Playback transitions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12210797-B2
Application number	US-202117534149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2021
Priority date	Feb 28, 2019
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

Examples described herein relate to transitioning a playback session between portable playback devices such as “smart” headphones, earbuds, and handheld speakers with playback devices of a zone-based media playback system. Exemplary techniques facilitate continuity of playback when transitioning between locations (e.g., from at home to on-the-go or vice versa) or between listening paradigms (e.g., personal or out-loud playback of audio content). An example implementation includes detecting a swap trigger, determining the source playback device(s) and target playback device(s), and performing a playback session swap between the source playback device(s) and target playback device(s).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable playback device comprising:
one or more network interfaces;
at least one audio transducer;
one or more batteries;
one or more microphones;
at least one processor; and
a housing carrying the one or more network interfaces, at least one audio transducer, the one or more batteries, the one or more microphones, the at least one processor, and data storage including instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
play back particular audio content in a playback session via the at least one audio transducer;
during the playback session, receive data representing a playback session swap input;
transmit, via the one or more network interfaces over one or more networks, one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals;
detect, via the one or more microphones, presence detection audio signals as emitted by two or more playback devices connected to the one or more networks;
determine a target playback device from among the two or more playback devices based on the detected presence detection audio signals; and
transition the playback session from the portable playback device to the determined target playback device.

2. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to determine the target playback device from among the two or more playback devices based on the detected presence detection audio signals comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
determine that that the target playback device is nearest to the portable playback device among the two or more playback devices.

3. The portable playback device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to determine that that the target playback device is nearest to the portable playback device among the two or more playback devices comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
determine that a particular presence detection signal emitted by the target playback device has a strongest signal strength among the detected presence detection audio signals.

4. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the presence detection signals comprise respective codes, wherein a particular presence detection signal comprises a particular code, and wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to determine the target playback device from among the two or more playback devices based on the detected presence detection audio signals comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
identify the particular code in the detected presence detection audio signals; and
identify the particular presence detection signal within the detected presence detection audio signals based on the detection of the particular code.

5. The portable playback device of claim 4 , wherein the respective codes in the presence detection signals comprise respective tones, wherein a particular presence detection signal comprises one or more particular tones, and wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to detect the particular code in the particular presence detection signal comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
detect the one or more particular tones in the particular presence detection signal;
identify the particular presence detection signal as being emitted by the target playback device based on the detection of the one or more particular tones in the particular presence detection signal.

6. The portable playback device of claim 5 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to detect the one or more particular tones in the particular presence detection signal comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
determine respective time-frequency representations of the detected presence detection audio signals; and
determine that the particular presence detection signal has content in one or more particular frequencies.

7. The portable playback device of claim 5 , wherein the respective tones comprise tones at respective frequencies.

8. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to transmit the one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
transmit, via the one or more network interfaces over one or more networks, one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to repeatedly emit the respective presence detection audio signals in respective non-overlapping time intervals.

9. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to transmit the one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
transmit, via the one or more network interfaces over one or more networks, one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals in respective non-overlapping time intervals.

10. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to detect the presence detection audio signals as emitted by two or more playback devices connected to the one or more networks comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
detect the presence detection audio signals as emitted by the two or more playback devices in ultrasonic or near-ultrasonic range.

11. The portable playback device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to transmit the one or more messages instructing playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the portable playback device is configured to:
transmit, via the one or more network interfaces over one or more networks, one or more particular messages instructing the playback devices that are connected to the one or more networks to emit respective presence detection audio signals as a particular sound pressure level.

1

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Wilberding Dayn
• Nam Youjin
• Toulis Tadeo T
• Harris Jonathan Cole
• Devine Patrick
• Millington Nicholas A J
• Vautrin Jodi
• Ramos Maria-Jose
• Bannon Richard
• Sheldon Michael
• Lin Ted
• Kuper Ron
• Lewis Kirsten
• Harwood Jake
• Herbst Jonathan
• Jones Daniel
• Sia Henry

Classifications

• H04R1/1091

  Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083 · CPC title

• H04R1/1083

  Reduction of ambient noise (active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06) · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• H04R2430/01

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems · CPC title