Electronic music apparatus with data loading assist

• US 20060210956A1
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Okamoto, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,772,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/307.A
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/145 Sound library, i.e. involving the specific use of a musical database as a sound bank or wavetable; indexing, interfacing, protocols or processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/185 Error prevention, detection or correction in files or streams for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/02 in which amplitudes at successive sample points of a tone waveform are stored in one or more memories

Abstract

An electronic music apparatus has a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to music data and a display device for displaying information associated with music data. In the electronic music apparatus, a storage medium stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating the music sound signal. An information retention section retains file information for use in displaying a name or an icon of the respective music data. A reading command section issues a command of reading out a target music data file from the storage medium. A display control section controls the display device when the target music data file is successfully read out, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data written in the read target music data file based on the file information, and controls the display device when the target music data file is failed to be read, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data in a state different from the name and the icon displayed when the target music data file is successfully read out.

Claims

1. An electronic music apparatus having a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to music data and a display device for displaying information associated with music data, the electronic music apparatus comprising:

a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating the music sound signal;

an information retention section that retains file information for use in displaying a name or an icon of the respective music data in correspondence to the respective music data files;

a reading command section that issues a command of reading out a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files from the storage medium; and

a display control section that controls the display device when the target music data file is successfully read out, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data written in the read target music data file based on the file information, and that controls the display device when the target music data file is failed to be read, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data in a state different from the name and the icon displayed when the target music data file is successfully read out.

2. The electronic music apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the read command section operates when the music data file is failed to be read, for issuing another command of reading again the target music data file from the storage medium, and the display control section controls the display device when the target music data file is successfully read this time in response to said another command, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data based on the file information.

3. An electronic music apparatus having a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to a music data file, the electronic music apparatus comprising:

a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating a music sound signal, and that stores a guide information file which is written with absolute path information and relative path information representing an absolute path and a relative path, respectively, for each of the music data files stored in the storage medium;

a first search section that searches a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files in the storage medium based on the absolute path information;

a path generation section that operates when the first search section fails to allocate the target music data file in the storage medium, for generating another absolute path of the target music data file based on an absolute path of the guide information file and the relative path information of the target music data file; and

a second search section that searches the target music data file based on the generated absolute path.

4. The electronic music apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage medium stores the guide information file which is written with the relative path information indicting a relative path of each music data file, which is determined relative to a location of the guide information file in the storage medium.

5. The electronic music apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a rewriting section that rewrites the absolute path information of the target music data file by the generated absolute path.

6. A method of loading a music data file into an electronic music apparatus having a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to music data and a display device for displaying information associated with music data, from a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating the music sound signal, the method comprising the steps of:

retaining file information for use in displaying a name and an icon of the respective music data in correspondence to the respective music data files;

issuing a command of reading out a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files from the storage medium;

controlling the display device when the target music data file is successfully read out, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data written in the read target music data file based on the file information; and

controlling the display device when the target music data file is failed to be read, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data in a state different from the name and the icon displayed when the target music data file is successfully read out.

7. A method of loading a music data file into an electronic music apparatus having a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to a music data file, from a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating a music sound signal, and that stores a guide information file which is written with absolute path information and relative path information representing an absolute path and a relative path, respectively, for each of the music data files stored in the storage medium, the method comprising the steps of:

conducting a first search for searching a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files in the storage medium based on the absolute path information;

when the first search fails to allocate the target music data file in the storage medium, generating another absolute path of the target music data file based on an absolute path of the guide information file and the relative path information of the target music data file; and

conducting a second search for searching the target music data file based on the generated absolute path for loading of the target music data file.

8. A machine readable medium for use in an electronic music apparatus having a processor, a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to music data, a display device for displaying information associated with music data, and a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating the music sound signal, the machine readable medium containing program instructions executable by the processor for causing the electronic music apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

retaining file information for use in displaying a name or an icon of the respective music data in correspondence to the respective music data files;

issuing a command of reading out a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files from the storage medium;

controlling the display device when the target music data file is successfully read out, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data written in the read target music data file based on the file information; and

controlling the display device when the target music data file is failed to be read, for displaying the name and the icon of the music data in a state different from the name and the icon displayed when the target music data file is successfully read out.

9. A machine readable medium for use in an electronic music apparatus having a processor, a sound generator for generating a music sound signal according to a music data file, and a storage medium that stores a plurality of music data files, each being written with music data for use in generating a music sound signal, and that stores a guide information file which is written with absolute path information and relative path information representing an absolute path and a relative path, respectively, for each of the music data files stored in the storage medium, the machine readable medium containing program instructions executable by the processor for causing the electronic music apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

conducting a first search for searching a target music data file among the plurality of the music data files in the storage medium based on the absolute path information;

when the first search fails to allocate the target music data file in the storage medium, generating another absolute path of the target music data file based on an absolute path of the guide information file and the relative path information of the target music data file; and

conducting a second search for searching the target music data file based on the generated absolute path for loading of the target music data file.