing device and from the server;

the computing device configured to;

communicate with the server by way of the network,

display, on the display device and by the browser-based application executing in an instance of the web browser application, a first user interface including a video portion of streaming media content and a cast icon;

in response to receiving a selection of the cast icon, display, on the display device and by the browser-based application, a second user interface including the video portion of the streaming media content, the cast icon, and a pull-down menu superimposed over the video portion of the streaming media content and including a listing of the cast-enabled devices and the group of cast-enabled devices; and

in response to receiving a selection of the group of cast-enabled devices, control, by the browser-based application, the streaming media content for input to each of the cast-enabled devices included in the group of cast-enabled devices, the browser-based application providing the streaming media content synchronously for input to each of the cast-enabled devices.

18. The system of claim 17,

wherein the first device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a display device including a display area,

wherein the second device included in the group of cast-enabled devices is a speaker, and

wherein controlling, by the browser-based application, the streaming media content for input to each of the cast-enabled devices included in the group of cast-enabled devices further includes synchronizing the playing of an audio portion of the streaming media content on the speaker with the playing of the video portion of the streaming media content in the display area of the display device.