US 12,141,499 B2
Management of media devices having limited capabilities
Allison Elliot, Seattle, WA (US); Zachary Kramer, Santa Barbara, CA (US); Dmitri Siegel, Ojai, CA (US); Lindsay Whitworth, Santa Barbara, CA (US); Wescott Fleming, Santa Barbara, CA (US); Dane Estes, Seattle, WA (US); Luan Nguyen, Seattle, WA (US); and Avram Goldyne, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Assigned to Sonos, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed by Sonos, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/819,062.
Application 17/819,062 is a continuation of application No. 16/435,130, filed on Jun. 7, 2019, granted, now 11,416,210.
Prior Publication US 2023/0033648 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 3/16 (2006.01); G06F 8/656 (2018.01); H04R 3/12 (2006.01); H04R 27/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/165 (2013.01) [G06F 3/162 (2013.01); G06F 8/656 (2018.02); H04R 3/12 (2013.01); H04R 27/00 (2013.01); H04R 2227/005 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
while a first version of a control application is installed on a mobile device, displaying, via the control application, a first control interface comprising first playback controls operable to control playback devices in a media playback system in performance of a set of first playback functions, wherein first playback devices of the media playback system comprise first player software that is executable to perform the set of first playback functions supported by the control application, wherein at least one second playback device of the media playback system comprises the first player software, wherein the set of first playback functions include formation of synchrony groups among playback devices that are hardware compatible with the first player software, and wherein the first version of the control application is software compatible with first player software;
receiving, via the control application, input data representing a command to migrate the media playback system to second player software, wherein the first playback devices are hardware compatible with the second player software, wherein the second playback software is compatible with a set of second playback functions supported by a second control application, wherein the at least one second playback device is hardware incompatible with the second player software, and wherein the set of second playback functions include formation of synchrony groups among playback devices that are hardware-compatible with the second player software; and
based on receiving the input data representing the command to migrate the media playback system to the second player software, causing, via a network interface, (i) the first playback devices to replace the first player software with the second player software, (ii) the control application to update to a second version of the control application that is software compatible with the second player software and software incompatible with the first player software, and (iii) removal of the at least one second playback device from the media playback system such that the at least one second playback device is not controllable by the second version of the control application, wherein the at least one second playback device retains the first player software.