Multi-household support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135865-B2
Application number	US-202318515507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2023
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for enabling a user to control multiple media playback systems with a single mobile device. The mobile device may connect with a first or second media playback system based on receiving a first or second household identifier (HHID), respectively. If the mobile device receives both the first and second HHIDs, the mobile device may connect with either the first or second media playback system based on a priority of the two systems. If neither the first nor second HHIDs are received by the mobile device, a user may be prompted to add a third media playback system if the mobile device receives a third HHID. The user interface of the mobile device may receive an input to connect the mobile device to the third media playback system, and a connection may be established between the mobile device and the third media playback system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computing system of at least one server, the computing system comprising:
a network interface;
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 computing system is configured to:
cause, via the network interface, display of a controller interface comprising playback controls selectable to control (i) a first media playback system comprising first playback devices connected to a first local area network and (ii) a second media playback system comprising second playback devices connected to a second local area network;
receive, via the network interface, data representing one or more first control commands received via the controller interface, the one or more first control commands representing instructions to play back a playlist of media items on at least one first playback device of the first playback devices;
send, via the network interface, instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands, the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands causing the at least one first playback device to play back the playlist of media items;
receive, via the network interface, data representing one or more second control commands received via the controller interface, the one or more second control commands representing instructions to adjust volume level of at least one second playback device of the second playback devices; and
send, via the network interface, instructions corresponding to the one or more second control commands, the instructions corresponding to the one or more second control commands causing the at least one second playback device to adjust the volume level of the at least one second playback device of the second playback devices.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the data representing one or more first control commands indicates a future time and date, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface, instructions to schedule playback of the playlist at the future time and date.

3. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the data representing one or more first control commands indicates a first room and a second room of the first media playback system, the first room and the second room comprising at least one respective playback device, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface, instructions to schedule playback of the playlist at the future time and date in the first room and the second room.

4. The computing system of claim 3 , wherein the data representing one or more first control commands comprise a grouping command for the first room and the second room of the first media playback system, wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface at the future time and date, instructions to form a group that includes the first room and the second room.

5. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first control commands represent instructions to play back the playlist of media items on the at least one first playback device of the first playback devices and the at least one second playback device of the second playback devices, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface, instructions that cause the at least one second playback device to play back the playlist of media items.

6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first playback device comprises multiple first playback devices, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface, instructions that cause the multiple playback devices to play back the playlist of media items in synchrony.

7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is further configured to:
receive, via the network interface, data indicating a third media playback system comprising third playback devices connected to a third local area network; and
cause, via the network interface, the controller interface to be modified to include playback controls selectable to control the first media playback system, the second media playback system, and the third media playback system.

8. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to cause, via the network interface, display of the controller interface comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
cause, via the network interface, display of the controller interface on a first computing device, and wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is further configured to:
cause, via the network interface, display of the controller interface on a second computing device.

9. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the playlist of media items comprises uniform resource identifiers corresponding to respective sources of the media items at servers of one or more streaming services, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control commands comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
send, via the network interface, instructions that cause the at least one first playback device to stream the media items from the respective sources during playback.

10. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the playlist of media items is generated via an Internet radio station, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to send the instructions corresponding to the one or more first control

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Bates Paul
• Hoadley Joni Rafalski
• Keyser-Allen Lee

Classifications

• H04L67/51

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04L2012/2849

  Audio/video appliances · CPC title

• H04L12/2809

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title