# US 12,192,713 B2 · Voice control of a media playback system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,713 B2 - Document ID: US12192713B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/453,052 - Filed: 2023-08-21 - Published: 2024-07-18 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-22 - Assignees: Sonos, Inc. - Applicants: Sonos, Inc. - Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang; Mark Plagge; Simon Jarvis; Romi Kadri; Yean-Nian Willy Chen; Paul Andrew Bates; Luis Vega-Zayas; Christopher Butts; Nicholas A. J. Millington; Keith Corbin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192713B2 ## CPC - H04R 3/00: Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) - G06F 3/162: {Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs} - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G10L 15/14: using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] (G10L15/18 takes precedence) - G10L 15/22: Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue - H04L 12/2803: {Home automation networks} - H04L 12/2809: {indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51)} - H04R 3/12: for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} - H04R 27/00: Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F) - H04R 29/007: {for public address systems (public address systems per se H04R27/00)} - H04S 7/301: {Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone} - H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation} - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - H04W 8/24: Transfer of terminal data - G10L 21/02: Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation (reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08) - G10L 2015/223: {Execution procedure of a spoken command} - H04L 2012/2849: {Audio/video appliances} - H04R 2227/003: Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet - H04R 2227/005: Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use - H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Multiple aspects of systems and methods for voice control and related features and functionality for various embodiments of media playback devices, networked microphone devices, microphone-equipped media playback devices, and speaker-equipped networked microphone devices are disclosed and described herein, including but not limited to designating and managing default networked devices, audio response playback, room-corrected voice detection, content mixing, music service selection, metadata exchange between networked playback systems and networked microphone systems, handling loss of pairing between networked devices, actions based on user identification, and other voice control of networked devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: configuring a voice control system to exchange metadata with a playback control system, wherein the voice control system is configured to process voice commands for a media playback system comprising one or more playback devices, and wherein the playback control system is configured to control playback of media content by the media playback system; after the voice control system has received, from the media playback system, data associated with a context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content, selecting one media service provider from a plurality of available media service providers to provide media content in response to the context-specific voice command, wherein selecting the one media service provider is based at least in part on metadata exchanged between the voice control system and the playback control system, and wherein the metadata comprises information about media content currently-playing or previously-played by the media playback system; obtaining a resource identifier corresponding to at least one media content item from the selected media service provider, wherein the at least one media content item is related to the context-specific voice command; and providing the resource identifier to the media playback system, wherein the resource identifier is suitable for use by the media playback system to obtain the at least one media content item from the selected media service provider. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the voice control system and the playback control system are components of a cloud networking system configured to control the media playback system. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata further comprises at least one of (i) one or more configuration parameters of the media playback system, (ii) user preference information relating to media content, or (iii) user preference information relating to media playback system configuration. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the voice control system to exchange metadata with the playback control system comprises: establishing a metadata exchange channel between the voice control system and the playback control system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: exchanging metadata between the voice control system and the playback control system in response to a metadata exchange triggering event. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata exchange triggering event comprises receiving the data associated with the context-specific voice command. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata exchange triggering event comprises one of (i) the media playback system playing back a new media content item, (ii) a reconfiguration of the media playback system, (iii) passage of a defined time period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one media service provider from a plurality of available media service providers to provide media content in response to the context-specific voice command comprises: selecting the one media service provider from the plurality of available media service providers based on one or more confidence metrics associated with individual media service providers of the plurality of available media service providers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media playback system comprises a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein the context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content comprises a command to transfer playback of media content currently playing via the first playback device from the first playback device to the second playback device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media playback system comprises a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein the context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content comprises a command for the first playback device to play media content that was previously played via the second playback device. ### Claim 11 Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform functions comprising: configuring a voice control system to exchange metadata with a playback control system, wherein the voice control system is configured to process voice commands for a media playback system comprising one or more playback devices, and wherein the playback control system is configured to control playback of media content by the media playback system; after the voice control system has received, from the media playback system, data associated with a context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content, selecting one media service provider from a plurality of available media service providers to provide media content in response to the context-specific voice command, wherein selecting the one media service provider is based at least in part on metadata exchanged between the voice control system and the playback control system, and wherein the metadata comprises information about media content currently-playing or previously-played by the media playback system; obtaining a resource identifier corresponding to at least one media content item from the selected media service provider, wherein the at least one media content item is related to the context-specific voice command; and providing the resource identifier to the media playback system, wherein the resource identifier is suitable for use by the media playback system to obtain the at least one media content item from the selected media service provider. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the voice control system and the playback control system are components of the computing system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the metadata further comprises at least one of (i) one or more configuration parameters of the media playback system, (ii) user preference information relating to media content, or (iii) user preference information relating to media playback system configuration. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein configuring the voice control system to exchange metadata with the playback control system comprises: establishing a metadata exchange channel between the voice control system and the playback control system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the functions further comprise: exchanging metadata between the voice control system and the playback control system in response to a metadata exchange triggering event. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the metadata exchange triggering event comprises receiving the data associated with the context-specific voice command. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the metadata exchange triggering event comprises one of (i) the media playback system playing back a new media content item, (ii) a reconfiguration of the media playback system, (iii) passage of a defined time period. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein selecting one media service provider from a plurality of available media service providers to provide media content in response to the context-specific voice command comprises: selecting the one media service provider from the plurality of available media service providers based on one or more confidence metrics associated with individual media service providers of the plurality of available media service providers. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the media playback system comprises a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein the context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content comprises a command to transfer playback of media content currently playing via the first playback device from the first playback device to the second playback device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the media playback system comprises a first playback device and a second playback device, and wherein the context-specific voice command for the media playback system to play media content comprises a command for the first playback device to play media content that was previously played via the second playback device.