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US 2026/0299876 A1Published application
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:
- a network interface;
- a battery;
- at least one audio transducer;
- at least one processor;
- a housing carrying the network interface, the battery, the at least one audio transducer, and the at least one processor;
- and
- at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program 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 operating in an ungrouped playback configuration, detect a physical proximity between the first playback device and a second playback device;
- based on (i) the detected physical proximity, (ii) a state of the first playback device and (iii) a state of the second playback device, form a grouped playback configuration with the second playback device;
- and
- according to the grouped playback configuration, play back, via the at least one audio transducer, one or more first channels of audio content in synchrony with playback of one or more second channels by the second playback device.
8 more elements
A first playback device comprising:
- a network interface;
- at least one audio transducer;
- at least one processor;
- a housing carrying the network interface, the at least one audio transducer, and the at least one processor;
- and
- at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program 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 operating in a first playback configuration, detect a physical proximity between the first playback device and a second playback device comprising a battery;
- based on (i) the detected physical proximity, (ii) a state of the first playback device and (iii) a state of the second playback device, form a second playback configuration with the second playback device, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first playback device is configured to form the second playback configuration with the second playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the first playback device is configured to group the second playback device with the first playback device;
- and
- according to the second playback configuration, play back, via the at least one audio transducer, one or more first channels of audio content in synchrony with playback of one or more second channels by the second playback device.
7 more elements
A system comprising:
- a first playback device comprising a first network interface and at least one first audio transducer,
- a second playback device comprising a battery, a second network interface, and at least one second audio transducer;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
- while the first playback device is operating in a first playback configuration, detect a physical proximity between the first playback device and the second playback device;
- based on (i) the detected physical proximity, (ii) a state of the first playback device and (iii) a state of the second playback device, form a second playback configuration with the second playback device, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to form the second playback configuration with the second playback device comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to group the second playback device with the first playback device;
- and
- according to the second playback configuration, play back, via the at least one first audio transducer, one or more first channels of audio content in synchrony with playback of one or more second channels by the at least one second audio transducer of the second playback device.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.