Zone grouping

• US 9,671,997 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Triplett, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US14/339,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94, 715716
• 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 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

An example method involves causing a control device to display a graphical user interface that comprises an indication of a first zone of a media playback system, wherein the media playback system comprises the first zone and a second zone, and wherein the graphical user interface does not comprise an indication of the second zone. The example method further involves detecting, by the control device, an input that indicates a command to cause the first zone to form a zone group with the second zone and play back a target media in synchrony with the second zone. The method further comprises, based on the detected input, causing the first zone to form a zone group with the second zone and play back the target media in synchrony with the second zone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a control device to display a graphical user interface that comprises an indication of a first zone of a media playback system, wherein the media playback system comprises the first zone and a plurality of additional zones, and wherein the graphical user interface does not comprise an indication of any of the plurality of additional zones, wherein each zone in the media playback system comprises at least one playback device;

detecting, via the graphical user interface of the control device, an input that indicates a command to (i) identify a second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) cause the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) cause the first zone and the identified second zone to play back a target media in synchrony; and

based on the detected input, (i) identifying the second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) causing the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) causing the first zone and the identified second zone to play back the target media in synchrony.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input further indicates a command to detect an active zone that is playing the target media, the method further comprising:

based on the detected input, detecting the active zone that is playing the target media, wherein the active zone is the second zone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected input is a second input, the method further comprising:

before detecting the second input, detecting, by the control device, a first input that indicates a command to cause the control device to indicate a potential zone from the plurality of additional zones for the first zone to join;

based on the detected first input, determining the potential zone to indicate, wherein the determined potential zone includes the second zone; and

based on the detected first input, providing an indication of the determined potential zone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first input is a continuous touch-and-hold of the graphical user interface for at least a predetermined period of time, and the second input is a release of the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determined potential zone is playing a potential media, and wherein providing an indication of the determined potential zone comprises at least one of (a) providing an audio indication of the determined potential zone, (b) providing an audio indication of the potential media, and (c) providing an audio sample of the potential media.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the potential zone to indicate based on the detected first input comprises determining a sequence of potential zones to indicate, wherein at least one zone in the sequence of potential zones includes the second zone.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a sequence of potential zones to indicate comprises at least one of (a) detecting signal strengths corresponding to respective zones and determining the sequence based on the detected signal strengths of the respective zones, (b) determining most recent user interaction times of respective zones and determining the sequence based on the determined most recent user interaction times of the respective zones, (c) determining a random order for the sequence, (d) determining the sequence based on alphabetical order of a zone name for each respective zone, and (e) determining the sequence based on numerical order of a zone number for each respective zone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the zone group is a second zone group, and wherein, before detecting the input indicating the command, the first zone is within a first zone group that comprises a third zone from the plurality of additional zones, the method further comprising:

based on the detected input, causing the third zone to play back the target media in synchrony with the first and second zones.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the zone group is a second zone group and the input is a second input, the method further comprising:

before detecting the second input, detecting, by the control device, a first input that indicates a command to cause a second graphical user interface to display a list of the zones within a first zone group, wherein the first zone group comprises the first zone and a third zone from the plurality of additional zones; and

based on the detected first input, causing the second graphical user interface to display a list of the zones within the first zone group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the first zone to form a zone group with the second zone and play back the target media in synchrony with the second zone further comprises causing the first zone to form a zone group with all zones in the plurality of additional zones and play back the target media in synchrony with all zones in the plurality of additional zones.

11. A control device comprising:

a processor;

a network interface;

a graphical user interface;

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by the processor, cause the control device to perform functions comprising;

causing the control device to display the graphical user interface that comprises an indication of a first zone of a media playback system, wherein the media playback system comprises the first zone and a plurality of additional zones, and wherein the graphical user interface does not comprise an indication of any of the plurality of additional zones, wherein each zone in the media playback system comprises at least one playback device;

detecting, via the graphical user interface of the control device, an input that indicates a command to (i) identify a second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) cause the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) cause the first zone and the identified second zone to play back a target media in synchrony; and

based on the detected input, (i) identifying the second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) causing the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) causing the first zone and the identified second zone to play back the target media in synchrony.

12. The control device of claim 11, wherein the input further indicates a command to detect an active zone that is playing the target media, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the control device to perform operations comprising:

based on the detected input, detecting the active zone that is playing the target media, wherein the active zone is the second zone.

13. The control device of claim 11, wherein the detected input is a second input, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the control device to perform operations comprising:

before detecting the second input, detecting a first input that indicates a command to cause the control device to indicate a potential zone from the plurality of additional zones for the first zone to join;

based on the detected first input, determining the potential zone to indicate, wherein the determined potential zone includes the second zone; and

based on the detected first input, providing an indication of the determined potential zone.

14. The control device of claim 13, wherein the first input is a continuous touch-and-hold of the graphical user interface for at least a predetermined period of time, and the second input is a release of the graphical user interface.

15. The control device of claim 14, wherein the determined potential zone is playing a potential media, and wherein providing an indication of the determined potential zone comprises at least one of (a) providing an audio indication of the determined potential zone, (b) providing an audio indication of the potential media, and (c) providing an audio sample of the potential media.

16. The control device of claim 13, wherein determining the potential zone to indicate based on the detected first input comprises determining a sequence of potential zones to indicate, wherein at least one zone in the sequence of potential zones includes the second zone.

17. The control device of claim 16, wherein determining a sequence of potential zones to indicate comprises at least one of (a) detecting signal strengths corresponding to respective zones and determining the sequence based on the detected signal strengths of the respective zones, (b) determining most recent user interaction times of respective zones and determining the sequence based on the determined most recent user interaction times of the respective zones, (c) determining a random order for the sequence, (d) determining the sequence based on alphabetical order of a zone name for each respective zone, and (e) determining the sequence based on numerical order of a zone number for each respective zone.

18. The control device of claim 11, wherein the zone group is a second zone group, wherein, before detecting the input indicating the command, the first zone is within a first zone group that comprises a third zone from the plurality of additional zones, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the control device to perform operations comprising:

based on the detected input, causing the third zone to play back the target media in synchrony with the first and second zones.

19. The control device of claim 11, wherein causing the first zone to form a zone group with the second zone and play back the target media in synchrony with the second zone further comprises causing the first zone to form a zone group with all zones in the plurality of additional zones and play back the target media in synchrony with all zones in the plurality of additional zones.

20. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause a control device to perform functions comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface that comprises an indication of a first zone of a media playback system, wherein the media playback system comprises the first zone and a plurality of additional zones, and wherein the graphical user interface does not comprise an indication of any of the plurality of additional zones, wherein each zone in the media playback system comprises at least one playback device;

detecting, via the graphical user interface of the control device, an input that indicates a command to (i) identify a second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) cause the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) cause the first zone and the identified second zone to play back a target media in synchrony; and

based on the detected input, (i) identifying the second zone from the plurality of additional zones, (ii) causing the first zone to form a zone group with the identified second zone and (iii) causing the first zone and the identified second zone to play back the target media in synchrony.