SERVICE PROVISION SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC MUSICAL APPARATUS

• US 20070226293A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: NISHIDA, Kenichi, FUKADA, Atsushi, OHSHIMA, Osamu, SAKURADA, Shinya, NAKAMURA, Yoshinari, KATO, Kojiro, MIYAKE, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,495,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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 2240/125 Library distribution, i.e. distributing musical pieces from a central or master library
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/181 Billing, i.e. purchasing of data contents for use with electrophonic musical instruments; Protocols therefor; Management of transmission or connection time therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/241 Telephone transmission, i.e. using twisted pair telephone lines or any type of telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument 1 and a portable terminal 2 are connected to a wireless LAN 3. The wireless LAN 3 is connected to an Internet 4 via a router. A distribution server 5 residing on the Internet 4 is a server which provides Internet services. A pairing between the electronic musical instrument 1 and the portable terminal 2 is established to conduct Internet communications in a pair. Processes from accessing the distribution server 5 to specifying a desired service are performed by use of the portable terminal 2. The distribution server 5 distributes data corresponding to the service specified by the portable terminal 2 to the electronic musical instrument 1. A user is thus allowed to use the desired service on the electronic musical instrument 1.

Claims

1. A service provision system for allowing an electronic musical apparatus to use a service provided by a server apparatus residing on a communications network, the service provision system comprising:

a communications terminal capable of communicating with the server apparatus via the communications network;

the communications terminal comprising;

a service specifying portion for communicating with the server computer via the communications network and allowing a user to specify his desired service from among services provided by the server apparatus; and

an informing portion for informing the electronic musical apparatus of a service specified by the service specifying portion;

the electronic musical apparatus comprising;

a service requesting portion for issuing a request for the service informed by the communications terminal to the server apparatus via the communications network; and

a data obtaining portion for obtaining data corresponding to the service requested by the service requesting portion from the server apparatus via the communications network.

2. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service specifying portion includes

a displaying portion for displaying a screen for searching for a content item provided by the server apparatus to allow the user to conduct input operation necessary for searching for his desired content item,

a transmitting portion for a search request corresponding to the input operation to the server apparatus, and

a receiving portion for a search result by the server apparatus.

3. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service specifying portion carries out communication between the communications terminal and the server apparatus.

4. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the communications terminal communicates with the server apparatus via the communications network by way of the electronic musical apparatus.

5. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the server requesting portion transmits ID information of the electronic musical apparatus to the server apparatus, and

the server apparatus receives the ID information transmitted from the electronic musical apparatus, carries out a process for protecting rights of a music content item by use of the received ID information and distributes the right-protected music content item to the electronic musical apparatus.

6. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service specifying portion receives a ticket for using the service provided by the server apparatus from the server apparatus and transmits the received ticket to the electronic musical apparatus, and

the service requesting portion for issuing the request for the service with the received ticket to the server apparatus.

7. A service provision system according to claim 6, wherein

the communications terminal further comprises a storing portion, and

the service specifying portion stores the received ticket temporally in the storing portion, and transmits the stored ticket later to the electronic musical apparatus.

8. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the communications terminal is a general-purpose communications terminal, and

the communications terminal acts as a communications terminal that communicates with the electronic musical apparatus by installing a software program for communicating with the electronic musical apparatus.

9. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service specifying portion includes a graphical user interface contained in the communications terminal.

10. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the communications terminal further comprises a pairing establishing portion for establishing a pairing with a certain electronic musical apparatus.

11. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service provided by a server apparatus is a service for distributing a musical content to the electronic musical apparatus.

12. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service provided by a server apparatus is a service for providing a music lesson on the electronic musical apparatus via the communications network.

13. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the service provided by a server apparatus is a music cession service for providing a concert with other musical instruments residing on the communications network via the communications network.

14. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic musical apparatus is an electronic musical instrument.

15. A service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the communications terminal is a portable terminal.

16. A service provision system according to claim 15, wherein

the portable terminal is any one of a portable game machine, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistance and a tablet.