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Proximity-based media system disconnect

  • US 10,425,789 B2
  • Filed: 12/01/2015
  • Issued: 09/24/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a mobile device to cause the mobile device to perform a method comprising:

  • sending, via a network interface of the mobile device to one or more intermediary servers, data representing a request to join a particular media playback system as a control device of the particular media playback system, wherein the particular media playback system comprises one or more playback devices that are (i) connected to a secure wireless local area network and (ii) controllable by mobile devices that are joined to the particular media playback system as control devices;

    receiving, via the network interface from the one or more intermediary servers in response to the request to join the particular media playback system, data representing a configuration of the particular media playback system;

    based on the data representing the configuration of the particular media playback system, configuring a control application installed on the mobile device to control the particular media playback system over one or more communication paths via a cellular network and the one or more intermediary servers such that the mobile device is joined to the particular media playback system as a control device, wherein the mobile device is disconnected from the secure wireless local area network;

    while the mobile device is joined to the particular media playback system as a control device such that the one or more playback devices are controllable by the control application installed on the mobile device, receiving, via the control application displayed on a touch-screen graphical display of the mobile device, user input to play back audio content on a given playback device of the particular media playback system;

    in response to the user input, transmitting, via a network interface of the mobile device over the one or more communication paths via the cellular network and the one or more intermediary servers, one or more commands to play back the audio content on at least one of the one or more playback devices;

    while the mobile device remains joined to the particular media playback system as a control device, detecting that the mobile device is outside of a threshold proximity to the particular media playback system; and

    in response to detecting that the mobile device is outside of the threshold proximity to the particular media playback system, transmitting an instruction to the one or more intermediary servers, while the mobile device remains joined to the particular media playback system and the cellular network, to cause the mobile device to disconnect from the particular media playback system as a control device while remaining connected to the cellular network and disconnected from the secure wireless local area network, wherein disconnection of the mobile device as the control device from the particular media playback system causes the particular media playback system to cease being controllable by the control application installed on the mobile device.

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