US 11,442,689 B2Granted

Dynamic bonding of playback devices

AssigneeSonos, Inc.

InventorsMark Triplett, Steven Beckhardt

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Abstract

Examples of dynamic bonding of playback devices are disclosed. A disclosed example first playback device includes a shared device identifier to determine that a second playback device is sharable between a first bonded zone and a second bonded zone, the first bonded zone comprising the first playback device, the second bonded zone comprising a second playback device; a device manager to cause the shared playback device to join the first bonded zone; and an adjuster to change a first audio parameter of the first playback device in accordance with the joining of the shared playback device in the first bonded zone, wherein at least one of the shared device identifier, the device manager, or the adjuster is implemented via a processor.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A first playback device comprising:

at least one processor;
non-transitory computer-readable medium;
and
program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor and thereby cause the first playback device to be configured to:
receive an instruction to share a playback device between (i) a first group of playback devices that includes at least the first playback device and (ii) a second group of playback devices that includes at least a second playback device;
receive a command for the first playback device to play back given media content;
determine that the shared playback device is currently configured for synchronous playback of media content in the second group of playback device;
based on the received command, transmit a request to the second playback device for an indication of whether the shared playback device is available to join the first group of playback devices such that the shared playback device is configured for synchronous playback of media content with the first group of playback devices;
if the first playback device receives an indication from the second playback device that the shared playback device is available:
transmit a command to the shared playback device to join the first group of playback devices;
and
play back the given media content in synchrony with the first group of playback devices including at least the shared playback device;
and
if the first playback device receives an indication from second playback device that the shared playback device is unavailable, play back the given media content without synchronizing playback of the given media content with the shared playback device.

11 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a first playback device to:

receive an instruction to share a playback device between (i) a first group of playback devices that includes at least the first playback device and (ii) a second group of playback devices that includes at least a second playback device;
receive a command for the first playback device to play back given media content;
determine that the shared playback device is currently configured for synchronous playback of media content in the second group of playback device;
based on the received command, transmit a request to the second playback device for an indication of whether shared playback device is available to join the first group of playback devices such that the shared playback device is configured for synchronous playback of media content with the first group of playback devices;
if the first playback device receives an indication from the second playback device that the shared playback device is available:
transmit a command to the shared playback device to join the first group of playback devices;
and
play back the given media content in synchrony with the first group of playback devices including at least the shared playback device;
and
if the first playback device receives an indication from second playback device that the shared playback device is unavailable, play back the given media content without synchronizing playback of the given media content with the shared playback device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/827,362Filed 23 Mar 2020 · continuation
Priority: 4 Jun 2015
Published: US 2020/0326906 A115 Oct 2020
Granted: 13 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G06F 3/165
Sound input; Sound output: management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
H04R 3/12
Circuits for transducers: for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers
H04R 27/00
Public address systems
G11B 27/34
Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel: indicating arrangements

Family

Application14/731,119Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Jun 2015
Application15/865,046Parent of this continuation · filed 8 Jan 2018
US 9,864,571 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Jan 2018
US 2020/0326906 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Oct 2020
US 10,599,385 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0357503 A1Published application
US 2018/0150278 A1Published application
US 11,442,689 B2This patent

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

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