Playback expansion
AssigneeSonos, Inc.
InventorsBenjamin Fullerton, Ingve Holmung
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Examples described herein involve expanding playback of a media item from a first playback device to a second playback device. In one example, while a first playback device is playing a media item as part of a first zone, the first playback device identifies that a second playback device has moved to a location that is within a given physical proximity of the first playback. The first playback device determines that playback is to be expanded to the second playback device, and transmits a command to cause the second playback device to (i) join the first zone and (ii) begin to play the media item in synchrony with the first playback device.
Claims20
A first playback device comprising:
- at least one wireless communications interface;
- at least one first speaker;
- at least one processor;
- and
- data storage comprising instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first playback device is configured to:
- while the first playback device is playing particular audio content via the at least one first speaker, receive, via the at least one wireless communications interface, a first wireless transmission according to a first wireless communications protocol;
- determine, based on the first wireless transmission according to the first wireless communications protocol, that the first playback device is now within a given physical proximity of a second playback device;
- and
- send, via the at least one wireless communications interface, a second wireless transmission according to a second wireless communications protocol, the second wireless transmission comprising instructions to cause the second playback device to join a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and begin to play the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device via at least one second speaker, wherein a group coordinator of the synchrony group synchronizes playback of the particular audio content via the second wireless communications protocol.
A system comprising:
- a first playback device comprising at least one wireless communications interface and at least one first speaker;
- at least one processor;
- and
- data storage comprising instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
- while the first playback device is playing particular audio content via the at least one first speaker, receive, via the at least one wireless communications interface, a first wireless transmission according to a first wireless communications protocol;
- determine, based on the first wireless transmission according to the first wireless communications protocol, that the first playback device is within a given physical proximity of a second playback device;
- and
- send, via the at least one wireless communications interface, a second wireless transmission according to a second wireless communications protocol, the second wireless transmission comprising instructions to cause the second playback device to join a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and begin to play the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device via at least one second speaker, wherein a group coordinator of the synchrony group synchronizes playback of the particular audio content via the second wireless communications protocol.
A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are executable by at least one processor such that a first playback device is configured to:
- while the first playback device is playing particular audio content via at least one first speaker, receive, via at least one wireless communications interface, a first wireless transmission according to a first wireless communications protocol;
- determine, based on the first wireless transmission according to the first wireless communications protocol, that the first playback device is now within a given physical proximity of a second playback device;
- and
- send, via the at least one wireless communications interface, a second wireless transmission according to a second wireless communications protocol, the second wireless transmission comprising instructions to cause the second playback device to join a synchrony group comprising the first playback device and begin to play the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device via at least one second speaker, wherein a group coordinator of the synchrony group synchronizes playback of the particular audio content via the second wireless communications protocol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.