US 10,241,742 B2Granted

Device group identification

AssigneeSonos, Inc.

InventorArthur L. Coburn, IV

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Method and systems are provided for identification of device groups in a network. In an example implementation, a first playback device, while in a first zone group comprising the playback device, the first zone group having a group identification identifying the first zone group, receives an instruction to form a zone group with one or more second playback devices. In response, the first playback device forms a second zone group with the one or more second playback devices. Forming the second zone group involves determining a group identification identifying the second zone group and determining a display name representing the second zone group. In response, the first playback device causes a controller device to update a control interface for the media playback system to display an indication of the second zone group, the indication of the second zone group comprising the determined display name.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A first playback device of a media playback system, the first playback device comprising:

a network interface;
one or more processors;
and
computer-readable memory having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform operations comprising:
while in a first zone group comprising the first playback device, the first zone group having a group identification identifying the first zone group, receiving, via the network interface from a controller device of the media playback system, an instruction to form a zone group with one or more second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured as a particular zone of the media playback system;
in response to receiving the instruction, forming a second zone group with the one or more second playback devices, wherein forming the second zone group comprises:
determining a group identification identifying the second zone group, the determined group identification unique among zone groups of the media playback system;
and
determining a display name representing the second zone group, the display name representing the second zone group comprising (i) a zone name of the particular zone, wherein the first playback device is configured to provide timing information to the one or more second playback devices during synchronous playback as zone group coordinator of the second zone group and (ii) a numerical portion representing a number of playback devices in the second zone group in addition to the zone group coordinator;
and
in response to forming the zone group, causing, via the network interface, the controller device to update a control interface for the media playback system to display an indication of the second zone group, the indication of the second zone group comprising the determined display name representing the second zone group, wherein causing the controller device to update the control interface for the media playback system comprises transmitting, via the network interface to the controller device, data representing the group identification identifying the second zone group and the display name representing the second zone group.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first playback device of a media playback system to perform operations comprising:

while in a first zone group comprising the first playback device, the first zone group having a group identification identifying the first zone group, receiving, via a network interface from a controller device of the media playback system, an instruction to form a zone group with one or more second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured as a particular zone of the media playback system;
in response to receiving the instruction, forming a second zone group with the one or more second playback devices, wherein forming the second zone group comprises:
determining a group identification identifying the second zone group, the determined group identification unique among zone groups of the media playback system;
and
determining a display name representing the second zone group, the display name representing the second zone group comprising (i) a zone name of the particular zone, wherein the first playback device is configured to provide timing information to the one or more second playback devices during synchronous playback as zone group coordinator of the second zone group and (ii) a numerical portion representing a number of playback devices in the second zone group in addition to the zone group coordinator;
and
in response to forming the zone group, causing, via the network interface, the controller device to update a control interface for the media playback system to display an indication of the second zone group, the indication of the second zone group comprising the determined display name representing the second zone group, wherein causing the controller device to update the control interface for the media playback system comprises transmitting, via the network interface to the controller device, data representing the group identification identifying the second zone group and the display name representing the second zone group.

4 more elements

A method to be performed by a first playback device of a media playback system, the method comprising:

while in a first zone group comprising the first playback device, the first zone group having a group identification identifying the first zone group, the first playback device receiving, via a network interface from a controller device of the media playback system, an instruction to form a zone group with one or more second playback devices, wherein the first playback device is configured as a particular zone of the media playback system;
in response to receiving the instruction, the first playback device forming a second zone group with the one or more second playback devices, wherein forming the second zone group comprises:
determining a group identification identifying the second zone group, the determined group identification unique among zone groups of the media playback system;
and
determining a display name representing the second zone group, the display name representing the second zone group comprising (i) a zone name of the particular zone, wherein the first playback device is configured to provide timing information to the one or more second playback devices during synchronous playback as zone group coordinator of the second zone group and (ii) a numerical portion representing a number of playback devices in the second zone group in addition to the zone group coordinator;
and
in response to forming the zone group, the first playback device causing, via the network interface, the controller device to update a control interface for the media playback system to display an indication of the second zone group, the indication of the second zone group comprising the determined display name representing the second zone group, wherein causing the controller device to update the control interface for the media playback system comprises transmitting, via the network interface to the controller device, data representing the group identification identifying the second zone group and the display name representing the second zone group.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/918,934Filed 12 Mar 2018 · continuation
Priority: 18 Jun 2014
Published: US 2018/0275949 A127 Sep 2018
Granted: 26 Mar 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06F 3/162
Sound input; Sound output: interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
G06F 3/165
Sound input; Sound output: management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
G06F 16/4387
Presentation of query results: by the use of playlists
H04N 21/4825
End-user interface for programme selection: using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Family

Application14/308,571Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Jun 2014
Application15/099,748Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Apr 2016
US 9,348,824 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 24 May 2016
US 2018/0275949 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Sep 2018
US 9,916,125 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0371681 A1Published application
US 2016/0342378 A1Published application
US 10,241,742 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.