Intelligent amplifier activation

• US 9,516,441 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Reilly, Jonathon, Lang, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US14/973,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 381 58- 59, 381 77- 82, 381/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2405 by varying dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• 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 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• 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 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Example implementations described herein may involve activating an amplifier in a playback device based on an anticipated command. An example implementation involves a first playback device determining that a command associated with the first playback device is anticipated. Based on the determination that that the command is anticipated, the first playback device identifies one or more second playback devices of a zone group that is associated with the playback device and causes the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

tangible, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

determining that a command associated with the first playback device is anticipated;

based on the determination that the command is anticipated, identifying one or more second playback devices of a zone group that is associated with the first playback device; and

after identifying the one or more second playback devices of the zone group and before receiving the command associated with the first playback device, causing, via the network interface, the one or more identified second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein determining that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated comprises:

receiving, from a proximity sensor, data indicating movement relative to the first playback device.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein determining that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated comprises:

identifying, in a database, data indicating that media content was previously rendered by the zone group at a time that corresponds to a current time indicated by a clock of the first playback device.

4. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein a media playback system comprises the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices, and wherein identifying one or more second playback devices of the zone group that is associated with the first playback device comprises:

retrieving a state variable indicating a configuration of the media playback system; and

determining that the state variable identifies the one or more second playback devices as members of the zone group.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein causing the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers comprises:

transmitting, to the one or more second playback devices of the zone group, respective messages that cause the one or more second playback devices to activate the respective amplifiers of the one or more second playback devices.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein causing the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers comprises:

transmitting, to the one or more second playback devices of the zone group, respective messages that cause the one or more second playback devices to cache respective audio content.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a particular audio content based on the determination that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated; and

pre-caching the particular audio content.

8. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein receiving the command associated with the first playback device comprises:

after causing the one or more second playback devices in the zone group to activate a respective amplifier, receiving input data representing the command associated with the first playback device to play audio content, and wherein the method further comprises playing the audio content in synchrony with the one or more second playback devices in the zone group.

9. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the one or more second playback devices of the zone group are a subset of playback devices in a media playback system.

10. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a first playback device to perform a method comprising:

determining that a command associated with the first playback device is anticipated;

based on the determination that that the command is anticipated, identifying one or more second playback devices of a zone group that is associated with the first playback device; and

after identifying the one or more second playback devices of the zone group and before receiving the command associated with the first playback device, causing, via a network interface, the one or more identified second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers.

11. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein determining that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated comprises:

receiving from a proximity sensor, data indicating movement relative to the first playback device.

12. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein determining that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated comprises:

identifying, in a database, data indicating that media content was previously rendered by the zone group at a time that corresponds to a current time indicated by a clock of the first playback device.

13. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein a media playback system comprises the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices, and wherein identifying one or more second playback devices of the zone group that is associated with the first playback device comprises:

retrieving a state variable indicating a configuration of the media playback system; and

determining that the state variable identifies the one or more second playback devices as members of the zone group.

14. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein causing the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers comprises:

transmitting, to the one or more second playback devices of the zone group, respective messages that cause the one or more second playback devices to activate the respective amplifiers of the one or more second playback devices.

15. A method comprising:

determining, via a first playback device, that a command associated with the first playback device is anticipated;

based on the determination that that the command is anticipated, identifying one or more second playback devices of a zone group that is associated with the first playback device; and

after identifying the one or more second playback devices of the zone group and before receiving the command associated with the first playback device, causing, via a network interface, the one or more second identified playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers comprises:

transmitting, to the one or more second playback devices of the zone group, respective messages that cause the one or more second playback devices to cache respective audio content.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a particular audio content based on the determination that the command associated with the first playback device is anticipated; and

pre-caching the particular audio content.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

after causing the one or more second playback devices of the zone group to activate respective amplifiers, receiving an input to play audio content; and

playing the audio content in synchrony with the one or more second playback devices of the zone group.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more second playback devices of the zone group are a subset of playback devices in a media playback system.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein a media playback system comprises the first playback device and the one or more second playback devices, and wherein identifying one or more second playback devices of the zone group that is associated with the first playback device comprises:

retrieving a state variable indicating a configuration of the media playback system; and

determining that the state variable identifies the one or more second playback devices as members of the zone group.