Device Group Identification

• US 20150371681A1
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Coburn, Arthur L. IV
• Granted Patent: US 9,348,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• 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: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• 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

Method and systems are provided for identification of device groups in a network. A playback device in a media playback system may send to a controller device, a transmission indicating a group identification associated with the playback device. The transmission may be sent in response to a request from the controller device for group identification information or a change in a group configuration of the playback device. The controller device may maintain a table of playback devices in the media playback system. The controller device may modify the table based on the transmission received from the playback device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a controller device from a playback device of a media playback system, a transmission indicating a group identification associated with a zone group, wherein the playback device is capable of being a group coordinator for coordinating synchronous playback of media content by one or more playback devices; and

storing, by the controller device, in data storage, data indicating that the playback device is in the zone group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission further indicates that the playback device is not the group coordinator of the zone group, and wherein the stored data further indicates that the playback device is not the group coordinator of the zone group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission further indicates that the playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group, and wherein the stored data further indicates that the playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmission further indicates a display name of the zone group.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

causing, by the controller device, a controller interface to display a representation of the display name of the zone group.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, the method further comprising:

after receiving the transmission indicating that the playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group, receiving, by the controller device from a second playback device, a transmission indicating the group identification, and that the second playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group; and

modifying, by the controller device, the data in the data storage to indicate that the second playback device is now the group coordinator of the zone group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the transmission from the playback device, sending, by the computing device, a request for group identification information from playback devices in the media playback system that are capable of being a group coordinator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request for group identification information comprises an M-SEARCH method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission comprises a NOTIFY method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

10. A playback device comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving from a controller device, a request for group identification information from playback devices capable of being a group coordinator for coordinating synchronous playback of media content by one or more playback devices;

determining a group identification associated with a zone group in a media playback system, wherein the playback device is one of at least one playback device in the zone group; and

sending to the controller device, a transmission indicating the group identification.

11. The playback device of claim 10, wherein the transmission further indicates that the playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group.

12. The playback device of claim 11, wherein the transmission further indicates a display name of the zone group.

13. The playback device of claim 10, wherein the request for group identification information comprises an M-SEARCH method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

14. The playback device of claim 10, wherein the transmission indicating the group identification comprises a NOTIFY method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

15. The playback device of claim 10, wherein the transmission is a first transmission, the method further comprising:

receiving an indication that the playback device is to become the group coordinator of the zone group; and

sending to the controller device, a second transmission indicating (i) the group identification associated with the zone group and (ii) that the playback device is the group coordinator of the zone group.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a controller device to cause the controller device to perform functions comprising:

receiving from a playback device of a media playback system, a transmission indicating (a) a group identification associated with a zone group and (b) one of (i) that the playback device is a group coordinator for coordinating synchronous playback of media content by one or more playback devices or (ii) that the playback device is not the group coordinator; and

storing in data storage, data indicating that the playback device is in the zone group.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the playback device is configured to coordinate synchronous playback of media content by one or more playback devices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprising:

prior to receiving the transmission from the playback device, sending, by the computing device, a request for group identification information from playback devices in the media playback system that are capable of being a group coordinator.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the request for group identification information comprises an M-SEARCH method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transmission comprises a NOTIFY method of a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol.