Directing synchronous playback between zone players

• US 10,296,283 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US13/864,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20130232214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 709219, 709220, 709231
• 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 a plurality of zone players, including at least a first zone player and a second zone player, a method comprising: receiving, by the first zone player, first control information from a user interface module; based on the received first control information, transmitting, by the first zone player, second control information to the second zone player, wherein the second control information comprises (i) a network address of an audio information channelization device that provides audio information and playback timing information, and (ii) a multicast address that the audio information channelization device uses to broadcast audio information and playback timing information to the network; and playing, by the first zone player, the audio information in synchrony with the second zone player.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a synchrony group comprising a first zone player and a second zone player communicatively coupled to the first zone player;

wherein the first zone player comprises at least one processor and tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the first zone player to perform first operations comprising;

receiving audio information over an asynchronous data network;

receiving clock timing information over the asynchronous data network;

receiving playback timing information associated with the audio information over the asynchronous data network, wherein the playback timing identifies a plurality of future playback times for a plurality of portions of the audio information at which the first zone player is to play the plurality of portions of the audio information; and

using the playback timing information and the clock timing information received over the asynchronous data network to play the audio information in synchrony with the second zone player; and

wherein the second zone player comprises at least one processor and tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the second zone player to perform second operations comprising;

using the clock timing information and the playback timing information to play the audio information in synchrony with the playing of the audio information by the first zone player.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operations further comprise transmitting the audio information to the second zone player.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first operations further comprise transmitting the playback timing information to the second zone player.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the asynchronous data network comprises a wide area network (WAN), and wherein the first operations further comprise receiving the audio information from an audio information source via the WAN.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second operations further comprise transmitting the audio information and the playback timing information to the first zone player over the asynchronous data network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous data network comprises a local area network (LAN).

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first operations further comprise receiving control information via the LAN, wherein the control information enables the first zone player to form the synchrony group with the second zone player.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third zone player, wherein receiving the audio information over the asynchronous data network further comprises receiving the audio information from the third zone player over the asynchronous data network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first operations further comprise receiving the playback timing information from the third zone player over the asynchronous data network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the second operations further comprise transmitting the clock timing information to the first and third zone players over the asynchronous data network.

11. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions encoded thereupon, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a media playback system to perform a method comprising:

a first zone player receiving audio information over an asynchronous data network;

the first zone player receiving playback timing information and clock timing information over the asynchronous data network, wherein the playback timing identifies a plurality of future playback times for a plurality of portions of the audio information at which the first zone player is to play the plurality of portions of the audio information;

the first zone player using the playback timing information and the clock timing information to play the audio information in synchrony with a second zone player; and

the second zone player using the playback timing information and the clock timing information to play the audio information in synchrony with the playing of the audio information via the first zone player.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the first zone player transmitting the audio information to the second zone player.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the first zone player transmitting the playback timing information to the second zone player.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the asynchronous data network comprises a wide area network (WAN), and wherein the first zone player receiving the audio information over the asynchronous data network comprises the first zone player receiving the audio information from an audio information source via the WAN.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the second zone player transmitting the audio information and the playback timing information to the first zone player.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the asynchronous data network comprises a local area network (LAN).

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the first zone player receiving control information via the LAN, wherein the control information enables the first zone player to form a synchrony group with the second zone player.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises a third zone player transmitting the audio information to the first zone player.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the third zone player transmitting the playback timing information to the first zone player.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the second zone player transmitting the clock timing information to the first and third zone players.