Voice control of a media playback system

• US 10,847,143 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2018
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Millington, Nicholas A. J., Corbin, Keith, Plagge, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Thierry L
• Application Number:
  US15/948,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20180226074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 704246, 704251, 704252, 704270, 704275
• 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 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• 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 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

Abstract

A voice input comprising a command word, one or more media variable instances, and one or more zone variable instances is received. A media playback system command which corresponds to the command word is determined. Media content which corresponds to the one or more media variable instances is identified. The media playback system is caused to execute the media playback system command on the media content based on the one or more zone variable instances.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

causing, via a computing device, a media playback system to play back media content in a first playback zone;

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

receiving, via the computing device, a voice input comprising a command word and one or more zone variable instances;

determining, via the computing device, (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the command word and (ii) an intent to transfer a playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to a second playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances, wherein the second playback zone comprises two or more playback devices; and

after the determining, transferring, via the computing device, the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone, thereby causing the two or more playback devices to play back the media content in synchrony.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring, via the computing device, the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises forming, via the computing device, a zone group comprising the first playback zone and the second playback zone, wherein the second playback zone is not a member of the zone group before receiving the voice input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transferring, via the computing device, the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises causing, via the computing device, the first playback zone to leave the zone group such that the second playback zone continues to play back the media content in the second playback zone after the first playback zone leaves the zone group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring, via the computing device, the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises:

causing, via the computing device, the first playback zone cease playback of the media content in the first playback zone at a particular timestamp of the media content; and

causing, via the computing device, the second playback zone to beging playback of the media content in the second playback zone at the particular timestamp of the media content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to the determination, causing, via the computing device, the media playback system to copy at least a portion of a playback queue of the first playback zone to a playback queue of the second playback zone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice input is a second voice input, wherein the command word is a second command word, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the computing device, a first voice input, wherein the first voice input comprises a first command word and one or more media variable instances;

determining, via the computing device, (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the first command word and (ii) an intent to play back the media content based on the one or more media variable instances; and

identifying, via the computing device, the media content based on the one or more media variable instances, wherein the media playback system plays back the media content in the first playback zone in response to the media playback system command corresponding to the first command word.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the voice input further comprises one more media variable instances, and wherein the method further comprises, identifying, via the computing device, the media content based on the one or more media variable instances.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

determining an intent to transfer a play back transfer a playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to a third playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances; and

after the determining, transferring, via the computing device, the playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to the third playback zone.

8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing a media playback system to play back media content in a first playback zone;

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

receiving a voice input comprising a command word and one or more zone variable instances;

determining (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the command word and (ii) an intent to transfew a playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to a second playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances, wherein the second playback zone comprises two or more playback devices; and

after the determining, transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone, thereby causing the two or more playback devices to play back the media content in synchrony.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein tansferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises forming a zone group comprising the first playback zone and the second playback zone, wherein the second playback zone is not a member of the zone group before receiving the voice input.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises causing the first playback zone to leave the zone group such that the second playback zone continues to play back the media content in the second playback zone after the first playback zone leaves the zone group.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein tansferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises:

causing the first playback zone to cease playback of the media content in the first playback zone at a particular timestamp of the media content; and

causing the second playback zone to begin playback of the media content in the second playback zone at the particular timestamp of the media content.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise in response to the determination, causing the media playback system to copy at least a portion of a playback queue of the first playback zone to a playback queue of the second playback zone.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the voice input is a second voice input, wherein the command word is a second command word, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving a first voice input, wherein the first voice input comprises a first command word and one or more media variable instances;

determining (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the first command word and (ii) an intent to play back the media content based on the one or more media variable instances; and

identifying the media content based on the one or more media variable instances, wherein the media playback system plays back the media content in the first playback zone in response to the media playback system command corresponding to the first command word.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the voice input further comprises one more media variable instances, and wherein the functions further comprise, identifying the media content based on the one or more media variable instances.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

determining an intent to transfer a playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to a third playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances; and

after the determining, transferring the playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to the third playback zone.

15. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

causing a media playback system to play back media content in a first playback zone;

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

receiving a voice input comprising a command word and one or more zone variable instances;

determining (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the command word and (ii) an intent to transfer a playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to a second playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances, wherein the second playback zone comprises two or more playback devices; and

after the determining, transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone, thereby causing the two or more playback devices to play back the media content in synchrony.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises forming a zone group comprising the first playback zone and the second playback zone, wherein the second playback zone is not a member of the zone group before receiving the voice input.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises causing the first playback zone to leave the zone group such that the second playback zone continues to play back the media content in the second playback zone after the first playback zone leaves the zone group.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein transferring the playback state of the media content from the first playback zone to the second playback zone comprises:

causing the first playback zone to cease playback of the media content in the first playback zone at a particular timestamp of the media content; and

causing the second playback zone to begin playback of the media content in the second playback zone at the particular timestamp of the media content.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise in response to the determination, causing the media playback system to copy at least a portion of a playback queue of the first playback zone to a playback queue of the second playback zone.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the voice input is a second voice input, wherein the command word is a second command word, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving a first voice input, wherein the first voice input comprises a first command word and one or more media variable instances;

determining (i) a media playback system command corresponding to the first command word and (ii) an intent to play back the media content based on the one or more media variable instances; and

identifying the media content based on the one or more media variable instances, wherein the media playback system plays back the media content in the first playback zone in response to the media playback system command corresponding to the first command word.

23. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

while the media playback system is playing back the media content in the first playback zone;

determining an intent to transfer a playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to a third playback zone based on the one or more zone variable instances; and

after the determining, transferring the playback state of the media content from the second playback zone to the third playback zone.