Music search engine

• US 20040030691A1
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Prato Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Woo, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A music search method for finding a desired song in a song database. The method comprises generating a difference sequence for each song in the song database by determining the relative difference between adjacent notes. Next, a note sequence is chosen for the song to be found within the song database. A difference argument is generated for the note sequence by determining the relative difference between adjacent notes. The difference argument for the note sequence and the difference sequence for each song in the song database is compared. The desired song is found if the difference argument for the note sequence corresponds to a portion of the difference sequence for the desired song, or if the net difference at the closest match position is within a set difference threshold.

Claims

1. A music search method for finding a desired song in a song database, the method comprising the steps of:

a) generating a difference sequence for each song in the song database by determining a relative difference between notes of each song;

b) choosing a note sequence for the desired song to be found within the song database;

c) generating an input difference argument for the note sequence by determining a relative difference between notes of the note sequence;

d) comparing the input difference argument to the difference sequence for each song in the song database; and

e) determining a match has occurred between the note sequence and a matching song in the song database when the input difference argument corresponds to a portion of the difference sequence for the matching song.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises generating the difference sequence by determining the relative difference between adjacent notes of each song in the song database and step (c) comprises generating the input difference argument by determining the relative difference between adjacent notes of the note sequence.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein step (a) comprises:

i) assigning a prescribed value to each note of each song in the song database; and

ii) determining the difference between the prescribed value of adjacent notes of each song in the song database in order to generate the difference sequence for each song.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein step (c) comprises:

i) assigning a prescribed value to each note of the note sequence; and

ii) determining the difference between the prescribed value of adjacent notes of the note sequence in order to generate the input difference argument for the note sequence.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein:

step (a) comprises;

i) assigning a prescribed value to each note of each song in the song database; and

ii) determining the difference between the prescribed values of adjacent notes of each song in the song database in order to generate the difference sequence for each song; and

step (c) comprises;

i) assigning a prescribed value to each note of the note sequence; and

ii) determining the difference between the prescribed values of adjacent notes of each song in the song database in order to generate the input difference argument for the note sequence.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

step (a) (ii) comprises subtracting the prescribed value of a preceding note from the prescribed value of a subsequent note in order to determine the difference between adjacent notes; and

step (b) (ii) comprises subtracting the prescribed value of a preceding note from the prescribed value of a subsequent note in order to determine the difference between adjacent notes.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

f) determining a near match between the note sequence and a song in the song database when the input difference argument varies from the difference sequence for that song by a prescribed variance.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (f) further comprises determining the prescribed variance by the user.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

g) filtering the input difference argument and the difference sequence prior to determining a near match.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step (g) comprises filtering the input difference argument and the difference sequence by removing identical adjacent characters therefrom.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein step (g) comprises filtering the input difference argument and the difference sequence by removing artistic notes therefrom.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises choosing the note sequence with a keyboard.

13. A method for encoding music for searching, the method comprising the steps:

a) generating a database of songs;

b) determining a difference sequence for each song in the database; and

c) storing the difference sequence for each song in the database.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

step (a) comprises electronically generating a database of songs;

step (b) comprises electronically determining a difference sequence for each song; and

step (c) comprises electronically storing the difference sequence for each song.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein step (b) further

i) assigning a prescribed value to each note of each song in the song database;

ii) determining the relative difference between the prescribed values of the notes for each song in the song database; and

iii) assembling the difference sequence from the differences determined between the adjacent notes of each song in the song database.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step (b)(ii) comprises determining the relative difference between adjacent notes of each song in the song database.

17. A method of determining patterns in music, comprising the steps of:

a) generating a song database containing a plurality of songs;

b) generating a difference sequence for each song contained within the song database;

c) storing the difference sequence for each song contained within the song database; and

d) analyzing the difference sequences for the songs contained within the song database in order determine patterns within the songs.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (b) comprises generating the difference sequence by comparing the relative differences between adjacent notes of the songs in the song database.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein step (d) comprises analyzing the differences generated in the difference sequence.

20. A method of using a musical keyboard to control the operations of a computer in electrical communication therewith, the method comprising the steps of:

a) mapping a prescribed key of the keyboard to an operation of the computer; and

b) depressing the key in order to operate the computer.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein step (a) comprises mapping multiple keys to respective operations of the computer.