US 10,484,807 B2Granted

Zone scene management

AssigneeSonos, Inc.

InventorRobert A. Lambourne

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Abstract

An example playback device in a first zone of a media playback system receives a first indication that the first zone has been added to a first zone scene including a first preconfigured grouping of zones including the first zone and a second zone. The playback device receives a second indication that the first zone has been added to a second zone scene including a second preconfigured grouping of zones including the first zone and a third zone. After a given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation, the playback device receives an instruction to operate in accordance with the given zone scene, and based on the instruction, begins operating in accordance with the given zone scene such that the playback device is configured to play back audio in synchrony with one or more other playback devices in the media playback system.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A first zone player comprising:

a network interface that is configured to communicatively couple the first zone player to at least one data network;
one or more processors;
a non-transitory computer-readable medium;
and
program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first zone player to perform functions comprising:
while operating in a standalone mode in which the first zone player is configured to play back media individually in a networked media playback system comprising the first zone player and at least two other zone players:
(i) receiving, from a network device over a data network, a first indication that the first zone player has been added to a first zone scene comprising a first predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a second zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the first zone scene is invoked;
and
(ii) receiving, from the network device over the data network, a second indication that the first zone player has been added to a second zone scene comprising a second predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a third zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the second zone scene is invoked, wherein the second zone player is different than the third zone player;
after receiving the first and second indications, continuing to operate in the standalone mode until a given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation;
after the given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation, receiving, from the network device over the data network, an instruction to operate in accordance with a given one of the first and second zone scenes respectively comprising a given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players;
and
based on the instruction, transitioning from operating in the standalone mode to operating in accordance with the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players such that the first zone player is configured to coordinate with at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players over a data network in order to output media in synchrony with output of media by the at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players.

10 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that are executable to cause a first zone player to perform functions comprising:

while operating in a standalone mode in which the first zone player is configured to play back media individually in a networked media playback system comprising the first zone player and at least two other zone players:
(i) receiving, from a network device over a data network, a first indication that the first zone player has been added to a first zone scene comprising a first predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a second zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the first zone scene is invoked;
and
(ii) receiving, from the network device over the data network, a second indication that the first zone player has been added to a second zone scene comprising a second predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a third zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the second zone scene is invoked, wherein the second zone player is different than the third zone player;
after receiving the first and second indications, continuing to operate in the standalone mode until a given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation;
after the given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation, receiving, from the network device over the data network, an instruction to operate in accordance with a given one of the first and second zone scenes respectively comprising a given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players;
and
based on the instruction, transitioning from operating in the standalone mode to operating in accordance with the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players such that the first zone player is configured to coordinate with at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players over a data network in order to output media in synchrony with output of media by the at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players.

5 more elements

A method executed by a first zone player, the method comprising:

while operating in a standalone mode in which the first zone player is configured to play back media individually in a networked media playback system comprising the first zone player and at least two other zone players:
(i) receiving, from a network device over a data network, a first indication that the first zone player has been added to a first zone scene comprising a first predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a second zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the first zone scene is invoked;
and
(ii) receiving, from the network device over the data network, a second indication that the first zone player has been added to a second zone scene comprising a second predefined grouping of zone players including at least the first zone player and a third zone player that are to be configured for synchronous playback of media when the second zone scene is invoked, wherein the second zone player is different than the third zone player;
after receiving the first and second indications, continuing to operate in the standalone mode until a given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation;
after the given one of the first and second zone scenes has been selected for invocation, receiving, from the network device over the data network, an instruction to operate in accordance with a given one of the first and second zone scenes respectively comprising a given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players;
and
based on the instruction, transitioning from operating in the standalone mode to operating in accordance with the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players such that the first zone player is configured to coordinate with at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players over a data network in order to output media in synchrony with output of media by the at least one other zone player in the given one of the first and second predefined groupings of zone players.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/383,561Filed 12 Apr 2019 · continuation
Priority: 12 Sep 2006
Published: US 2019/0239008 A11 Aug 2019
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H04R 27/00
Public address systems
G05B 15/02
Systems controlled by a computer: electric
G06F 3/0482
Based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like…:…
G06F 3/04842
For the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a…:…

Family

Application60/825,407Us provisional application · filed 12 Sep 2006
Application11/853,790Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Sep 2007
Application13/896,829Parent of this continuation · filed 17 May 2013
US 8,483,853 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Jul 2013
Application14/465,457Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Aug 2014
US 8,843,228 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Sep 2014
Application15/130,919Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Apr 2016
US 9,344,206 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 17 May 2016
US 2019/0239008 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Aug 2019
US 10,848,885 B2Related patent
US 11,317,226 B2Related patent
US 11,388,532 B2Related patent
US 2013/0293345 A1Published application
US 2014/0361867 A1Published application
US 2016/0234615 A1Published application
US 10,484,807 B2This patent

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

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