Obtaining content from remote source for playback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9213357-B2
Application number	US-201414516867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2014
Priority date	Jul 28, 2003
Publication date	Dec 15, 2015
Grant date	Dec 15, 2015

Abstract

Examples include a playback device with a network interface and memory with program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the playback device to (a) receive, via the network interface from a network device communicatively coupled to the playback device over a LAN, an address identifying a network location of audio information available at an audio information source, where the audio information source is outside of the LAN, (b) obtain, via the network interface from the audio information source, the audio information, (c) transmit, via the network interface to another playback device, the audio information, and (d) play back the audio information.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first playback device from a network device configured to control the first playback device and communicatively coupled to the first playback device over a local area network (LAN), control information comprising an address identifying a location of audio information available at an audio information source, wherein the audio information source is outside of the LAN; and
after receiving the control information (i) obtaining, by the first playback device from the audio information source outside of the LAN, the audio information; (ii) transmitting, by the first playback device to a second playback device, the audio information, playback timing information associated with the audio information, and device clock information of the first playback device; and (iii) playing back, by the first playback device, the audio information in synchrony with the second playback device by using the playback timing information associated with the audio information and the device clock information of the first playback device to play back the audio information, wherein the first and second playback devices remain independently clocked during synchronous playback of the audio information.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after receiving the control information, additionally (i) generating, by the first playback device, the playback timing information associated with the audio information; and (ii) generating, by the first playback device, the device clock information of the first playback device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information further comprises one or more instructions for the first playback device and the second playback device to playback audio information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first and second playback devices are members of a synchrony group, and wherein the method further comprises:
transmitting, by the first playback device to the network device, status information that comprises a status of the synchrony group.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the status information further comprises an identification of each playback device in the synchrony group.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the status information further comprises an identification of a master playback device of the synchrony group.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first playback device is the master playback device of the synchrony group.

8. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a first playback device to:
receive, from a network device configured to control the first playback device and communicatively coupled to the first playback device over a local area network (LAN), control information comprising an address identifying a location of audio information available at an audio information source, wherein the audio information source is outside of the LAN; and
after receiving the control information, (i) obtain, from the audio information source outside of the LAN, the audio information; (ii) transmit, to a second playback device, the audio information, playback timing information associated with the audio information, and clock time information for the first playback device; and (iii) play back the audio information in synchrony with the second playback device by using the playback timing information associated with the audio information and the clock time information of the first playback device to play back the audio information, wherein the first and second playback devices remain independently clocked during synchronous playback of the audio information.

9. A first playback device comprising:
one or more processors;
a network interface; and
tangible, non-transitory computer-readable memory comprising program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to:
receive, via the network interface from a network device configured to control the first playback device and communicatively coupled to the first playback device over a local area network (LAN), control information comprising an address identifying a network location of audio information available at an audio information source, wherein the audio information source is outside of the LAN; and
after receiving the control information, (i) obtain, via the network interface from the audio information source outside of the LAN, the audio information; (ii) transmit, via the network interface of the first playback device to a second playback device, the audio information, playback timing information associated with the audio information, and device clock information of the first playback device; and (iii) play back the audio information in synchrony with the second playback device by using the playback timing information associated with the audio information and the device clock information of the first playback device to play back the audio information, wherein the first and second playback devices remain independently clocked during synchronous playback of the audio information.

10. The first playback device of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first playback device to:
generate the playback timing information associated with the audio information; and
generate the device clock information of the first playback device.

11. The first playback device of claim 9 , wherein the control information further comprises one or more instructions for the first playback device and the second playback device to playback audio information.

12. The first playback device of claim 11 , wherein the first and second playback devices are members of a synchrony group, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first playback device to:
transmit, to the network device, status information that comprises a status of the synchrony group.

13. The first playback device of claim 12 , wherein the status information further comprises an identification of each playback device in the synchrony group.

14. The first playback device of claim 12 , wherein the status information further comprises an identification of a master playback device of the synchrony group.

15. The first playback device of claim 14 , wherein the first playback device is the master playback device of the synchrony group.

16. The first playback device of claim 12 , wherein the status information further comprises an identification of one or more slave playback devices in the synchrony group, and wherein the second playback device is one of the one or more slave playback devices in the synchrony group.

17. The first playback device of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first playback device to:
generate a plurality of frames, wherein an individual frame comprises at least a portion of the audio information and the playback timing information associated with the audio information, and wherein the first playback device transmitting to the second playback device the audio information, playback timing information, and device clock information of the first playback device comprises transmitting the plurality of frames to the second playback device.

18. The first playback device of claim 9 , wherein the audio information comprises one of audio files or packetized streaming audio information.

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Millington Nicholas A J

Classifications

• H03G3/00

  Gain control in amplifiers or frequency changers · CPC title

• G06F16/63

  Querying · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04H20/103

  Transmitter-side switching · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title