# US 10,320,888 B2 · Group coordinator selection based on communication parameters > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,320,888 B2 - Document ID: US10320888B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/611,919 - Filed: 2017-06-02 - Published: 2017-09-21 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-09-30 - Assignees: Sonos, Inc. - Applicants: Sonos, Inc. - Inventors: Hrishikesh Gossain - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320888B2 ## CPC - H04L 65/1094: Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L 65/611: for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) - H04L 65/612: for unicast - H04L 67/62: Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Examples described herein involve selecting a group coordinator device for a zone group. An example implementation includes: receiving an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device; comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device; identifying the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device communicates with the router over the first communication frequency band; and configuring the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group. ## Claims ### Claim 1 In a media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network, wherein the local playback network is coupled to a wide area network via a router, a method comprising: receiving, via at least one device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device; comparing, via the at least one device, a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises an indication that the first media device communicates with the router over a first communication frequency band, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises an indication that the second media device communicates with the router via a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band; identifying, via the at least one device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device communicates with the router over the first communication frequency band; and based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing, via the at least one device, the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises an indication of a first type of network connection, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises an indication of a second type of network connection. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the first type of network connection is a wired network connection, and wherein the second type of network connection is a wireless network connection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises: identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises a second root path cost. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the first media device, the first one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the second media device, the second one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device comprises the first media device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device comprises the second media device. ### Claim 11 A media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network, wherein the local playback network is coupled to a wide area network via a router, wherein at least one device of the media playback system is configured to perform functions comprising: receiving, via at least one device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device; comparing, via the at least one device, a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises an indication that the first media device communicates with the router over a first communication frequency band, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises an indication that the second media device communicates with the router via a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band; identifying, via the at least one device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device communicates with the router over the first communication frequency band; and based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise: after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing, via the at least one device, the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises an indication of a first type of network connection, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises an indication of a second type of network connection. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The media playback system of claim 13, wherein the first type of network connection is a wired network connection, and wherein the second type of network connection is a wireless network connection. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise: comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises: identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises a second root path cost. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the first media device, the first one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the second media device, the second one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the at least one device comprises the first media device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The media playback system of claim 11, wherein the at least one device comprises the second media device. ### Claim 21 Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions, that when performed by at least one device in a media playback system comprising at least a first media device and a second media device on a local playback network that is coupled to a wide area network via a router, causes the at least one device to perform functions comprising: receiving, via at least one device, an instruction to form a zone group comprising the first media device and the second media device; comparing, via the at least one device, a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises an indication that the first media device communicates with the router over a first communication frequency band, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises an indication that the second media device communicates with the router via a second communication frequency band that is different from the first communication frequency band; identifying, via the at least one device, the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on at least the indication that the first media device communicates with the router over the first communication frequency band; and based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the group coordinator of the zone group. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the functions further comprise: after identifying the first media device as the group coordinator, causing, via the at least one device, the second media device to send, to the first media device, data indicating clock information corresponding to the second media device; and configuring, via the at least one device, the first media device to generate the audio content playback timing information based on at least the clock information corresponding to the second media device. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device further comprises an indication of a first type of network connection, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device further comprises an indication of a second type of network connection. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 23, wherein the first type of network connection is a wired network connection, and wherein the second type of network connection is a wireless network connection. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the functions further comprise: comparing a first network performance metric corresponding to the first media device to a second network performance metric corresponding to the second media device, and wherein identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further comprises: identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group further based on the comparison of the first network performance metric to the second network performance metric. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the first one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the first media device comprises a first root path cost, and wherein the second one or more communication parameters corresponding to the network connection of the second media device comprises a second root path cost. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the functions further comprise: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the first media device, the first one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the functions further comprise: before comparing a first one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to a second one or more communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device, receiving by the at least one device from the second media device, the second one or more communication parameters. ### Claim 29 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the at least one device comprises the first media device. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the at least one device comprises the second media device.