Updating zone configuration in a multi-zone media system

• US 9,749,760 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lambourne, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US14/808,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• 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

An example method includes receiving, from a first playback device of a playback system, a message indicating a first zone configuration, the first zone configuration including at least a first zone associated with at least the first playback device and a second zone associated with at least a second playback device of the playback system; displaying, based on the first zone configuration, at least a first representation corresponding to the first zone and a second representation corresponding to the second zone; receiving an input to form a zone group including each playback device of the playback system; based on the input, transmitting to a third playback device of the playback system, a message indicating a second zone configuration, the second zone configuration comprising a zone group associated with each playback device of the system; and displaying, based on the second zone configuration, a third representation corresponding to the zone group.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, wherein the instruction, when executed, cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a first playback device of a media playback system, a message indicating a first zone configuration, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones and associated playback devices for playing back audio content, and wherein the first zone configuration comprises at least a first zone associated with at least the first playback device of the media playback system and a second zone associated with at least a second playback device of the media playback system;

displaying, based on the first zone configuration, at least a first representation corresponding to the first zone and a second representation corresponding to the second zone;

while at least one of the first and the second zones is playing back the audio content;

receiving, at the computing device, an input to form a zone group comprising each of the playback devices of the media playback system;

based on the input, transmitting a message to at least one of the playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the message indicates a second zone configuration, and wherein the second zone configuration comprises each of the zones in the media playback system; and

displaying, based on the second zone configuration, a third representation corresponding to the zone group.

2. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein transmitting the message to the at least one of the playback devices comprises transmitting the message to the first playback device.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

prior to displaying, based on the second zone configuration, the third representation corresponding to the zone group, receiving from a third playback device of the media playback system, a message indicating the second zone configuration.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein transmitting the message to the at least one of the playback devices comprises transmitting the message to the first playback device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

based on the input, transmitting a message to the second playback device, wherein the message transmitted to the second playback device indicates the second zone configuration.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input to form the zone group comprises a selection of zones corresponding to each playback device in the media playback system.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input to form the zone group comprises an indication of a particular time at which to form the zone group.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

transmitting a message to the first playback device to play back the audio content.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the functions further comprise:

based on the input, transmitting a message to the second playback device to play back the audio content in synchrony with the playback of the audio content by the first playback device.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the message indicating the second zone configuration further instructs the at least one of the playback devices to facilitate formation of the zone group according to the input.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a first playback device of a media playback system, a message indicating a first zone configuration, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones and associated playback devices for playing back audio content, and wherein the first zone configuration comprises at least a first zone associated with at least the first playback device of the media playback system and a second zone associated with at least a second playback device of the media playback system;

displaying, by the computing device based on the first zone configuration, at least a first representation corresponding to the first zone and a second representation corresponding to the second zone;

while at least one of the first and second zones is playing back the audio content;

receiving, at the computing device, an input to form a zone group comprising each of the playback devices of the media playback system;

based on the input, transmitting a message, by the computing device, to at least one of the playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the message indicates a second zone configuration, and wherein the second zone configuration comprises each of the zones in the media playback system; and

displaying, by the computing device based on the second zone configuration, a third representation corresponding to the zone group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the message to the at least one of the playback devices comprises transmitting the message to the first playback device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prior to displaying, based on the second zone configuration, the third representation corresponding to the zone group, receiving by the computing device from a third playback device of the media playback system, a message indicating the second zone configuration.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the input to form the zone group comprises a selection of zones corresponding to each playback device in the media playback system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the input to form the zone group comprises an indication of a particular time at which to form the zone group.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting a message to the first playback device to play back the audio content.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on the input, transmitting a message to the second playback device to play back the audio content in synchrony with the playback of the audio content by the first playback device.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the message indicating the second zone configuration further instructs the at least one of the playback devices to facilitate formation of the zone group according to the input.

18. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, from a first playback device of a media playback system, a message indicating a first zone configuration, wherein the media playback system comprises a plurality of zones and associated playback devices for playing back audio content, and wherein the first zone configuration comprises at least a first zone associated with at least the first playback device of the media playback system and a second zone associated with at least a second playback device of the media playback system;

displaying, based on the first zone configuration, at least a first representation corresponding to the first zone and a second representation corresponding to the second zone;

while at least one of the first and second zones is playing back the audio content;

receiving, at the computing device, an input to form a zone group comprising each of the playback devices of the media playback system;

based on the input, transmitting a message to at least one of the playback devices of the media playback system, wherein the message indicates a second zone configuration, and wherein the second zone configuration comprises each of the zones in the media playback system; and

displaying, based on the second zone configuration, a third representation corresponding to the zone group.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the message indicating the second zone configuration further instructs a third playback device to facilitate formation of the zone group according to the input.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise:

transmitting a message to the first playback device to play back the audio content; and

based on the input, transmitting a message to the second playback device to play back the audio content in synchrony with the playback of the audio content by the first playback device.