Audio response playback

• US 10,095,470 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan P., Plagge, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): HUBER, PAUL W
• Application Number:
  US15/237,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A voice command may be received from a microphone device associated with a media playback system comprising one or more zones. An audio response zone from the one or more zones to play the audio response may be selected based on context information. The selected zone may comprise one or more playback devices. At least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone may be caused to play the audio response.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a computing device from a microphone device associated with a media playback system, a voice command, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones;

selecting, via the computing device, an audio response zone from the one or more zones to play an audio response based on context information, wherein the selected zone comprises one or more playback devices;

based on capability information, determining whether to select a predetermined zone as a first zone or to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the first zone, wherein selecting the first zone of the one or more zones to play the audio response comprises selecting the predetermined zone as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on pairing information of the microphone device; and

causing, via the computing device, at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone; and

wherein selecting the audio response zone from the one or more zones to play the audio response based on context information comprises;

dynamically selecting the first zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on context information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein dynamically selecting the first zone based on context information comprises:

dynamically selecting the first zone based on context information collected after receiving the voice command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the media playback system lacks one or more hardware devices; and

based on determining that the media playback system lacks the one or more hardware devices, determining to select the predetermined zone as the first zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the audio response zone is grouped for synchronous playback with a second zone; and

wherein causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response comprises;

causing only the audio response zone to play the audio response.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a volume level of playback of the audio response based on the context information.

7. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a processor cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a microphone device associated with a media playback system, a voice command, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones;

selecting an audio response zone from the one or more zones to play an audio response based on context information, wherein the selected zone comprises one or more playback devices;

based on capability information, determining whether to select a predetermined zone as a first zone or to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the first zone, wherein selecting the first zone of the one or more zones to play the audio response comprises selecting the predetermined zone as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on pairing information of the microphone device; and

causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone; and

wherein selecting the audio response zone from the one or more zones to play the audio response based on context information comprises;

dynamically selecting the first zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on context information.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein dynamically selecting the first zone based on context information comprises:

dynamically selecting the first zone based on context information collected after receiving the voice command.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, the functions further comprise:

determining that the media playback system lacks one or more hardware devices; and

based on determining that the media playback system lacks the one or more hardware devices, determining to select the predetermined zone as the first zone.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, the functions further comprise:

determining that the audio response zone is grouped for synchronous playback with a second zone; and

wherein causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response comprises;

causing only the audio response zone to play the audio response.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, the functions further comprise:

adjusting a volume level of playback of the audio response based on the context information.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having stored thereon instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform functions comprising;

receiving, from a microphone device associated with a media playback system, a voice command, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones;

selecting an audio response zone from the one or more zones to play an audio response based on context information, wherein the selected zone comprises one or more playback devices;

based on capability information, determining whether to select a predetermined zone as a first zone or to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the first zone, wherein selecting the first zone of the one or more zones to play the audio response comprises selecting the predetermined zone as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on pairing information of the microphone device; and

causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining to dynamically select a zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone; and

wherein selecting the audio response zone from the one or more zones to play the audio response based on context information comprises;

dynamically selecting the first zone of the one or more zones as the audio response zone to play the audio response based on context information.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, the functions further comprise:

determining that the media playback system lacks one or more hardware devices; and

based on determining that the media playback system lacks the one or more hardware devices, determining to select the predetermined zone as the first zone.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, the functions further comprise:

determining that the audio response zone is grouped for synchronous playback with a second zone; and

wherein causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected zone to play the audio response comprises;

causing only the audio response zone to play the audio response.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, the functions further comprise:

adjusting a volume level of playback of the audio response based on the context information.