US007571014B1
`
`(12) Unlted States Patent
`Lambourne et a].
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,571,014 B1
`Aug. 4, 2009
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`CONTROLLING MULTIMEDIA PLAYERS IN
`A MULTLZONE SYSTEM
`
`75
`(
`)
`
`.
`Inventors‘ ggbgts?‘NlfalTllmugn?
`’
`1° 0 as '
`'
`Santa Barbara’ CA (Us)
`
`Birbara’
`1 mg 0"’
`
`_
`(73) Asslgneei 501105, Inc-s Santa Barbara, CA (Us)
`
`3/1994 Lumsden .................. .. 381/119
`5,299,266 A *
`5/ 1998 Dorrough .......... ..
`.
`. 381/56
`5,751,819 A *
`5/2007 BereZoWski et a1. ..
`379/37
`7,218,708 B2 *
`2002/0109710 A1* 8/2002 HoltZ et a1.
`345/723
`2002/0124097 A1* 9/2002 Isely et a1. ...... ..
`709/231
`2002/0188762 A1 * 12/2002 Tomassetti et a1.
`709/251
`2003/0126211 A1 *
`7/2003 Anttila et a1.
`709/205
`2004/0008852 A1 *
`1/2004 Also et a1.
`381/119
`2004/0252400 A1* 12/2004 Blanket a1.
`360/70
`2005/0047605 A1 *
`3/2005 Lee et a1. . . . . . . .
`. . . .. 381/56
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U-S~C~ 154(1)) by 1091 days-
`
`(21) Appl' NO‘: 10/861’653
`
`2/2007 Millington ................ .. 718/100
`
`2007/0038999 A1 *
`* _
`_
`cued by exammer
`Primary ExamineriCurtis KuntZ
`Assistant ExamineriDaniel R Sellers
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firmiloe Zheng
`
`Related US. Application Data
`-
`-
`-
`-
`-
`(63) glee I§g1$aAnOrn1m2g2II of apphcanon NO' 10/816’217’
`p '
`’
`'
`
`(51) Int CL
`G06 F 1 7/00
`G06F 3/00
`
`(200601)
`(200601)
`
`_
`(52) us. Cl. ....................................... .. 700/94, 715/716
`(58) Field of Classi?cation Search
`700/94-
`_ """"""""" " _
`’
`See a “02111151571111? 1,312,173 slktziifrig’ligtlcj 381/56
`pp
`p
`1y‘
`References Cited
`
`(56)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`Techniques for controlling Zone group and Zone group char
`acteristics such as audio volume in a multi-Zone system are
`disclosed. The multi-Zone system includes a number of mul
`timedia players, each preferably located in a Zone. A control
`ler may control the operations of all of the Zone players
`remotely from any one of the Zones. TWo or more Zone players
`may be dynamically grouped as a Zone group for synchro
`niZed o erations. Accordin to one as ect of the techni ues,
`P
`.
`g
`P
`‘1
`.
`2Z5“ group Con?guranon callffbe managgdd updated’ nfdl'
`e via an interactive user inte ace provi e in a contro ing
`device. The Zone group con?guration may be saved in one of
`Zone players. According to another aspect of the techniques,
`the audio volume control of a Zone group can be performed
`individually or synchronously as a group.
`
`5,239,458 A *
`
`8/1993 Suzuki ...................... .. 700/83
`
`44 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets
`
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`Page 1 of 25
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`US 7,571,014 B1
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`CONTROLLING MULTIMEDIA PLAYERS IN
`A MULTI-ZONE SYSTEM
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATION
`
`This application is a continuation-in-part of US. patent
`application Ser. No. 10/816,217, ?led Apr. 1, 2004, in the
`name of Nicholas A. J. Millington, and entitled “System and
`method for synchronizing operations among a plurality of
`independently clocked digital data processing devices” ?led
`on Apr. 1, 2004.
`
`2
`evening group and the Weekend group contain the den, it can
`be dif?cult for the traditional system to accommodate the
`requirement of dynamically managing the ad hoc creation
`and deletion of groups.
`Other than the above mentioned problem, the control of the
`audio players as a group does not exist. For example, the
`audio volume of the audio players in the traditional multi
`Zone audio system needs to be adjusted one at a time, result
`ing in an inconvenient and non-homogenous audio environ
`ment.
`There is, therefore, a need for solutions in a multi-Zone
`audio system to control a plurality of audio players and their
`audio characteristics from one controlling device.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`The invention is generally related to the area of audio
`technologies and human-computer interaction. In particular,
`the invention is related to method and apparatus for control
`ling or manipulating a plurality of multimedia players in a
`multi-Zone system.
`2. The Background of Related Art
`An enduring passion for quality audio reproduction or
`system is continuing to drive demands from users. One of the
`demands includes an audio system in a house in Which, for
`example, one could grill to classic rock on a patio While
`another one may cook up his/her oWn music selections in a
`kitchen. This is all at the same time While a teenager catches
`a ballgame in a family room, and another one blasts pop in a
`bedroom. And the best part of such audio system is that each
`family member does not need his or her oWn stereo systemi
`one system gives everyone access to all the music sources.
`Currently, one of the systems that can meet part of such
`demand is a conventional multi-Zone audio system that usu
`ally includes a number of audio players. Each of the audio
`players has its oWn ampli?er(s) and a set of speakers and
`typically installed in one place (e.g., a room). In order to play
`an audio source at one location, the audio source must be
`provided locally or from a centraliZed location. When the
`audio source is provided locally, the multi-Zone audio system
`functions as a collection of many stereo systems, making
`source sharing dif?cult. When the audio source is provided
`centrally, the centraliZed location may include a juke box,
`many compact discs, an AM or FM radio, tapes, or others. To
`send an audio source to an audio player demanding such
`source, a cross-bar type of device is used to prevent the audio
`source from going to other audio players that may be playing
`other audio sources.
`In order to achieve playing different audio sources in dif
`ferent audio players, the traditional multi-Zone audio system
`is generally either hard-Wired or controlled by a pre-con?g
`ured and pre-programmed controller. While the pre-pro
`grammed con?guration may be satisfactory in one situation,
`it may not be suitable for another situation. For example, a
`person Would like to listen to broadcast neWs from his/her
`favorite radio station in a bedroom, a bathroom and a den
`While preparing to go to Work in the morning. The same
`person may Wish to listen in the den and the living room to
`music from a compact disc in the evening. In order to satisfy
`such requirements, tWo groups of audio players must be
`established. In the morning, the audio players in the bedroom,
`the bathroom and the den need to be grouped for the broadcast
`neWs. In the evening, the audio players in the den and the
`living room are grouped for the music. Over the Weekend, the
`audio players in the den, the living room, and a kitchen are
`grouped for party music. Because the morning group, the
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`This section is for the purpose of summarizing some
`aspects of the present invention and to brie?y introduce some
`preferred embodiments. Simpli?cations or omissions in this
`section as Well as in the abstract or the title of this description
`may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of this section,
`the abstract and the title. Such simpli?cations or omissions
`are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
`In general, the present invention pertains to control of
`audio characteristics of a plurality of multimedia players, or
`simply players, from a controller. The characteristics include,
`but are not limited to, an audio source and an audio volume
`being played in each of the players. In particular, the present
`invention enables the user to remotely control the audio char
`acteristics of the players either as a group or as an individual
`player. According to one aspect of the present invention, the
`same audio source is selected to be played synchronously in
`a group of players via a controlling device operated by a user.
`The group may be ?exibly formed in a dynamic manner.
`Within the group, any one of the audio sources may be chosen
`and made available to each of the players. All audio playback
`control operations such as pause/play, forWard/reWind, next/
`previous track are synchronously controlled, While the audio
`volume adjustment may be applied to a selected player or all
`of the players in the group.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, a
`con?gurable module is implemented in the controlling device
`that provides interactive graphic user interface for controlling
`playback of the audio source, grouping a plurality of players
`together, de-grouping a group or adjusting audio volume of
`individual players or a group of players.
`According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a
`player in a group of players is con?gured to synchronously
`play an audio source by selecting a source, making the source
`available or retrieving the source if the source is not found
`locally
`The present invention may be implemented in many forms
`including softWare, hardWare or a combination of both.
`According to one embodiment, the present invention is
`directed to a method for controlling a plurality of players, the
`method comprising: displaying on a screen a ?rst list shoWing
`at least available players, selecting at least one of the players
`as a Zone group head, displaying on the screen a second list
`shoWing at least some of the players that are eligible to be
`grouped With the Zone group head, selecting one or more
`players from the at least some of the players to be a group
`being formed by the group head, and synchroniZing all play
`ers in the group.
`According to another embodiment, the present invention is
`a method for controlling a plurality of players, the method
`comprising displaying on a screen a list shoWing a plurality of
`volume meters, at least one of the volume meters representing
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`an audio volume of one of the players, and another one of the
`volume meters representing an audio volume of a group of
`players, if there is such group, selecting one of the volume
`meters from the list, and adjusting the one of the volume
`meters as desired.
`According to still another embodiment, the present inven
`tion is an apparatus for controlling a plurality of players, the
`apparatus comprises a screen, a screen driver commanding
`the screen, an input interface, a netWork interface, a memory
`for storing code for an application module, a processor
`coupled to the memory, the input interface, the screen driver
`and the netWork interface, the processor executing the code in
`the memory to cause the application module and the screen
`driver to perform operations of: displaying on the screen a
`?rst list shoWing at least available players; selecting at least
`one of the players as a Zone group head; displaying on the
`screen a second list shoWing at least some of the players that
`are eligible to be grouped With the Zone group head; selecting
`one or more players from the at least some of the players to be
`a Zone group being formed by the Zone group head; and
`synchronizing all players in the Zone group.
`The operations further include displaying on a screen a list
`shoWing a plurality of volume meters, at least one of the
`volume meters representing an audio volume of one of the
`players, and another one of the volume meters representing an
`audio volume of a group of players, if there is such group;
`selecting one of the volume meters from the list; and adjusting
`the one of the volume meters as desired.
`One of the objects, features, and advantages of the present
`invention is to remotely control a plurality of multimedia
`players in a multi-Zone system, playing and controlling the
`audio source synchronously if the players are grouped
`together, or playing and controlling the audio source indi
`vidually if the players are disassociated With each other.
`Other objects, features, and advantages of the present
`invention Will become apparent upon examining the folloW
`ing detailed description of an embodiment thereof, taken in
`conjunction With the attached draWings.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
`present invention Will become better understood With regard
`to the folloWing description, appended claims, and accompa
`nying draWings Where:
`FIG. 1 shoWs an exemplary con?guration in Which the
`present invention may be practiced;
`FIG. 2A shoWs an exemplary functional block diagram of
`a player in accordance With the present invention;
`FIG. 2B shoWs an example of a controller that may be used
`to remotely control one of more players of FIG. 2A;
`FIG. 2C shoWs an exemplary internal functional block
`diagram of a controller in accordance With one embodiment
`of the present invention;
`FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a sequence of screen displays in
`accordance With one embodiment of the present invention for
`controlling a plurality of players;
`FIG. 3C shoWs a sequence of screen displays in accordance
`With one embodiment of the present invention for alterna
`tively controlling players;
`FIGS. 4A and 4B shoW a sequence of screen displays in
`accordance With one embodiment of the present invention for
`controlling players regarding audio volume;
`FIG. 5 shoWs a ?owchart or process of controlling a plu
`rality of Zones players according to one embodiment of the
`present invention;
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`FIG. 6 shoWs a ?owchart or process of controlling audio
`volume of a plurality of players in a Zone group according to
`one embodiment of the present invention; and
`FIGS. 7A-7D shoW a sequence of screen displays in accor
`dance With one embodiment of the present invention on a
`computing device for alternatively controlling players.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`The present invention pertains to techniques for controlling
`a plurality of players, grouping some of the players, manipu
`lating audio characteristics of the players individually or in
`groups. The audio characteristics include, but are not limited
`to, audio volume, audio bass, and audio treble. The players,
`also referred to as Zone players, are part of in a multi-Zone
`system that may be installed in a complex With multiple
`Zones. In general, each Zone player is located in one of the
`Zones. Each of the Zone players in the multi-Zone system is
`coupled to a data netWork to communicate not only With each
`other but With other devices. According to one aspect of the
`present invention, through a controlling device, not only can
`each of the Zone players be individually controlled, but also
`tWo or more of the Zone players may be grouped as one or
`more groups and controlled as if they Were a single unit. The
`audio playback for the Zone players in a Zone group can be
`synchroniZed.
`According to another aspect of the techniques, a Zone
`group con?guration can be manipulated via a user interface
`provided in a controlling device. The user interface provides
`a mechanism to manage, create, delete or modify Zone
`groups. All audio playback operations, such as pause/play,
`forWard/reWind, next/previous track, are synchronized for the
`Zone players in a Zone group. The Zone group con?guration
`may be saved in any one of Zone players for easy retrieval in
`any of the Zones at anytime.
`The detailed description of the present invention is pre
`sented largely in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks,
`processing, or other symbolic representations that directly or
`indirectly resemble the operations of devices or systems that
`can be used on netWorks. These descriptions and representa
`tions are typically used by those skilled in the art to most
`effectively convey the substance of their Work to others
`skilled in the art.
`Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodi
`ment” means that a particular feature, structure, or character
`istic described in connection With the embodiment can be
`included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The
`appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various
`places in the speci?cation are not necessarily all referring to
`the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodi
`ments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, the
`order of blocks in process ?oWcharts or diagrams represent
`ing one or more embodiments of the invention do not inher
`ently indicate any particular order nor imply any limitations
`in the invention.
`Referring noW to the draWings, in Which like numerals
`refer to like parts throughout the several vieWs. FIG. 1 shoWs
`an exemplary con?guration 100 in Which the present inven
`tion may be practiced. The con?guration may represent, but
`not be limited to, a part of a residential home, a business
`building or a complex With multiple Zones. There are a num
`ber of multimedia players of Which three examples 102, 104
`and 106 are shoWn as audio devices. Each of the audio devices
`may be installed or provided in one particular area or Zone and
`hence referred to as a Zone player herein.
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`As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, an audio
`source or audio sources are in digital format and can be
`transported or streamed over a data network. To facilitate the
`understanding of the present invention, it is assumed that the
`con?guration 100 represents a home. Thus, the Zone player
`102 and 104 may be located in two of the bedrooms respec
`tively while the Zone player 106 may be installed in a living
`room. All of the Zone players 102, 104 and 106 are coupled
`directly or indirectly to a data network 108. In addition, a
`computing device 110 is shown to be coupled on the network
`108. In reality, any other devices such as a home gateway
`device, a storage device, or an MP3 player may be coupled to
`the network 108 as well.
`The network 108 may be a wired network, a wireless net
`work or a combination of both. In one example, all devices
`including the Zone players 102, 104 and 106 are coupled to
`the network 108 by wireless means based on an industry
`standard such as IEEE 802.11. In yet another example, all
`devices including the Zone players 102, 104 and 106 are part
`of a local area network that communicates with a wide area
`network (e.g., the Internet).
`Many devices on the network 108 are con?gured to down
`load and store audio sources. For example, the computing
`device 110 can download audio sources from the Internet and
`store the downloaded sources locally for sharing with other
`devices on the Internet or the network 108. The computing
`device 110 can also be con?gured to receive streaming audio.
`Shown as a stereo system, the device 112 is con?gured to
`receive an analog audio source (e.g., from broadcasting) or
`retrieve a digital audio source (e. g., from a compact disk). The
`analog audio sources can be converted to digital audio
`sources. In accordance with the present invention, the audio
`source may be shared among the devices on the network 108.
`Two or more Zone players may be grouped together to form
`a new Zone group. Any combinations of Zone players and an
`existing Zone group may be grouped together. In one instance,
`a new Zone group is formed by adding one Zone player to
`another Zone player or an existing Zone group. A ?rst chosen
`Zone player to form the new Zone group may be referred to as
`a Zone group head. Depending on implementation, all other
`Zone players in the group are synchroniZed to play an audio
`source or a queue of sources being played or provided by the
`Zone group head or any one Zone player in the group may be
`selected to synchroniZe others. For example, when the Zone
`player 106 is added to the Zone player 102 to form a new Zone
`group, the Zone players 102 is the Zone group head of the new
`Zone group. Both players will synchronously playback audio
`sources that are accessible to any one of the Zone players in
`the multi-Zone system. In one embodiment, the audio source
`being played or provided by the Zone player 102 will be also
`played in the Zone player 106. In another embodiment, the
`audio source being played or provided by the newly added
`Zone player 106 will be played in all players in the group.
`In spite of an existing Zone group including the Zone play
`ers 102 or 106, it is still possible to add another Zone player
`(e.g., player 104) to the existing Zone group containing the
`Zone players 1 02 and 1 06. In one embodiment, when this Zone
`group is selected to play an audio source, the Zone players 102
`and 106 will synchroniZe with the Zone player 104, playing
`whatever the Zone player 104 is playing or ready to play. In
`another embodiment, when this Zone group is selected to play
`an audio source, the Zone player 104 will synchroniZe with
`the Zone players 102 and 106, playing whatever the Zone
`players 102 and 106 are playing or ready to play. In an
`exemplary deployment, a Zone group includes the Zone play
`ers 102, 104 and 106 located in a bedroom, a kitchen and a
`bathroom of a house, respectively. When an audio source is
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`played in the Zone group, the playback is synchroniZed
`among the Zone players 102, 104 and 106 in the group. As a
`result, a user may hear the same music or song regardless of
`whether the user is in the bedroom, the kitchen or the bath
`room.
`Many devices on the network 108 may be con?gured to
`control operations of the Zone players 102, 104 and 106. In
`particular, one or more controlling devices 140 and 142 are
`used to control Zone players 102, 104 and 106 as shown in
`FIG. 1. The controlling devices 140 and 142 are preferably
`portable and remotely control the Zone players via wireless
`means (e.g., infrared, radio, wireless standard IEEE 802.11b
`or 802.1 1 g). In one embodiment, besides controlling an indi
`vidual Zone player, the controlling device 140 or 142 is con
`?gured to manage audio sources and audio characteristics of
`all the Zone players regardless where the controlling device
`140 or 142 is located in a house or a con?ned complex.
`Referring now to FIG. 2A, there is shown an exemplary
`functional block diagram of a Zone player 200 in accordance
`with the present invention. The Zone player 200 includes a
`network interface 202, a processor 204, a memory module
`206, an audio processing circuit 210, a digital signal process
`ing module 212, an audio ampli?er 214 and a RF interface
`216. The network interface 202 facilitates a data ?ow between
`a data network (i.e., the data network 108 of FIG. 1) and the
`Zone player 200 and typically executes a special set of rules
`(i.e., a protocol) to send data back and forth. One of the
`common protocols is TCP/IP (Transmission Control Proto
`col/Internet Protocol) commonly used in the Internet. In gen
`eral, a network interface manages the assembling of an audio
`source or ?le into smaller packets that are transmitted over the
`data network or reassembles received packets into the origi
`nal source or ?le. In addition, the network interface 202
`handles the address part of each packet so that it gets to the
`right destination or intercepts packets destined for the Zone
`player 200.
`The network interface 202 may include one or both of a
`wireless interface 216 and a wired interface 217. The wireless
`interface 216, also referred to as a RF interface, provides
`network interface functions by a wireless means for the Zone
`player 200 to communicate with other devices in accordance
`with a communication protocol (such as the wireless standard
`IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g). The wired interface 217
`provides network interface functions by a wired means (e. g.,
`an Ethernet cable). In one embodiment, a Zone player,
`referred to as an access Zone player, includes both of the
`interfaces 216 and 217, and other Zone players include only
`the RF interface 216. Thus these other Zone players commu
`nicate with other devices on a network or retrieve audio
`sources via the access Zone player. The processor 204 is
`con?gured to control the operation of other parts in the Zone
`player 200. The memory 206 may be loaded with one or more
`software modules that can be executed by the processor 204
`to achieve desired tasks. According to one aspect of the
`present invention, a software module implementing one
`embodiment of the present invention is executed, the proces
`sor 204 operates in accordance with the software module in
`reference to a saved Zone group con?guration characterizing
`a Zone group created by a user, the Zone player 200 is caused
`to retrieve an audio source from another Zone player or a
`device on the network.
`According to one embodiment of the present invention, the
`memory 206 is used to save one or more saved Zone con?gu
`ration ?les that may be retrieved for modi?cation at any time.
`Typically, a saved Zone group con?guration ?le is transmitted
`to a controller (e.g., the controlling device 140 or 142 of FIG.
`1) when a user operates the controlling device. The Zone
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`7
`group con?guration provides an interactive user interface so
`that various manipulations or control of the Zone players may
`be performed.
`The audio processing circuit 210 resembles most of the
`circuitry in an audio playback device and includes one or
`more digital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio prepro
`cessing part, an audio enhancement part or a digital signal
`processor and others. In operation, When an audio source is
`retrieved via the netWork interface 202, the audio source is
`processed in the audio processing circuit 210 to produce
`analog audio signals. The processed analog audio signals are
`then provided to the audio ampli?er 214 for playback on
`speakers. In addition, the audio processing circuit 210 may
`include necessary circuitry to process analog signals as inputs
`to produce digital signals for sharing With other devices on a
`netWork.
`Depending on an exact implementation, the digital signal
`processing module 212 may be implemented Within the audio
`processing circuit 210 or as a combination of hardWare and
`softWare. The audio ampli?er 214 is typically an analog cir
`cuit that poWers the provided analog audio signals to drive
`one or more speakers.
`Referring noW to FIG. 2B, there is shoWn an example of a
`controller 240, Which may correspond to the controlling
`device 140 or 142 of FIG. 1. The controller 240 may be used
`to facilitate the control of multi-media applications, automa
`tion and others in a complex. In particular, the controller 240
`is con?gured to facilitate a selection of a plurality of audio
`sources available on the netWork, controlling operations of
`one or more Zone players (e. g., the Zone player 200) through
`a RF interface corresponding to the RF interface 216 of FIG.
`2A. According to one embodiment, the Wireless means is
`based on an industry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, Wireless
`standard IEEE 8