Controlling and manipulating groupings in a multi-zone media system

• US 20130293345A1
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lambourne, Robert A
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/4.41
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/02 Remote control of amplification, tone or bandwidth combined with remote tuning or selection of resonant circuits H03J
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 7/00 Volume compression or expansion in amplifiers frequency dependent H03G9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal 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: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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

Abstract

In general, techniques of controlling a plurality of multimedia players in groups are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided to allow a user to group some of the players according to a theme or scene, where each of the players is located in a zone. When the scene is activated, the players in the scene react in a synchronized manner. For example, the players in the scene are all caused to play a multimedia source or music in a playlist, wherein the multimedia source may be located anywhere on a network.

Claims

1. In a network comprising a plurality of zone players, a method comprising:

receiving via the network by a controller device, a zone configuration from one of the plurality of zone players, wherein the zone configuration is maintained at one or more of the plurality of zone players, and wherein the zone configuration characterizes one or more zone scenes created by a user, each zone scene comprising at least one zone group, each zone group including at least one of the plurality of zone players, and each zone player in the zone group configured to synchronously playback multimedia content from a multimedia source with another zone player in the zone group;

receiving, by the controller device, a user input to modify the zone configuration;

based on the user input, modifying, by the controller device, the zone configuration; and

transmitting, by the controller device to one of the plurality of zone players, the modified zone configuration to facilitate synchronized playback of multimedia content in accordance with the modified zone configuration, wherein the modified zone configuration identifies a first multimedia source for playback by a first zone group associated with a first zone scene and a second multimedia source for playback by a second zone group associated with the first zone scene.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified zone configuration is maintained by the one of the plurality of zone players.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified zone configuration further comprises one or more attributes associated with the one or more zone scenes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more attributes comprises one or more of (i) a volume level for audio playback for each zone player in the one or more zone scenes, (ii) a mute or unmute setting for audio playback, (iii) a selection and play of specific music, (iv) a play mode setting, (v) an equalization setting for audio playback, and (vi) an audio alarm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified zone configuration further comprises a name associated with each of the one or more zone scenes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein multimedia content comprises a first multimedia content from a first multimedia source and a second multimedia content from a second multimedia source.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first multimedia content comprises an internet radio stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input to modify the zone configuration comprises an input selecting a specified zone scene from a list of one or more zone scenes.

9. A multimedia controller including a processor, the controller configured to:

receive, via a network interface, a zone configuration from one of the plurality of zone players, wherein the zone configuration is maintained at one or more of the plurality of zone players, and wherein the zone configuration characterizes one or more zone scenes created by a user, each zone scene comprising at least one zone group each zone group including at least one of the plurality of zone players, and each zone player in the zone group configured to synchronously playback multimedia content from a multimedia source with another zone player in the zone group;

receive a user input to modify the zone configuration;

based on the user input, modify, the zone configuration; and

transmit to one of the plurality of zone players, the modified zone configuration to facilitate synchronized playback of multimedia content in accordance with the modified zone configuration, wherein the modified zone configuration identifies a first multimedia source for playback by a first zone group associated with a first zone scene and a second multimedia source for playback by a second zone group associated with the first zone scene.

10. The multimedia controller of claim 9, wherein the modified zone configuration is maintained by the one of the plurality of zone players.

11. The multimedia controller of claim 9, wherein the modified zone configuration further comprises one or more attributes associated with the one or more zone scenes.

12. The multimedia controller of claim 11, wherein the one or more attributes comprises one or more of (i) a volume level for audio playback for each zone player in the one or more zone scenes, (ii) a mute or unmute setting for audio playback, (iii) a selection and play of specific music, (iv) a play mode setting, (v) an equalization setting for audio playback, and (vi) an audio alarm.

13. The multimedia controller of claim 9, wherein the modified zone configuration further comprises a name associated with each of the one or more zone scenes.

14. The multimedia controller of claim 9, wherein multimedia content comprises a first multimedia content from a first multimedia source and a second multimedia content from a second multimedia source.

15. The multimedia controller of claim 14, wherein the first multimedia content comprises an internet radio stream.

16. The multimedia controller of claim 9, wherein the user input to modify the zone configuration comprises an input selecting a specified zone scene from a list of zone scenes.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions for execution by a processor, the set of instructions, when executed, implement a controller configured to:

receive, via a network interface, a zone configuration from one of the plurality of zone players, wherein the zone configuration is maintained at one or more of the plurality of zone players, and wherein the zone configuration characterizes one or more zone scenes created by a user, each zone scene comprising at least one zone group each zone group including at least one of the plurality of zone players, and each zone player in the zone group configured to synchronously playback multimedia content from a multimedia source with another zone player in the zone group;

receive a user input to modify the zone configuration;

based on the user input, modify, the zone configuration; and

transmit to one of the plurality of zone players, the modified zone configuration to facilitate synchronized playback of multimedia content in accordance with the modified zone configuration, wherein the modified zone configuration identifies a first multimedia source for playback by a first zone group associated with a first zone scene and a second multimedia source for playback by a second zone group associated with the first zone scene.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the modified zone configuration is maintained by the one of the plurality of zone players.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the modified zone configuration further comprises one or more attributes associated with the one or more zone scenes.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more attributes comprises one or more of (i) a volume level for audio playback for each zone player in the one or more zone scenes, (ii) a mute or unmute setting for audio playback, (iii) a selection and play of specific music, (iv) a play mode setting, (v) an equalization setting for audio playback, and (vi) an audio alarm.