Method and system for supplying contents via communication network

• US 20020026867A1
• Filed: 08/07/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Umezawa, Satoru, Takahashi, Hiroaki, Hasegawa, Yutaka, Terada, Kosei
• Granted Patent: US 6,552,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/061 for extraction of musical phrases, isolation of musically relevant segments, e.g. musical thumbnail generation, or for temporal structure analysis of a musical piece, e.g. determination of the movement sequence of a musical work
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/041 File watermark, i.e. embedding a hidden code in an electrophonic musical instrument file or stream for identification or authentification purposes audio watermarking G10L19/018
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format

Abstract

Server and user are connected with each other via a communication network for bidirectional communication therebetween. The server supplies non-sample regular contents including at least performance information, such as MIDI data, of a music piece and sound information, such as PCM data, pertaining to the music piece, and also sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents. The user receives the sample contents via the communication network and test-listens to the received sample contents. When the user has decided on acquiring the non-sample regular contents and performed a predetermined operation to acquire the contents, the non-sample regular contents are distributed from the server to the user via the communication network, at which time unique additional information, such as client information and serial number, is attached to the individual distributed contents. The attachment of the unique additional information can give the user a guarantee of the acquired contents and also protect various right holders of the contents. A characteristic range, such as a bridge portion, of the music piece, may be determined taking into account both the performance information and the sound information in the non-sample regular contents, and the thus-determined range may be extracted to create sample contents.

Claims

1. A method of supplying music-containing contents via a communication network comprising the steps of:

supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece;

supplying sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents;

receiving, via the communication network, the sample contents for trial use by a user; and

distributing, via the communication network, the non-sample regular contents to the user in response to a request for contents acquisition given by the user, and when the user acquires the non-sample regular contents, attaching unique additional information to the non-sample regular contents so that the unique additional information is supplied to the user along with the distributed non-sample regular contents.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein each set of the non-sample regular contents includes a plurality of types of files of different characters, the plurality of types of files including a performance information file and a picture information file, and which further comprises a step of, when the user acquires desired non-sample regular contents, allowing the user to select one or more of the plurality of types of files included in the non-sample regular contents, and wherein non-sample regular contents composed of the selected one or more files are distributed to the user in response to the request for acquisition from the user.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises the steps of:

presenting the user with a plurality of options for each set of the non-sample regular contents, and allowing the user to select a desired one of the options;

adding, to the non-sample regular contents to be supplied to the user in response to the request for acquisition given by the user, number-of-reproduction defining information corresponding to the desired option; and

managing a number of times the non-sample regular contents acquired by the user is reproduced by the user and disabling reproduction of the acquired non-sample regular contents once said number of times reaches a particular number represented by the number-of-reproduction defining information.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user is allowed to access the communication network by use of a portable-type communication terminal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least the non-sample regular contents are supplied to the user on condition that the user pays for the non-sample regular contents supplied.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sample contents are coarser in data resolution than the non-sample regular contents.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sound information of the non-sample regular contents includes at least intra-music sound information constituting a part of the music piece and commentary sound information pertaining to the music piece, and wherein the sample contents include at least a sample of part of the performance information of the non-sample regular contents and a sample of the intra-music sound information corresponding to the part of the performance information.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-sample regular contents are transmitted to the communication network in a predetermined encrypted form, and a user authorized to receive the non-sample regular contents decrypts and acquires the non-sample regular contents.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unique additional information is embedded in the non-sample regular contents as electronic watermark information.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unique additional information includes information for identifying each purchase of the non-sample regular contents.

11. A system for supplying music-containing contents via a communication network comprising:

a server adapted to supply non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece, and also supply sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents; and

a client connectable to said server via the communication network, said client being adapted to receive, via the communication network, the sample contents for trial use by a user and also receive the non-sample regular contents distributed by said server in response to a request for contents acquisition given by the user,

wherein when the user acquires the non-sample contents supplied by said server, one of said server and said client attaches unique additional information to the non-sample regular contents, to be distributed to or having been received by said client, so that the unique additional information is supplied to the user along with the non-sample regular contents.

13. A server apparatus as claimed in claim 12 which further comprises a database connected to said processor, said processor storing therein a plurality of non-sample regular contents and a plurality of sample contents, and

wherein said processor reads out, from said database, any of the non-sample regular contents or sample contents in response to a request given via the communication network and supplies the read-out non-sample regular contents or sample contents via the communication network.

14. A server apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the sound information of the non-sample regular contents includes at least intra-music sound information constituting a part of the music piece and commentary sound information pertaining to the music piece, and wherein the sample contents include at least a sample of part of the performance information of the non-sample regular contents and a sample of the intra-music sound information corresponding to the part of the performance information.

12. A server apparatus for supplying music-containing contents via a communication network comprising:

a processor connectable to the communication network, said processor being adapted to supply non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece, and also supply sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents;

wherein when a client connected to said server apparatus via the communication network acquires the non-sample regular contents supplied by said server apparatus, unique additional information is attached to the non-sample regular contents.

15. A client apparatus for receiving music-containing contents from a server via a communication network, the server being capable of supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece and also supplying sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents, said client apparatus comprising:

a processor connectable to the communication network, said processor being adapted to receive desired sample contents from the server via the communication network, reproduce the received sample contents, and also receive the non-sample regular contents from the server via the communication network in response to a request for contents acquisition given by a user,

wherein when said client apparatus receives the non-sample regular contents from the server via the communication network, unique additional information is attached to the non-sample regular contents.

16. A machine-readable storage medium containing a group of instructions to cause a processor of a server to implement a method of supplying music-containing contents via a communication network;

said method comprising the steps of;

supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece; and

supplying sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents;

wherein when a client connected to the server via the communication network receives the non-sample regular contents from the server, unique additional information is attached to the non-sample regular contents.

17. A machine-readable storage medium containing a group of instructions to cause a processor of a server to implement a method of supplying music-containing contents via a communication network;

said method comprising the steps of;

supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece, the sound information including at least intra-music sound information constituting a part of the music piece and commentary sound information pertaining to the music piece;

supplying sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents, the sample contents including at least a sample of part of the performance information and a sample of the intra-music sound information corresponding to the part of the performance information;

in response to a request for contents trial use given by a client, distributing requested sample contents to the client via the communication network; and

in response to a request for contents acquisition given by a client, distributing requested non-sample regular contents to the client via the communication network.

18. A machine-readable storage medium containing a group of instructions to cause a processor of a client to implement a method of receiving music-containing contents via a communication network, the server being capable of supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece and also sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving desired sample contents from the server via the communication network for trail use by a user;

reproducing the received sample content; and

receiving the non-sample regular contents from the server via the communication network,

wherein when said client acquires the non-sample regular contents from the server via the communication network, unique additional information is attached to the non-sample regular contents.

19. A machine-readable storage medium containing a group of instructions to cause a processor of a client to implement a method of receiving music-containing contents via a communication network, the server being capable of supplying non-sample regular contents including at least performance information of a music piece and sound information pertaining to the music piece and also supplying sample contents including a sample of part of the non-sample regular contents, said method comprising the steps of:

sending a request for desired sample contents to the server and receiving the desired sample contents distributed from the server via the communication network;

audibly or visibly reproducing information included in contents;

issuing, to the server, a request for acquisition of desired non-sample regular contents and receiving the desired non-sample regular contents distributed from the server via the communication network; and

when a user acquires the non-sample regular contents from the server, attaching the unique additional information to the non-sample regular contents so that the unique additional information is supplied to the user along with the non-sample regular contents.

20. A method of making sample contents from music contents including at least a file of digital performance information for automatically performing a music piece and a file of sound information contained in the music piece, said method comprising the steps of:

a first step of analyzing the digital performance information for a performance pattern present therein and dividing the digital performance information into a plurality of segments in accordance with the performance pattern;

a second step of detecting an envelope in the sound information and dividing the sound information into a plurality of segments on the basis of a tendency of rising/falling variations in the detected envelope;

a third step of comparing the segments of the digital performance information and the segments of the sound information, to thereby determine a given range of the music piece which is to be extracted as characterizing the music piece; and

a fourth step of extracting specific parts of the digital performance information and sound information which correspond to the given range of the music piece determined by said third step and supplying the extracted specific parts as sample contents.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said fourth step performs predetermined information processing on the extracted specific parts of the digital performance information and sound information and then supplying, as the sample contents, the specific parts having undergone the predetermined information processing.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said predetermined information processing includes performing fade-in and fade-out operations in correspondence with adjoining start and end portions of the digital performance information and sound information.

23. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said third step includes:

a step of extracting a representative pattern in the digital performance information on the basis of similarity/dissimilarity between the segments of the performance information;

a step of extracting a representative envelope in the sound information on the basis of the tendency of rising/falling variations in respective envelopes of the segments of the sound information; and

a step of determining the given range of the music piece to be extracted such that the given range includes a portion where the representative pattern and the representative envelope overlap each other.

24. An apparatus for making sample contents from music contents including at least a file of digital performance information for automatically performing a music piece and a file of sound information contained in the music piece, said apparatus comprising:

a memory storing music contents; and

a processor coupled with said memory, said processor being adapted to;

read out, from said memory, the digital performance information and sound information included in desired music contents;

analyze the digital performance information for a performance pattern present therein and divide the digital performance information into a plurality of segments in accordance with the performance pattern;

detect an envelope in the sound information and divide the sound information into a plurality of segments on the basis of a tendency of rising/falling variations in the detected envelope;

compare the segments of the digital performance information and the segments of the sound information, to thereby determine a given range of the music piece which is to be extracted as characterizing the music piece; and

extract specific parts of the digital performance information and sound information which correspond to the given range of the music piece and supply the extracted specific parts as sample contents.

25. A machine-readable storage medium containing a group of instructions to cause a processor to implement a method of making sample contents from music contents including at least a file of digital performance information for automatically performing a music piece and a file of sound information contained in the music piece, said method comprising the steps of:

a first step of analyzing the digital performance information for a performance pattern present therein and dividing the digital performance information into a plurality of segments in accordance with the performance pattern;

a second step of detecting an envelope in the sound information and dividing the sound information into a plurality of segments on the basis of a tendency of rising/falling variations in the detected envelope;

a third step of comparing the segments of the digital performance information and the segments of the sound information, to thereby determine a given range of the music piece which is to be extracted as characterizing the music piece; and

a fourth step of extracting specific parts of the digital performance information and sound information which correspond to the given range of the music piece determined by said third step and supplying the extracted specific parts as sample contents.