IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,260,064
Granted Patent B2
US 12,260,064 · App. 18/309,577 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Group volume control

Inventors: Abhishek Kumar (Santa Barbara, CA); Mike Lemmon (Seattle, WA); Stephanie Hughes (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
G06F3/04817G06F3/04847G06F3/165H04L67/025H04L67/10H04W4/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,260,064
App. No.
18/309,577
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example method involves providing an interface that simultaneously displays an indication of a respective volume corresponding to each of at least two zone players and displays a respective selectable icon corresponding to each of the at least two zone players. Each respective selectable icon indicates whether the corresponding zone player has been selected for a group, and at least one of the respective selectable icons indicates that a respective zone player has been selected for the group. The interface further displays an indication of a group volume associated with the at least one selected zone player. The method further includes receiving a command to change at least one of a respective volume of one or more of the at least one selected zone player or the group volume, and transmitting an indication of the received command to one or more of the at least one selected zone player.

Claims (50)

1. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

for a group of playback devices comprising a first playback device and a second playback device, displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI), (i) a first volume icon at a first position indicating a volume level of the first playback device, (ii) a second volume icon at a second position indicating a volume level of the second playback device, and (iii) a group volume icon at a third position indicating a group volume level of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device; and

in response to receiving a first command to adjust the volume level of the first playback device while the first position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the second position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position, (i) adjusting the first volume icon to a fourth position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the first playback device and (ii) adjusting the group volume icon to a fifth position based on (a) the fourth position of the first volume icon and (b) the second position of the second volume icon.

2. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to receiving a second command to adjust the volume level of the second playback device while the second position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the first position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position, (i) adjusting the second volume icon to a sixth position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the second playback device and (ii) adjusting the group volume icon to a seventh position based on (a) the fourth position of the first volume icon and (b) the sixth position of the second volume icon.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 2 , wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving the first command to adjust the volume level of the first playback device while the first position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the second position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position via the GUI; and

receiving the second command to adjust the volume level of the second playback device while the second position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the first position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position via the GUI.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:

in response to receiving a third command to adjust the group volume level of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, (i) adjusting the group volume icon to a seventh position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the group of playback devices, (ii) adjusting the first volume icon to an eighth position based on the seventh position, and (iii) adjusting the second volume icon to a ninth position based on the seventh position.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:

displaying a first playback device icon in the GUI, wherein the first playback device icon corresponds to the first playback device; and

displaying a second playback device icon in the GUI, wherein the second playback device icon corresponds to the second playback device.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein each of the first volume icon, the second volume icon, and the group volume icon comprise slider icons.

7. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the functions further comprise:

before the first playback device and the second playback device are in the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, and after receiving a command via the GUI to group the first playback device and the second playback device into the group of playback devices, transmitting one or more commands to the first playback device and the second playback device that cause formation of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the volume level of the first playback device and the volume level of the second playback device are independently adjustable via the first volume icon and the second volume icon, respectively, and wherein the functions further comprise:

while the first playback device and the second playback device are in the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, the first playback device and the second playback device are configured to play audio content together in a groupwise manner.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the functions further comprise, while the first playback device and the second playback device are playing the audio content together in the groupwise manner:

receiving a command to change the volume level of the first playback device; and

in response to receiving the command to change the volume level of the first playback device, changing the volume level of the first playback device, wherein after changing the volume level of the first playback device, a position of the group volume icon indicates a relative group volume of the group of playback devices based on the volume level of the first playback device and the volume level of the second playback device.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the group of playback devices consists of the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

initiating playback of first audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device in a groupwise manner;

while the first playback device and the second playback device are playing the first audio content in the groupwise manner, receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the group of playback devices; and

in response to receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the group of playback devices, (i) removing the second playback device from the group of playback devices, and (ii) removing the group volume icon from the GUI.

11. A method performed by a computing device, wherein the method comprises:

for a group of playback devices comprising a first playback device and a second playback device, displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI), (i) a first volume icon at a first position indicating a volume level of the first playback device, (ii) a second volume icon at a second position indicating a volume level of the second playback device, and (iii) a group volume icon at a third position indicating a group volume level of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device; and

in response to receiving a first command to adjust the volume level of the first playback device while the first position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the second position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position, (i) adjusting the first volume icon to a fourth position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the first playback device and (ii) adjusting the group volume icon to a fifth position based on (a) the fourth position of the first volume icon and (b) the second position of the second volume icon.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

in response to receiving a second command to adjust the volume level of the second playback device while the second position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the first position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position, (i) adjusting the second volume icon to a sixth position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the second playback device and (ii) adjusting the group volume icon to a seventh position based on (a) the fourth position of the first volume icon and (b) the sixth position of the second volume icon.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving the first command to adjust the volume level of the first playback device while the first position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the second position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position via the GUI; and

receiving the second command to adjust the volume level of the second playback device while the second position indicates a volume level that is greater than the third position and the first position indicates a volume level that is lower than the third position via the GUI.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

in response to receiving a third command to adjust the group volume level of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, (i) adjusting the group volume icon to a seventh position that indicates an adjusted volume level of the group of playback devices, (ii) adjusting the first volume icon to an eighth position based on the seventh position, and (iii) adjusting the second volume icon to a ninth position based on the seventh position.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

displaying a first playback device icon in the GUI, wherein the first playback device icon corresponds to the first playback device; and

displaying a second playback device icon in the GUI, wherein the second playback device icon corresponds to the second playback device.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the first volume icon, the second volume icon, and the group volume icon comprise slider icons.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

before the first playback device and the second playback device are in the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, and after receiving a command via the GUI to group the first playback device and the second playback device into the group of playback devices, transmitting one or more commands to the first playback device and the second playback device that cause formation of the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the volume level of the first playback device and the volume level of the second playback device are independently adjustable via the first volume icon and the second volume icon, respectively, and wherein the method further comprises:

while the first playback device and the second playback device are in the group of playback devices comprising the first playback device and the second playback device, the first playback device and the second playback device are configured to play audio content together in a groupwise manner.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising, while the first playback device and the second playback device are playing the audio content together in the groupwise manner:

receiving a command to change the volume level of the first playback device; and

in response to receiving the command to change the volume level of the first playback device, changing the volume level of the first playback device, wherein after changing the volume level of the first playback device, a position of the group volume icon indicates a relative group volume of the group of playback devices based on the volume level of the first playback device and the volume level of the second playback device.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the group of playback devices consists of the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the method further comprises:

initiating playback of first audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device in a groupwise manner;

while the first playback device and the second playback device are playing the first audio content in the groupwise manner, receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the group of playback devices; and

in response to receiving one or more commands via the GUI to remove the second playback device from the group of playback devices, (i) removing the second playback device from the group of playback devices, and (ii) removing the group volume icon from the GUI.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 30, 2026
From: SONOS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 074533/0615 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: KUMAR, ABHISHEK; LEMMON, MIKE; HUGHES, STEPHANIE
To: SONOS, INC.
Reel/Frame 063483/0741 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16827469 · Mar 23, 2020
Continuation 14205347 · Mar 11, 2014
Related Publication 20240103689A1 · Mar 28, 2024
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