Patent ID: 9331799
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G06F,H04H,H04L,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method for managing the distribution of audio data to a plurality of networked audio playback devices that are adapted to play audio, where the audio data is delivered from one or more digital audio sources to one or more of the audio playback devices, and where the audio playback devices are each adapted to monitor via the network and store in their local memory information regarding audio data that is being played by other audio playback devices, the method comprising: determining when more than one of the audio playback devices has been directed to play the same audio data, comprising comparing audio content identifiers of audio being streamed to one audio playback device to the audio content identifiers of audio which another audio playback device is trying to access; and in response to the determination, directing that two or more of the audio playback devices synchronously play the same audio data.