Computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file and to allow a user to play a musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation

• US 20050120866A1
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Charles Corris Randall, Dave Hamilton, John Brinkman, John Longawa, Marcus Ryle, Rob Rampley
• Inventors: Ryle, Marcus, Brinkman, John, Randall, Charles Corris, Longawa, John, Hamilton, Dave, Rampley, Rob
• Granted Patent: US 7,081,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• 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 2240/026 File encryption of specific electrophonic music instrument file or stream formats, e.g. MIDI, note oriented formats, sound banks, wavetables
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes

Abstract

Disclosed is a computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user. An interface device couples the musical instrument to the computing device by performing A/D conversion of the musical instrument'"'"'s analog audio signal to create a digitized audio signal. The computing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device transmits a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to a server. In turn, the communication device receives a session file associated with the musical piece from the server. The processor processes the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user. Moreover, the processor processes the digitized audio signal of the musical instrument so that the user can play the musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the musical instrument to the computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the non-virtual musical instrument'"'"'s analog audio signal generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the computing device comprising:

a communication device to;

transmit a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server; and

receive the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server; and

a processor to;

process the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user; and

process the digitized audio signal of the non-virtual musical instrument which is generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument so that the user can play the non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file.

56. The computing device of claim 55, wherein the processor further creates and causes the display of a control panel graphical interface for the non-virtual musical instrument, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

57. The computing device of claim 56, wherein the control panel graphical interface allows the user to set the sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

58. The computing device of claim 56, wherein, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the non-virtual musical instrument associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

59. The computing device of claim 55, wherein a track associated with the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument.

60. The computing device of claim 55, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

61. The computing device of claim 55, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

62. The computing device of claim 61, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

63. The computing device of claim 61, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

64. The computing device of claim 61, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

65. The computing device of claim 64, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

66. The computing device of claim 65, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.

67. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device, the computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the non-virtual musical instrument to the computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the non-virutal musical instrument'"'"'s analog audio signal generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the instructions when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the following operations comprising:

transmitting a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server;

receiving the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server;

processing the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user; and

processing the digitized audio signal of the non-virtual musical instrument which is generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument so that the user can play the non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file.

68. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, further comprising creating and displaying a control panel graphical interface for the non-virtual musical instrument, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

69. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein the control panel graphical interface allows the user to set the sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

70. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the non-virtual musical instrument associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

71. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein a track associated with the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument.

72. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

73. The computer-readable medium of claim 67, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

74. The computer-readable medium of claim 73, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

75. The computer-readable medium of claim 73, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

76. The computer-readable medium of claim 73, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

77. The computer-readable medium of claim 76, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

78. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.

79. A method to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the non-virtual musical instrument to a computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the musical instrument'"'"'s analog audio signal generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the method comprising:

transmitting a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server;

receiving the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server;

processing the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user; and

processing the digitized audio signal of the non-virtual musical instrument which is generated responsive to a user actually playing the non-virtual musical instrument so that the user can play the musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file.

80. The method of claim 79, further comprising creating and displaying a control panel graphical interface for the non-virtual musical instrument, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

81. The method of claim 80, wherein the control panel graphical interface allows the user to set the sound characteristics for the non-virtual musical instrument.

82. The method of claim 80, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the non-virtual musical instrument associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

83. The method of claim 79, wherein a track associated with the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the user'"'"'s non-virtual musical instrument.

84. The method of claim 79, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

85. The method of claim 79, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

87. The method of claim 85, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

88. The method of claim 85, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

90. The method of claim 89, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.