# US 2023/0054877 A1 · Multiple Groupings in a Playback System > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0054877 A1 - Document ID: US20230054877A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/878,692 - Filed: 2022-08-01 - Published: 2023-02-23 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-11 - Assignees: Sonos, Inc. - Applicants: Sonos, Inc. - Inventors: Lee Keyser-Allen; Jillian Garber; Arthur L. Coburn, IV - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230054877A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - G05B 15/02: electric - 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)} - 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 - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - 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) ## Abstract A control device is configured to (i) define configuration data corresponding to a zone scene of a media playback system, the configuration data including an identification of at least a first zone player and a second zone player, (ii) cause a remote computing device to (a) receive the configuration data via a wide area network and (b) store the configuration data, (iii) while the first zone player and a third zone player are playing back first audio content in synchrony, display a selectable indication that, when selected, causes the zone scene to be invoked, and (iv) in response to receiving an input indicative of a selection of the selectable indication, cause the remote computing device to invoke the zone scene at the media playback system such that the first zone player and the second zone player play back second audio content in synchrony without the third zone player. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A first zone player 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 first zone player is configured to: while the first zone player is grouped with a second zone player of a media playback system for synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player: receive, from a cloud-based computing system via a wide area network (WAN), configuration data corresponding to a zone scene that identifies the first zone player and a third zone player of the media playback system; store, at the first zone player, the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene; and after storing the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to invoke the zone scene; and based on the command to invoke the zone scene, (i) ungroup from the second zone player, (ii) group with the third zone player for synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player, and (iii) initiate synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: based on the command to invoke the zone scene, cease synchronous playback of audio content when ungrouped from the second zone player. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: based on the command to invoke the zone scene, continue playback of audio content when ungrouped from the second zone player. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises one or more configuration parameters, and wherein the one or more configuration parameters include at least one of (i) a name of the zone scene, (ii) an equalization setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (iii) a volume setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (iv) a mute setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (v) an identification of a media source, or (vi) a play mode setting. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is user-defined configuration data corresponding to the zone scene. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, wherein the zone scene is a first zone scene, the first zone player further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, configuration data corresponding to a second zone scene that identifies the first zone player and the second zone player of the media playback system; and store, at the first zone player, the configuration data corresponding to the second zone scene, wherein the configuration data corresponding to the first zone scene and the configuration data corresponding to the second zone scene are stored at the first zone player concurrently. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The first zone player of claim 6, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: after receiving the command to invoke the first zone scene, and while the first zone player is grouped with the third zone player for synchronous playback, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to invoke the second zone scene; and based on the command to invoke the second zone scene, (i) ungroup from the third zone player, (ii) group with the second zone player for synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player, and (iii) initiate synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player, wherein the first zone player maintains storage of the configuration data corresponding to the first zone scene. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: after receiving the command to invoke the zone scene, and while the first zone player is grouped with the third zone player for synchronous playback, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to play back audio content individually; and based on the command to play back audio content individually, (i) ungroup from the third zone player, and (ii) initiate playback of audio content individually, wherein the first zone player maintains storage of the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first zone player is configured to: before receiving, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene, transmit an indication that the first zone player is available to be added to one or more zone scenes of the media playback system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The first zone player of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based computing system comprises one or more cloud-based computing devices and the WAN comprises the Internet. ### Claim 11 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 zone player to: while the first zone player is grouped with a second zone player of a media playback system for synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player: receive, from a cloud-based computing system via a wide area network (WAN), configuration data corresponding to a zone scene that identifies the first zone player and a third zone player of the media playback system; store at the first zone player, the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene; and after storing the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to invoke the zone scene; and based on the command to invoke the zone scene, (i) ungroup from the second zone player, (ii) group with the third zone player for synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player, and (iii) initiate synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: based on the command to invoke the zone scene, cease synchronous playback of audio content when ungrouped from the second zone player. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: based on the command to invoke the zone scene, continue playback of audio content when ungrouped from the second zone player. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the configuration data comprises one or more configuration parameters, and wherein the one or more configuration parameters include at least one of (i) a name of the zone scene, (ii) an equalization setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (iii) a volume setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (iv) a mute setting of at least one zone player of the zone scene, (v) an identification of a media source, or (vi) a play mode setting. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the zone scene is a first zone scene, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, configuration data corresponding to a second zone scene that identifies the first zone player and the second zone player of the media playback system; and storing, at the first zone player, the configuration data corresponding to the second zone scene, wherein the configuration data corresponding to the first zone scene and the configuration data corresponding to the second zone scene are stored at the first zone player concurrently. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: after receiving the command to invoke the first zone scene, and while the first zone player is grouped with the third zone player for synchronous playback, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to invoke the second zone scene; and based on the command to invoke the second zone scene, (i) ungroup from the third zone player, (ii) group with the second zone player for synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player, and (iii) initiate synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player, wherein the first zone player maintains storage of the configuration data corresponding to the first zone scene. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: after receiving the command to invoke the zone scene, and while the first zone player is grouped with the third zone player for synchronous playback, receive, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to play back audio content individually; and based on the command to play back audio content individually, (i) ungroup from the third zone player, and (ii) initiate playback of audio content individually, wherein the first zone player maintains storage of the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is also provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the first zone player to: before receiving, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene, transmit an indication that the first zone player is available to be added to one or more zone scenes of the media playback system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based computing system comprises one or more cloud-based computing devices and the WAN comprises the Internet. ### Claim 20 A method carried out by a first zone player, the method comprising: while the first zone player is grouped with a second zone player of a media playback system for synchronous playback of audio content with the second zone player: receiving, from a cloud-based computing system via a wide area network (WAN), configuration data corresponding to a zone scene that identifies the first zone player and a third zone player of the media playback system; storing, at the first zone player, the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene; and after storing the configuration data corresponding to the zone scene, receiving, from the cloud-based computing system via the WAN, a command to invoke the zone scene; and based on the command to invoke the zone scene, (i) ungrouping from the second zone player, (ii) grouping with the third zone player for synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player, and (iii) initiating synchronous playback of audio content with the third zone player.