User interface for managing the operation of networked media playback devices

• US 8,423,893 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: D&M Holdings Incorporated (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Altec Lansing Australia Pty., Limited
• Inventors: Ramsay, Max Gordon, Taylor, Joe, Giuliani, Vincenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R
• Application Number:
  US12/811,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/716
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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

Described herein are systems and methods for managing the operation of networked media playback devices. One embodiment includes Graphical User Interface for coordinating playback of media via one or more networked wireless speaker devices. In particular, a user is able to “drag and drop” audio tracks to icons that are respectively indicative of one or more networked wireless speaker devices, thereby to affect playback of those audio tracks via those speaker devices.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for configuring a set of networked media playback devices to provide multi-channel audio playback, the method including:

(i) providing an interface that is configured to display a plurality of player icons, each player icon being indicative of a respective physical wireless speaker device;

(ii) displaying, via the interface, a plurality of location icons, each location icon being indicative of a respective role in a multi-speaker arrangement, wherein each role is associated with a predefined audio channel for the multi-speaker arrangement;

(iii) allowing a user to graphically manipulate the player icons; and

(iv) being responsive to graphical manipulation of a selected one of the player icons to a selected one of the location icons for providing an instruction to configure a wireless speaker device of which the selected player icon is indicative to adopt the role in a multi-speaker arrangement of which the selected location icon is indicative;

such that in response to an instruction to playback a multi-channel audio source via the multi-speaker arrangement, each wireless speaker device plays back the predefined audio channel for its adopted role.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the multi-speaker arrangement is a multi-channel surround sound arrangement.

3. A method according to claim 1 including the step of being responsive to a user command in respect of one of the player icons for instructing a wireless speaker device of which that icon is indicative to playback an audible test signal, thereby to enable the user to physically identify the speaker device of which that icon is indicative.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the interface is configured such that the location icons are arranged thereby to provide a spatial graphical representation of the multi-speaker arrangement.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the interface displays the location icons in a plan-view representation of the multi-speaker arrangement.

6. A computer implemented method for enabling a user to configure a surround sound system using wireless speaker units, the method including:

providing a graphical plan view of speaker locations in the surround sound arrangement, wherein each speaker location is associated with a respective surround sound audio playback channel;

enabling a user to associate each speaker location with a respective wireless speaker unit;

in response to the association of a given speaker location with a given wireless speaker unit, providing a configuration instruction such that, for subsequent playback of multi-channel audio data via the surround sound system, the given wireless speaker unit is configured to play back the respective surround sound audio playback channel associated with the given speaker location.

7. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 wherein the interface enables a user to drag and drop an icon indicative of a selected speaker unit to a desired speaker location thereby to associate that speaker unit with that speaker location.

8. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 including enabling a user to initiate an audible test signal via a selected one of the wireless speaker units, thereby to facilitate physical identification of that wireless speaker unit.