Playback device control

• US 10,241,504 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2018
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Griffiths, Neil, Bierbower, Chris, Nelson, Matt, Kafadar, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): McCord, Paul C
• Application Number:
  US15/927,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/42 Recording and playback systems, i.e. in which the programme is recorded from a cycle of operations, e.g. the cycle of operations being manually controlled, after which this record is played back on the same machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23249 Using audio and or video playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

Examples described herein involve a playback device with an enclosure including a first external surface where out-ward facing speakers of the playback device are positioned and a second external surface substantially orthogonal to the first external surface, an array of proximity sensors underlying the second external surface of the playback device; and an orientation sensor. The playback device receives data user input, the user input comprising a first physical contact at a first location on the array of proximity sensors followed by a second physical contact at a second location on the array of proximity sensors; and in response to receiving the data, causes a playback volume of the playback device to change. The playback volume increases if the orientation sensor indicates that the enclosure is in a first orientation and decrease if the orientation sensor indicates that the enclosure is in a second orientation.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

an enclosure comprising a first external surface where out-ward facing speakers of the playback device are positioned, a second external surface, a third external surface, and a fourth external surface, where;

the first external surface is elongated;

the second, third, and fourth external surfaces intersect the first external surface;

the third external surface is smaller than the fourth external surface and intersects the second and fourth external surfaces; and

the enclosure is configured to be placed in at least two orientations, where;

in a first orientation the enclosure rests on the fourth external surface and the second external surface forms a top surface of the playback device; and

in a second orientation the enclosure rests on the third external surface and the second external surface forms a lateral surface of the playback device,

an array of proximity sensors underlying the second external surface of the playback device;

an orientation sensor;

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor for causing the processor to perform functions comprising;

receiving orientation data from the orientation sensor indicating an orientation of the playback device;

receiving data indicating detection of a user input, where the detected user input comprises a swipe from a first location on the array of proximity sensors to a second location on the array of proximity sensors;

in response to receiving the data indicating detection of a user input comprising a swipe from the first location to the second location, causing a playback volume of the playback device to change, wherein;

the change in playback volume comprises an increase in playback volume when the orientation data indicates that the enclosure is in the first orientation, and the change in playback volume comprises a decrease in playback volume when the orientation data indicates that the enclosure is in the second orientation.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein in the second orientation the second external surface forms a right lateral surface of the playback device.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the first orientation is a horizontal orientation and the second orientation is a vertical orientation.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the user input is a first user input, and wherein the functions further comprise:

while the playback device is playing audio content, receiving data indicating a second user input, the second user input comprising a physical contact at a third location on the array of proximity sensors;

in response to receiving the data indicating the second user input, causing the playback device to pause playback of audio content.

6. The playback device of claim 5, and wherein the functions further comprise:

while the playback device is not playing audio content, receiving data indicating a third user input, the third user input comprising a physical contact at the third location on the array of proximity sensors;

in response to receiving the data indicating the third user input, causing the playback device to begin playback of audio content.

7. The playback device of claim 5, wherein the third location is the same as the first location.

8. The playback device of claim 5, wherein the third location is the same as the second location.

9. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one of more processors for causing a playback device to perform functions comprising:

receiving orientation data from the orientation sensor indicating an orientation of the playback device;

receiving data indicating detection of a user input, where the detected user input comprises a swipe from a first location on an array of proximity sensors to a second location on the array of proximity sensors, wherein the playback device comprises an enclosure comprising a first external surface where out-ward facing speakers of the playback device are positioned, a second external surface, a third external surface, and a fourth external surface, where;

the first external surface is elongated;

the second, third, and fourth external surfaces intersect the first external surface;

the third external surface is smaller than the fourth external surface and intersects the second and fourth external surfaces; and

the enclosure is configured to be placed in at least two orientations, where;

in a first orientation the enclosure rests on the fourth external surface and the second external surface forms a top surface of the playback device; and

in a second orientation the enclosure rests on the third external surface and the second external surface forms a lateral surface of the playback device,

and wherein the array of proximity sensor underlie the second external surface of the playback device; and

in response to receiving the data indicating detection of a user input comprising a swipe from the first location to the second location, causing a playback volume of the playback device to change, wherein;

the change in playback volume comprises an increase in playback volume when the orientation data of the playback device indicates that the enclosure is in the first orientation, and the change in playback volume comprises a decrease in playback volume when the orientation data indicates that the enclosure is in the second orientation.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first physical contact at the first location followed by the second physical contact at the second location indicates a swipe gesture from the first location to the second location along the second external surface of the playback device.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the orientation sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first orientation is a horizontal orientation and the second orientation is a vertical orientation.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where in the user input is a first user input, and wherein the functions further comprise:

while the playback device is playing audio content, receiving data indicating a second user input, the second user input comprising a physical contact at a third location on the array of proximity sensors; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the second user input, causing the playback device to pause playback of audio content.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, and wherein the functions further comprise:

while the playback device is not playing audio content, receiving data indicating a third user input, the third user input comprising a physical contact at the third location on the array of the proximity sensors; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the third user input, causing the playback device to begin playback of audio content.

15. The method to be performed by a playback device comprising an enclosure that comprises:

a first external surface where out-ward facing speakers of the playback device are positioned, a second external surface, a third external surface, and a fourth external surface, where;

the first external surface is elongated;

the second, third, and fourth external surfaces intersect the first external surface;

the third external surface is smaller than the fourth external surface and intersects the second and fourth external surfaces; and

the enclosure is configured to be placed in at least two orientations, where;

in a first orientation the enclosure rests on the fourth external surface and the second external surface forms a top surface of the playback device; and

in a second orientation the enclosure rests on the third external surface and the second external surface forms a lateral surface of the playback device;

an array of proximity sensors underlying the second external surface of the playback device; and

an orientation sensor;

the method comprising

receiving orientation data from the orientation sensor indicating an orientation of the playback device;

receiving data indicating detection of a user input, where the detected user input comprises a swipe from a first location on the array of proximity sensors to a second location on the array of proximity sensors; and

in response to receiving the data indicating detection of a user input comprising a swipe from the first location to the second location, causing a playback volume of the playback device to change, wherein;

the change in playback volume comprises an increase in playback volume when the orientation data indicates that the enclosure is in the first orientation, and the change in playback volume comprises a decrease in playback volume when the orientation data indicates that the enclosure is in the second orientation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first physical contact at the first location followed by the second physical contact at the second location indicates a swipe gesture from the first location to the second location along the second external surface of the playback device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the orientation sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first orientation is a horizontal orientation and the second orientation is a vertical orientation.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the user input is a first user input, and wherein the method further comprises:

while the playback device is playing audio content, receiving data indicating a second user input, the second user input comprising of a physical contact at a third location on the array of proximity sensors; and

in response to receiving the data indicating the second user input, causing the playback device to pause playback of audio content.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

while the playback device is not playing audio content, receiving data indicating a third user input, the third user input comprising a physical contact at the third location on the array of proximity sensors; and

in response to receiving data indicating the third user input, causing the playback device to begin playback of audio content.