# US 11,909,550 B2 · Multi-network playback devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,909,550 B2 - Document ID: US11909550B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/086,957 - Filed: 2022-12-22 - Published: 2023-06-29 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-19 - Assignees: Sonos, Inc. - Applicants: Sonos, Inc. - Inventors: William Shoesmith; Jason Yore; Jeffrey M. Peters - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909550B2 ## CPC - H04L 12/282: {based on user interaction within the home (receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204)} - H04N 21/436: Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB {or one or more peripheral devices} inside the home - H04L 12/2807: {Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50)} - H04L 12/281: {indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network (for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025)} - H04L 12/2812: {describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content (retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95)} - H04L 12/2814: {Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08)} - H04L 67/34: {involving the movement of software or configuration parameters (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416)} - H04N 21/43637: {involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114)} - H04N 21/44227: {Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network (configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811)} - H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A playback device includes programming for connecting to a first wireless local area network (WLAN) and storing a first set of network configuration parameters including an identifier of the first WLAN and a first security parameter for the first WLAN. The functions also include disconnecting from the first WLAN, receiving a second set of network configuration parameters including an identifier of a second WLAN and a second security parameter for the second WLAN, and storing the second set of network configuration parameters. The functions also include reconnecting to the first WLAN using the stored first set of network configuration parameters and, after reconnecting to the first WLAN, transmitting, absent user request, the second set of network configuration parameters to at least one other playback device that is connected to the first WLAN for storage on the at least one other playback device that is connected to the first WLAN. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising a playback device, the 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 such that the playback device is configured to: connect to a first network device using a first set of configuration parameters for connecting to the first network device; store the first set of configuration parameters; disconnect from the first network device; after disconnecting from the first network device, connect to a second network device using a second set of configuration parameters for connecting to the second network device; update a network list stored by the playback device by adding the second set of configuration parameters to the network list; after updating the network list, reconnect to the first network device using the stored first set of configuration parameters; and after reconnecting to the first network device, transmit, absent user request, the updated network list to at least one other playback device that is connected to the first network device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to update the network list stored by the playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to increment a version number of the network list. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the network list is a first network list, further comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to: after reconnecting to the first network device, receive, from the at least one other playback device that is connected to the first network device, a second network list stored by the at least one other playback device; and determine that the incremented version number of the updated network list supersedes a version number of the second network list. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to store the first set of configuration parameters comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to add the first set of configuration parameters to the network list. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the first network device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the first network device using an IEEE 802.11 wireless networking protocol. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of configuration parameters comprises an identifier of the first network device and a security parameter for the first network device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to: after connecting to the second network device but before reconnecting to the first network device, disconnect from the second network device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the network list is a first network list, further comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to: after connecting to the second network device, receive, from at least one other playback device that is connected to the second network device, a second network list including a third set of configuration parameters for connecting to a third network device; and store the third set of configuration parameters. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the playback device further comprises: a first network interface, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the first network device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the first network device via the first network interface; and a second network interface, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the second network device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to connect to the second network device via the second network interface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, wherein the at least one processor is at least one first processor, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is at least one first non-transitory computer-readable medium, the system further comprising: a second playback device, wherein the at least one other playback device includes the second playback device, the second playback device comprising: at least one second processor; at least one second non-transitory computer-readable medium; and program instructions stored on the at least one second non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one second processor such that the second playback device is configured to: while connected to the first network device, receive, from the first playback device, the updated network list; and after receiving the updated network list, use the second set of configuration parameters from the updated network list to connect to the second network device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the network list is a first network list, the system further comprising program instruction stored on the at least one second non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one second processor such that second playback device is configured to: based on the updated network list received from the first playback device, update a second network list stored by the second playback device by adding the second set of configuration parameters to the second network list. ### Claim 12 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 playback device to: connect to a first network device using a first set of configuration parameters for connecting to the first network device; store the first set of configuration parameters; disconnect from the first network device; after disconnecting from the first network device, connect to a second network device using a second set of configuration parameters for connecting to the second network device; update a network list stored by the playback device by adding the second set of configuration parameters to the network list; after updating the network list, reconnect to the first network device using the stored first set of configuration parameters; and after reconnecting to the first network device, transmit, absent user request, the updated network list to at least one other playback device that is connected to the first network device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to update the network list stored by the playback device comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to increment a version number of the network list. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the network list is a first network list, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to: after reconnecting to the first network device, receive, from the at least one other playback device that is connected to the first network device, a second network list stored by the at least one other playback device; and determine that the incremented version number of the updated network list supersedes a version number of the second network list. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to store the first set of configuration parameters comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to add the first set of configuration parameters to the network list. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to connect to the first network device comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to connect to the first network device using an IEEE 802.11 wireless networking protocol. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first set of configuration parameters comprises an identifier of the first network device and a security parameter for the first network device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to: after connecting to the second network device but before reconnecting to the first network device, disconnect from the second network device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the network list is a first network list, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the playback device to: after connecting to the second network device, receive, from at least one other playback device that is connected to the second network device, a second network list including a third set of configuration parameters for connecting to a third network device; and store the third set of configuration parameters. ### Claim 20 A method carried out by a playback device, the method comprising: connecting to a first network device using a first set of configuration parameters for connecting to the first network device; storing the first set of configuration parameters; disconnecting from the first network device; after disconnecting from the first network device, connecting to a second network device using a second set of configuration parameters for connecting to the second network device; updating a network list stored by the playback device by adding the second set of configuration parameters to the network list; after updating the network list, reconnecting to the first network device using the stored first set of configuration parameters; and after reconnecting to the first network device, transmitting, absent user request, the updated network list to at least one other playback device that is connected to the first network device.