Patents by Inventor Jonathan P. Lang

Jonathan P. Lang has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250106556
    Abstract: System, method, and apparatus including receiving an identification of content played by a playback system and an identification of location of the playback system. A playlist of content is associated with the location. A request is received to retrieve the playlist of content and the requested playlist of content is sent to a playback system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2024
    Publication date: March 27, 2025
    Inventors: Mark Triplett, Jonathan P. Lang, Jonathon Reilly, David Taylor
  • Publication number: 20250081314
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example techniques to provide contextual information corresponding to a voice command. An example implementation may involve receiving voice data indicating a voice command, receiving contextual information indicating a characteristic of the voice command, and determining a device operation corresponding to the voice command. Determining the device operation corresponding to the voice command may include identifying, among multiple zones of a media playback system, a zone that corresponds to the characteristic of the voice command, and determining that the voice command corresponds to one or more particular devices that are associated with the identified zone. The example implementation may further involve causing the one or more particular devices to perform the device operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang, Romi Kadri, Christopher Butts
  • Publication number: 20250079698
    Abstract: Techniques for shaping sound based on a speaker orientation are disclosed. In an embodiment, an audio data stream is obtained by a zone player having one or more speaker drivers, an orientation of the zone player is determined, and sound is reproduced by the zone player based on the orientation. The sound may be further shaped based on other states of the zone player in addition to orientation. The overall sound may be shaped from one zone player or from a collection of zone players.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Publication number: 20250077173
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for smart configuration of audio settings for a playback device. According to an embodiment, while a playback device is a part of a first zone group that includes the playback device and at least one first playback device, the playback device applies a first audio setting. The embodiment also includes the playback device joining a second zone group that includes the playback device and at least one second playback device. The embodiment further includes the playback device applying a second audio setting based on an audio content profile corresponding to the second zone group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Lang
  • Patent number: 12192713
    Abstract: Multiple aspects of systems and methods for voice control and related features and functionality for various embodiments of media playback devices, networked microphone devices, microphone-equipped media playback devices, and speaker-equipped networked microphone devices are disclosed and described herein, including but not limited to designating and managing default networked devices, audio response playback, room-corrected voice detection, content mixing, music service selection, metadata exchange between networked playback systems and networked microphone systems, handling loss of pairing between networked devices, actions based on user identification, and other voice control of networked devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang, Mark Plagge, Simon Jarvis, Romi Kadri, Yean-Nian Willy Chen, Paul Andrew Bates, Luis Vega-Zayas, Christopher Butts, Nicholas A. J. Millington, Keith Corbin
  • Patent number: 12176626
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for position-based playback of multichannel audio. Some embodiments include (i) receiving, via a network interface of a first playback device, an indication of a position of a second playback device, (ii) determining, based on the received indication of the position of the second playback device, an audio characteristic of the first playback device, and (iii) playing back, via one or more transducers associated with the first playback device, a first portion of media content according to the determined audio characteristic in substantial synchrony with playback, via the second playback device, of a second portion of the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Patent number: 12176625
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for position-based playback of multichannel audio. Some embodiments include (i) determining first and second positions of first and second playback devices, respectively, (ii) receiving media content comprising multichannel content, (iii) generating first audio according to a first sound characteristic based on the received multichannel audio content and the first position of the first playback device, (iv) generating first audio according to a first sound characteristic based on the received multichannel audio content and the first position of the first playback device, and (v) causing synchronous playback of the generated first audio via the first playback device and the generated second audio via the second playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Publication number: 20240321271
    Abstract: Example techniques involve suppressing a wake word response to a local wake word. An example implementation involves a playback device receiving audio content for playback by the playback device and providing a sound data stream representing the received audio content to a voice assistant service (VAS) wake-word engine and a local keyword engine. The playback device plays back a first portion of the audio content and detects, via the local keyword engine, that a second portion of the received audio content includes sound data matching one or more particular local keywords. Before the second portion of the received audio content is played back, the playback device disables a local keyword response of the local keyword engine to the one or more particular local keywords and then plays back the second portion of the audio content via one or more speakers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2023
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Lang
  • Publication number: 20240323498
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to facilitate discovery and remote configuration of content for playback via a multimedia playback network are disclosed. An example method includes facilitating identification of multimedia content being played, the identification including at least one of a content identifier associated with the content and the content itself. An example method includes relaying at least one of the content identifier and the content to a playback system located remotely from a location of the multimedia content playback, at least one of the content identifier and the content remotely added for playback at the playback system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2023
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventors: Mark Triplett, Jonathan P. Lang, Hrishikesh Gossain
  • Patent number: 12093604
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for smart configuration of audio settings for a playback device. According to an embodiment, while a playback device is a part of a first zone group that includes the playback device and at least one first playback device, the playback device applies a first audio setting. The embodiment also includes the playback device joining a second zone group that includes the playback device and at least one second playback device. The embodiment further includes the playback device applying a second audio setting based on an audio content profile corresponding to the second zone group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Lang
  • Publication number: 20240305925
    Abstract: Systems and methods discussed herein involve designating a default playback device in a local playback network. One method may involve determining that a networked microphone device is available for assignment to one or more playback zones within a local playback network, displaying a prompt to indicate at least one playback zone to which the network microphone device is to be assigned, receiving an input indicating a particular playback zone in the local playback system to which the network microphone device is to be assigned, and storing data indicating an assignment of the network microphone device to the particular playback zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 12, 2024
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Lang
  • Patent number: 12089018
    Abstract: System, method, and apparatus including receiving an identification of content played by a playback system and an identification of location of the playback system. A playlist of content is associated with the location. A request is received to retrieve the playlist of content and the requested playlist of content is sent to a playback system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Triplett, Jonathan P. Lang, Jonathon Reilly, David Taylor
  • Publication number: 20240284102
    Abstract: Example techniques may provide volume enhancements to a media playback system. An example implementation involves a first playback device in a first playback configuration playing audio at a first volume level and storing the first volume level in association with the first playback configuration. The first playback device receives instructions to change to a second playback configuration. Based on receiving the instructions, the first playback device joins a synchrony group with a second zone and adjusts the first playback device to play audio at a second volume level which is based on a volume level of a second playback device in the second zone. While in the second playback configuration, the first playback device receives instructions to change to the first playback configuration and, based on the instructions, leaves the synchrony group and adjusts the first playback device to play audio content at the stored first volume level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2023
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: Jerome Agustin, Jonathan P. Lang, Mark Triplett
  • Publication number: 20240248676
    Abstract: A system configured to: (i) receive a voice command for a given playback device and one or more other playback devices to be grouped for synchronous playback of audio content and synchronous execution of playback control commands, (ii) based on state information for one or more devices of the system: (a) identify a first playback device that is to be grouped with the given playback device for synchronous playback of audio content and synchronous execution of playback control commands, and (b) select the identified first playback device, and (iii) based on the voice command, cause the identified first playback device and the given playback device to form a synchrony group such that the identified first playback device and the given playback device are configured to coordinate for synchronous playback of audio content and synchronous execution of playback control commands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2024
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang, Mark Plagge
  • Publication number: 20240244368
    Abstract: Multiple aspects of systems and methods for voice control and related features and functionality for various embodiments of media playback devices, networked microphone devices, microphone-equipped media playback devices, and speaker-equipped networked microphone devices are disclosed and described herein, including but not limited to designating and managing default networked devices, audio response playback, room-corrected voice detection, content mixing, music service selection, metadata exchange between networked playback systems and networked microphone systems, handling loss of pairing between networked devices, actions based on user identification, and other voice control of networked devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2023
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang, Mark Plagge, Simon Jarvis, Romi Kadri, Yean-Nian Willy Chen, Paul Andrew Bates, Luis Vega-Zayas, Christopher Butts, Nicholas A.J. Millington, Keith Corbin
  • Patent number: 12009602
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus for frequency routing based on orientation are disclosed. An example method includes receiving, by a playback device, an audio data stream. The example method includes determining, by the playback device, an orientation of the playback device. The example method includes routing, by the playback device, a first set of frequencies in the audio data stream to at least one of a plurality of speaker drivers based on the first orientation. The example method includes routing, by the playback device, a second set of frequencies in the audio data stream to the at least one of the plurality of speaker drivers based on the second orientation, wherein the first set of frequencies is different than the second set of frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Publication number: 20240184509
    Abstract: Example techniques may involve guest access to a media playback system. A guest may use a guest control device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to control aspects of a host's media playback system. In addition, the guest may temporarily register their user account of a streaming audio service with the host's media playback system, which enables playback of audio content from that service by one or more playback devices of the media playback system. When the guest control device de-registers from the host's media playback system, retrieval of audio content from the streaming audio service is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2024
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Paul Bates, Lee Keyser-Allen, Jonathan P. Lang, Diane Roberts, Nicholas A.J. Millington
  • Publication number: 20240162605
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for position-based playback of multichannel audio. Some embodiments include (i) determining first and second positions of first and second playback devices, respectively, (ii) receiving media content comprising multichannel content, (iii) generating first audio according to a first sound characteristic based on the received multichannel audio content and the first position of the first playback device, (iv) generating first audio according to a first sound characteristic based on the received multichannel audio content and the first position of the first playback device, and (v) causing synchronous playback of the generated first audio via the first playback device and the generated second audio via the second playback device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Publication number: 20240162606
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for position-based playback of multichannel audio. Some embodiments include (i) receiving, via a network interface of a first playback device, an indication of a position of a second playback device, (ii) determining, based on the received indication of the position of the second playback device, an audio characteristic of the first playback device, and (iii) playing back, via one or more transducers associated with the first playback device, a first portion of media content according to the determined audio characteristic in substantial synchrony with playback, via the second playback device, of a second portion of the media content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Jonathan P. Lang, Craig Wisneski, Jonathon Reilly, Seamus Daly, Todd Mansfield
  • Patent number: 11979960
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example techniques to provide contextual information corresponding to a voice command. An example implementation may involve receiving voice data indicating a voice command, receiving contextual information indicating a characteristic of the voice command, and determining a device operation corresponding to the voice command. Determining the device operation corresponding to the voice command may include identifying, among multiple zones of a media playback system, a zone that corresponds to the characteristic of the voice command, and determining that the voice command corresponds to one or more particular devices that are associated with the identified zone. The example implementation may further involve causing the one or more particular devices to perform the device operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. Lang, Romi Kadri, Christopher Butts