Headphone interaction with media playback system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076216-B2
Application number	US-202016845988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

Example techniques may involve headphone interaction. An implementation may include while headphones are disconnected from a control device, the control device receiving an indication of particular audio content being played back by a first zone of the media playback system. While the particular audio content is being played back by the one or more playback devices of the media playback system, detecting that headphones have been connected to the first control device. Headphones may be connectable to the control device via either (a) an analog headphone jack or (b) a point-to-point personal area network connection. In response to detecting that the headphones are connected to the control device: the control device (i) causing the one or more playback devices of the first zone to stop playback of the particular audio content; (ii) retrieving the particular audio content and (iii) resuming playback of the particular audio content via the connected headphones.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a first control device to perform functions comprising:
while the first control device is playing back first audio content via headphones, detecting that the headphones have been disconnected from the first control device, wherein headphones are connectable to the first control device via either (a) an analog headphone jack of the first control device or (b) a point-to-point personal area network connection via a personal area network interface of the first control device;
based on detecting that the headphones have been disconnected from the first control device, causing output of one or more prompts to resume playback of the first audio content on one or more first playback devices of a first zone in a media playback system, wherein the one or more first playback devices are connected to the first control device via a local area network; and
in response to receiving data indicating an instruction to transfer playback to the one or more first playback devices, causing, via a wireless network interface of the first control device, the one or more first playback devices to resume playback of the first audio content.

2. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein causing output of one or more prompts to resume playback of the first audio content on one or more first playback devices of the media playback system comprises:
causing a display to display a graphical interface comprising a selectable control, that when selected, causes the one or more first playback devices to resume playback of the first audio content; and wherein receiving the data indicating the instruction to transfer playback to the one or more first playback devices comprises receiving input data representing a selection of the selectable control, that when selected, causes the one or more first playback devices to resume playback of the first audio content.

3. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 2 , wherein the media playback system further comprises one or more second zones, wherein causing the display to display the graphical interface further comprises causing the display to display the graphical interface further comprising one or more additional selectable controls, that when selected, cause respective second zones to resume playback of the first audio content, wherein the second zones comprise respective second playback devices.

4. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 3 , wherein the functions further comprise:
determining a set of zones of the media playback system that are within a threshold proximity to the first control device, wherein the set of zones comprises (a) the first zone and the one or more second zones.

5. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein causing output of the one or more prompts to resume playback of the first audio content on one or more first playback devices of the media playback system comprises:
sending instructions that cause one or more playback devices to output audible tones, wherein receiving the data indicating the instruction to transfer playback to the one or more first playback devices comprises receiving, from the one or more first playback devices, the data indicating the instruction to transfer playback to the one or more first playback devices, wherein the one or more first playback devices send the data indicating the instruction when a particular selectable control is selected on the one or more first playback devices.

6. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:
based on detecting that the headphones have been disconnected from the first control device, (i) stopping playback of the first audio content by the first control device and (ii) determining that a policy of the first zone indicates that playback is resumed when headphones have been disconnected from the first control device, wherein receiving the data indicating the instruction to transfer playback to the one or more first playback devices comprises receiving data representing the policy of the first zone.

7. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 6 , wherein the policy indicates that playback is resumed when headphones have been disconnected from the first control device during a portion of a 24 hour cycle and the policy indicates that playback is not resumed when headphones have been disconnected from the first control device during the remainder of the 24 hour cycle.

8. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:
while headphones are disconnected from the first control device, receiving, via the wireless network interface of the first control device, an indication of second audio content being played back by the first zone of the media playback system;
while the second audio content is being played back by the one or more first playback devices of the media playback system, detecting that the headphones have been connected to the first control device; and
in response to detecting that the headphones are connected to the first control device of the media playback system: (i) causing, via the wireless network interface of the first control device, the one or more first playback devices of the first zone to stop playback of the second audio content; (ii) retrieving, via the wireless network interface of the first control device, the second audio content from an audio source that is remote from the first control device; and (iii) resuming playback of the second audio content via the connected headphones.

9. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein detecting that headphones have been connected to the first control device comprises detecting that a state variable stored in data storage of the first control device has been modified to indicate that headphones are connected to the first control device, wherein the state variable is updated by at least one of (a) a circuit within the analog headphone jack of the first control device or (b) the personal area network interface of the first control device.

10. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the first zone comprises multiple playback devices, and wherein causing the one or more first playback devices to resume playback of the first audio content comprises:
sending, via the wireless network interface of the first control device to a group coordinator of the first zone, an instruction to cause the group coordinator of the first zone to start synchronous playback of the first audio content among the multiple playback devices of the first zone, wherein the group coordinator is a given playback device of the first zone that provides, to other playback devices of the first zone, a data stream representing (i) the first audio content and (ii) playback timing information indicating a playback schedule for the multiple playback devices to play back the first audio content in synchrony.

11. A method to be performed by a first control device, the method comprising:
while the first control device is playing back first audio content via headphones, detecting that the headphones have been disconnected from the first control device, wherein headphones are connectable to the first control device via either (a) an analog headphone jack of the first control device or (b) a point-to-point personal area network connection via a personal area network interface of the first control device;
based on detec

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Clayton Eric
• Alessi Charles

Classifications

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R2420/05

  Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers · CPC title

• H04R2420/03

  Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

  Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use · CPC title

• H04R2227/003

  Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet · CPC title