Systems and methods for syncronizing multiple electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820289-B2
Application number	US-201816029311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2018
Priority date	Apr 29, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for syncing multiple electronic devices for collective audio playback. According to certain aspects, a master device connects (218) to a slave device via a wireless connection. The master device calculates (224) a network latency via a series of network latency pings with the slave device and sends (225) the network latency to the slave device. Further, the master devices sends (232) a portion of an audio file as well as a timing instruction including a system time to the slave device. The master device initiates (234) playback of the portion of the audio file and the slave devices initiates (236) playback of the portion of the audio file according to the timing instruction and a calculated system clock offset value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
joining, by an audio playback device in a slave role, an audio playback group, wherein the audio playback group includes a master device that provides timing information for playback of audio content by the audio playback group;
presenting, at a graphical user interface separate from the master device, a plurality of items of audio content available for playback;
receiving, at the graphical user interface, a user selection of a selected item of audio content for playback by the audio playback group;
retrieving, by the master device from a remote server over a wide area network, audio data corresponding to the selected item of audio content;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device over a local area network, the audio data retrieved from the remote server and corresponding to the selected item of audio content;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device, a timing signal;
playing, by the audio playback device and the master device, the audio data in synchrony based on the timing signal;
presenting, at the graphical user interface that presented the plurality of items of audio content available for playback, the audio data playing in synchrony, and (i) a pause/play button or (ii) a next track button;
receiving, at the graphical user interface, a user selection of the pause/play button or the next track button presented at the graphical user interface to adjust playback of the audio data playing in synchrony;
detecting, by the master device, that the user selection of the pause/play button or the next track button was received at the graphical user interface separate from the master device; and
in response to the master device detecting that the user selection was received at the graphical user interface separate from the master device:
adjusting, by the master device, playback of the audio data on the master device based on the user selection of the pause/play button or the next track button, and
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device, a playback command corresponding to the user selection of the pause/play button or the next track button, wherein the audio playback device adjusts playback of the audio data according to the playback command transmitted by the master device to the audio playback device.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the user selection is the pause/play button,
wherein the playback command is a pause command, and
wherein the master device pauses the playback of the audio data in synchrony with the audio playback device pausing the playback of the audio data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user selection is of the next track button, and wherein the method further comprises:
retrieving, by the master device from the remote server over the wide area network, second audio data corresponding to a second item of audio content that follows the selected item of audio content in a playlist;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device over the local area network, the second audio data corresponding to the second item of audio content;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device, a second timing signal; and
playing, by the audio playback device and the master device, the second audio data in synchrony based on the second timing signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting, at the graphical user interface, a second plurality of items of audio content available for playback;
receiving, at the graphical user interface, a user selection of a second selected item of audio content from the second plurality of items of audio content for playback by the audio playback group;
retrieving, by the master device from the remote server over the wide area network, second audio data corresponding to the second selected item of audio content;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device over the local area network, the second audio data corresponding to the second selected item of audio content;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device, a second timing signal; and
playing, by the audio playback device and the master device, the second audio data in synchrony based on the second timing signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the master device at a user interface of the master device, a user input indicating a playback control;
transmitting, by the master device to the audio playback device, an additional playback command based on the user input;
adjusting, by the master device, playback of the audio data based on the user input;
adjusting, by the audio playback device, playback of the audio data based on the additional playback command; and
presenting, at the graphical user interface, a status of playback of the audio data corresponding to the adjusting performed by the master device based on the user input and the adjusting performed by the audio playback device based on the additional playback command.

6. The method of claim 5 ,
wherein the user interface of the master device is different from the graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving, by the audio playback device at a user interface of the audio playback device, a second user input indicating a second playback control;
transmitting, by the audio playback device to the master device, a second playback command based on the second user input;
adjusting, by the audio playback device, the playback of the audio data based on the second user input;
adjusting, by the master device, the playback of the audio data based on the second playback command; and
presenting, at the graphical user interface, a status of playback of the audio data corresponding to the adjusting performed by the audio playback device based on the second user input and the adjusting performed by the master device based on the second playback command.

8. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the user interface of the audio playback device is different from the graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the audio playback device from the master device, the timing signal;
determining, by the audio playback device based on the timing signal, a difference between a clock of the audio playback device and a clock of the master device;
receiving, by the audio playback device from the master device, a first time corresponding to the audio data; and
determining, by the audio playback device, a second time based on (i) the first time and (ii) the difference between the clock of the audio playback device and the clock of the master device,
wherein the playing, by the audio playback device and the master device, the audio in synchrony is performed based on the second time.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface is of the audio playback device.

11. A master playback device comprising:
a communication component for connecting the master playback device to (i) an audio playback device in a slave role via a local area network to form an audio playback session for playback of audio content, (ii) a remote server via a wide area network;
an audio output component; and
a processor interfaced with the communication component, and the audio output component, and configured to:
detect a selection of a first audio item of a plurality of items of audio content available for playback in the audio playback session, the plurality of items of audio content presented in a user interface separate
from the master device, retrieve, from the remote server via the communication component, first audio data

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Daley Michael J
• Bolinger Travis
• O'Neal Heath

Classifications

• H04N21/43

  Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware {(real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00)} · CPC title

• H04H20/63

  to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television] · CPC title

• H04H20/61

  for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast · CPC title

• H04H60/80

  characterised by transmission among terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W56/0015 Primary

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title