# US 2018/0321900 A1 · Control Based On Proximity > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0321900 A1 - Document ID: US20180321900A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/972,476 - Filed: 2018-05-07 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2012-06-28 - Assignees: Sonos, Inc. - Applicants: Sonos, Inc. - Inventors: Jonathon Reilly; Neil Griffiths - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321900A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - F21V 23/0471: {the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person} - G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)} - H03G 3/02: Manually-operated control {(H03G3/001 and H03G3/002 take precedence)} - H03G 3/04: in untuned amplifiers - H03G 3/348: {Muting in response to a mechanical action or to power supply variations, e.g. during tuning; Click removal circuits} - 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) - H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings - H03G 5/16: Automatic control - H04R 2227/005: Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use - H04R 2430/01: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H03G: CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION - 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) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract Embodiments described herein provide for detecting presence of an object in proximity to a playback device and responsively performing one or more operations. In an example implementation, a playback device detects, via a proximity detector of the playback device, presence of an object in proximity to the playback device. In response to detecting the presence of the object, the playback device performs one or more operations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A playback device comprising: a housing configured to be supported by a substantially horizontal surface; a network interface carried by the housing; a screen-less capacitive touch-control interface carried on an exterior surface of the housing; a proximity sensor carried on the exterior surface of the housing and calibrated to detect presence of a hand at a greater range than a capacitive range of the screen-less capacitive touch-control interface; one or more amplifiers carried by the housing, the amplifier configured to drive one or more speakers; one or more processors carried by the housing; data storage carried by the housing and having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform a method comprising: playing back audio content via the one or more amplifiers and the one or more speakers; while the playback device is playing back the audio content, detecting, via the proximity sensor, presence of a hand in proximity to the playback device; and in response to detecting the presence of the hand in proximity to the playback device, pausing the playing back of audio content. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises detecting that a clock of the playback device corresponds to a time of a user-defined alarm; and wherein playing back the audio content via the one or more amplifiers and the one or more speakers comprises: playing back the audio content in response to detecting that the clock of the playback device corresponds to the time of the user-defined alarm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The playback device of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: detecting that a pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused; and in response to detecting that the pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused, resuming playback of the audio content. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The playback device of claim 3, wherein the pre-determined period of time is an integer multiple number of minutes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The playback device of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via the network interface from a control device, an instruction to set the pre-determined period of time to a certain number of minutes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device is configured into a synchrony group with one or more additional playback devices configured to play back the audio content in synchrony with the playback device, and wherein pausing the playing back of audio content comprises: sending, via the network interface, an instruction that causes the one or more additional playback devices to pause the playing back of audio content in synchrony with the playback device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device configured into a stereo pair with a second playback device, the first and second playback devices configured to play back respective channels of the audio content in synchrony, and wherein pausing the playing back of audio content comprises: sending, via the network interface, an instruction that causes the second playback device to pause the playing back of audio content in synchrony with the first playback device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via the network interface from a control device, an instruction to change a volume level of the playback device from a first volume level to a second volume level; and in response to receiving the instruction to change the volume level of the playback device, configuring the one or more amplifiers to output the audio content at the second volume level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: detecting, via the proximity sensor, a hand wave in proximity to the playback device; when the hand wave is in a rightwards direction, advancing playback to a subsequent audio track in a playback queue of the playback device; and when the hand wave is in a leftwards direction, advancing playback to a previous audio track in the playback queue of the playback device. ### Claim 10 A method to be performed by a playback device comprising: a housing configured to be supported by a substantially horizontal surface; a network interface carried by the housing; a screen-less capacitive touch-control interface carried on an exterior surface of the housing; a proximity sensor carried on the exterior surface of the housing and calibrated to detect presence of a hand at a greater range than a capacitive range of the screen-less capacitive touch-control interface; one or more amplifiers carried by the housing, the amplifier configured to drive one or more speakers; one or more processors carried by the housing; the method comprising: playing back audio content via the one or more amplifiers and the one or more speakers; while the playback device is playing back the audio content, detecting, via the proximity sensor, presence of a hand in proximity to the playback device; and in response to detecting the presence of the hand in proximity to the playback device, pausing the playing back of audio content. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises detecting that a clock of the playback device corresponds to a time of a user-defined alarm; and wherein playing back the audio content via the one or more amplifiers and the one or more speakers comprises: playing back the audio content in response to detecting that the clock of the playback device corresponds to the time of the user-defined alarm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: detecting that a pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused; and in response to detecting that the pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused, resuming playback of the audio content. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via the network interface from a control device, an instruction to set the pre-determined period of time to a certain number of minutes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the playback device is configured into a synchrony group with one or more additional playback devices configured to play back the audio content in synchrony with the playback device, and wherein pausing the playing back of audio content comprises: sending, via the network interface, an instruction that causes the one or more additional playback devices to pause the playing back of audio content in synchrony with the playback device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the playback device is a first playback device configured into a stereo pair with a second playback device, the first and second playback devices configured to play back respective channels of the audio content in synchrony, and wherein pausing the playing back of audio content comprises: sending, via the network interface, an instruction that causes the second playback device to pause the playing back of audio content in synchrony with the first playback device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via the network interface from a control device, an instruction to change a volume level of the playback device from a first volume level to a second volume level; and in response to receiving the instruction to change the volume level of the playback device, configuring the one or more amplifiers to output the audio content at the second volume level. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: detecting, via the proximity sensor, a hand wave in proximity to the playback device; when the hand wave is in a rightwards direction, advancing playback to a subsequent audio track in a playback queue of the playback device; and when the hand wave is in a leftwards direction, advancing playback to a previous audio track in the playback queue of the playback device. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor of a playback device to cause the processor to perform functions comprising: playing back audio content via one or more amplifiers carried in a housing configured to be supported by a substantially horizontal surface, the one or more amplifiers configured to drive one or more speakers; while the playback device is playing back the audio content, detecting, via a proximity sensor, presence of a hand in proximity to the playback device, wherein the proximity sensor is carried on an exterior surface of the housing and calibrated to detect the presence of a hand at a greater range than a capacitive range of a screen-less capacitive touch-control interface carried by the housing; and in response to detecting the presence of the hand in proximity to the playback device, pausing the playing back of audio content. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises detecting that a clock of the playback device corresponds to a time of a user-defined alarm; and wherein playing back the audio content via the one or more amplifiers and the one or more speakers comprises: playing back the audio content in response to detecting that the clock of the playback device corresponds to the time of the user-defined alarm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: detecting that a pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused; and in response to detecting that the pre-determined period of time has elapsed since the playback of the audio content was paused, resuming playback of the audio content.