Zone Management via Drag-and-Drop Gesture Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing multi-zone media playback systems lack intuitive and efficient methods for users to manage and configure zones, requiring complex navigation through multiple screens and interfaces.

Innovation Solution

A user interface and controller system that allows users to manage zones through simple gestures, such as drag and drop, enabling configuration of zone groups, adding or removing zones, and controlling media playback across multiple devices from a single screen.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If traditional multi-screen navigation interfaces are used for zone management, then comprehensive control functionality is achieved, but user operation complexity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvezone management operationVSAvoidinterface complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple zone management functions (zone creation, zone grouping, media playback control) into a single touchscreen interface screen. Users can perform all zone management operations without navigating between multiple screens, directly resolving the contradiction by merging previously分散 functions into one integrated interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The touchscreen interface is designed to handle multiple types of interactions (touch, drag, drop, gesture recognition) and perform multiple functions (zone management, media control, device configuration) within a single screen environment, making the interface universal and eliminating the need for separate navigation screens.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If drag and drop gestures are implemented for zone management, then user interface intuitiveness improves, but system response time and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterface intuitivenessVSAvoidgesture processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-loads and pre-processes zone management data and gesture recognition algorithms in memory before user interaction occurs. This preliminary preparation allows drag and drop gestures to be executed and processed immediately without delay, maintaining both intuitiveness and fast response time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical button presses and menu navigations with touchscreen gesture recognition. The gesture detection system uses capacitive sensing and software-based pattern recognition to interpret user intentions, providing more intuitive control while maintaining fast processing speeds through optimized algorithms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250013350A1Playback Zone Management

Publication Date: 2025.01.09 SONOS INC

AI summary

Some embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods for managing zones of a multi-zone media playback system include displaying a plurality of zone icons in a first zone group display region, receiving a first drag and drop input that selects the second zone icon and drags the second zone icon from inside the first zone group display region to outside the first zone group display region, and after the first drag and drop input, (i) causing one or more zone players identified by the second zone icon to be disassociated with the first zone group, (ii) displaying the second zone icon outside the first zone group display region; and (iii) displaying a second status icon representative of a second playback status of the one or more zone players identified by the second zone icon.