Method and apparatus for playback by a synchrony group

• US 10,175,930 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US13/848,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 709205, 709219, 709220, 709231, 381107
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• 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: G11B 20/10527 : Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10592 : specifically adapted for recording or reproducing multichannel signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/00 : Gain control in amplifiers or frequency changers
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 : Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 : Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 : Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/20 : digital audio broadcasting [DAB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0644 : External master-clock
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 : unidirectional timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 : Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 : Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 : Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 : for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 : for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 : Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 : Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4307 : Synchronising the rendering of multiple content streams or additional data on devices, e.g. synchronisation of audio on a mobile phone with the video output on the TV screen
• 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 5/04 : Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7904 : using intermediate digital signal processing
• 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 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 3/12 : for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 : one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 : Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

In a network comprising at least a first zone player and a second zone player, a method comprising: receiving, at a user interface module, a command to establish a synchrony group, wherein the synchrony group comprises at least the first zone player and the second zone player; and displaying, at the user interface module, a list of information identifying a plurality of items queued for playback by the synchrony group, wherein (i) at least one of the items on the list has associated location data indicating the at least one item is located on a device attached to the local area network, and (ii) at least one other of the items on the list has associated location data indicating the at least one other item is located on a wide area network.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first playback device, the method comprising:

receiving audio content via an asynchronous network;

generating a plurality of frames, wherein an individual frame is generated at a given time, and the individual frame comprises a portion of the audio content and a time stamp indicating a time after the given time to play the portion of the audio content;

generating a sequence of packets, wherein an individual packet comprises one or more of the generated frames and a packet sequence number indicating the individual packet'"'"'s order in the sequence of packets;

transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least a second playback device via the asynchronous network;

transmitting device clock timing information representing a time value indicated by a clock of the first playback device to at least the second playback device via the asynchronous network; and

playing the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device by using the time stamps and the device clock timing of the first playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the sequence of packets via a multicast network address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting device clock timing of the first playback device to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the device clock timing via a unicast network address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

for each frame of the plurality of frames, generating the time stamp for the frame, wherein the time stamp for the frame indicates a time that is later than a current time of the device clock of the first playback device by a first duration of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first duration of time is based on a time required to transmit a single packet from the first playback device to the second playback device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving a message from the second playback device indicating that the second playback device needs additional time to process frames received from the first playback device; and

in response to receiving the message, increasing the first duration of time used to generate time stamps for frames that the first playback device generates after receiving the message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device remain independently clocked while the first playback device plays the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an individual frame further comprises a frame sequence number indicating the individual frame'"'"'s order in the plurality of frames.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the audio content in an individual frame comprises a set of one or more audio samples.

10. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions encoded thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first playback device to perform a method comprising:

receiving audio content via an asynchronous network;

generating a plurality of frames, wherein an individual frame is generated at a given time, and the individual frame comprises a portion of the audio content and a time stamp indicating a time after the given time to play the portion of the audio content;

generating a sequence of packets, wherein an individual packet comprises one or more of the generated frames and a packet sequence number indicating the individual packet'"'"'s order in the sequence of packets;

transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least a second playback device via the asynchronous network;

transmitting device clock timing information representing a time value indicated by a clock of the first playback device to at least the second playback device via the asynchronous network; and

playing the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device by using the time stamps and the device clock timing of the first playback device.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the sequence of packets via a multicast network address.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein transmitting device clock timing of the first playback device to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the device clock timing via a unicast network address.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

for each frame of the plurality of frames, generating the time stamp for the frame, wherein the time stamp for the frame indicates a time that is later than a current time of the device clock of the first playback device by a first duration of time.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the first duration of time is based on a time required to transmit a single packet from the first playback device to the second playback device.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a message from the second playback device indicating that the second playback device needs additional time to process frames received from the first playback device; and

in response to receiving the message, increasing the first duration of time used to generate time stamps for frames that the first playback device generates after receiving the message.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device remain independently clocked while the first playback device plays the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein an individual frame further comprises a frame sequence number indicating the individual frame'"'"'s order in the plurality of frames.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the portion of the audio content in an individual frame comprises a set of one or more audio samples.

19. A first playback device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions encoded thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

receiving audio content via an asynchronous network;

generating a plurality of frames, wherein an individual frame is generated at a given time, and the individual frame comprises a portion of the audio content and a time stamp indicating a time after the given time to play the portion of the audio content;

generating a sequence of packets, wherein an individual packet comprises one or more of the generated frames and a packet sequence number indicating the individual packet'"'"'s order in the sequence of packets;

transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least a second playback device via the asynchronous network;

transmitting device clock timing information representing a time value indicated by a clock of the first playback device to at least the second playback device via the asynchronous network; and

playing the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device by using the time stamps and the device clock timing of the first playback device.

20. The first playback device of claim 19, wherein transmitting the sequence of packets comprising the plurality of frames to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the sequence of packets via a multicast network address.

21. The first playback device of claim 19, wherein transmitting device clock timing of the first playback device to at least the second playback device comprises transmitting the device clock timing via a unicast network address.

22. The first playback device of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

for each frame of the plurality of frames, generating the time stamp for the frame, wherein the time stamp for the frame indicates a time that is later than a current time of the device clock of the first playback device by a first duration of time, wherein the first duration of time is based on a time required to transmit a single packet from the first playback device to the second playback device.

23. The first playback device of claim 22, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device remain independently clocked while the first playback device plays the audio content in synchrony with at least the second playback device.

24. The first playback device of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a message from the second playback device indicating that the second playback device needs additional time to process frames received from the first playback device; and

in response to receiving the message, increasing the first duration of time used to generate time stamps for frames that the first playback device generates after receiving the message.

25. The first playback device of claim 19, wherein an individual frame further comprises a frame sequence number indicating the individual frame'"'"'s order in the plurality of frames.

26. The first playback device of claim 19, wherein the portion of the audio content in an individual frame comprises a set of one or more audio samples.