Musical entertainment board game

• US 4,690,025 A
• Filed: 08/30/1985
• Issued: 09/01/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quantime Incorporated (Time by Ping, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quantime Incorporated (Time by Ping, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hines, Robin H., Glasscock, Michael R., Johnson, D. Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US06/771,024
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.18, 84/1.28, 84/478, 84/DIG. 19
• US Class Current: 84/639
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones

Abstract

An apparatus for playing a portion of a melody so that users of the apparatus can competitively attempt to identify the melody includes a device for encoding the portion of the melody to be played and a device for reproducing the portion of the melody by decoding the encoding device. The reproducing device includes a decoder for generating electrical signals corresponding to the portion of the melody and a converter for converting the generated electrical signals to musical notes.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reproducing a portion of a melody so that individuals can attempt to identify the title of the melody after listening to said portion of said melody, said apparatus comprising:

melody encoding means comprising a card having a plurality of holes in a predetermined pattern, said predetermined pattern of holes representing the muscial notes of said portion of melody to be reproduced;

a set of light emitting diodes;

a set of photodiodes facing said set of light emitting diodes, wherein said card is inserted between said set of light emitting diodes and said set of photodiodes so that said predetermined pattern of holes determines a predetermined sequence in which said photodiodes will receive light from said light emitting diodes and photodiodes to thereby generate said signals;

comparator means for comparing signals output from a portion of said set of photodiodes to a predetermined input signal level to determine which ones of said portion of said set of photodiodes are at a high signal level and which ones of said portion of said set of photodiodes are at a low signal level;

latching means for latching said high and low signals received from said comparator means in response to an input latching signal generated in accordance with at least one photodiode, other than said portion of said set photodiodes, going to a high signal level; and

converter means for converting said signals determined by said predetermined sequence in which said photodiodes receive light from said light emitting diodes into said musical notes of said portion of said melody to be reproduced.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said converter means comprising:

memory means for receiving and storing said latched signals from said latching means; and

music generating means for receiving said stored signals from said memory means and generating corresponding musical notes.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising function decoding means for switching said memory means from a record mode, in which said latched signals received from said latching means are stored in said memory means, to a playback mode, in which said stored signals are provided to said music generating means, in response to a predetermined set of output signals from said latching means.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said converter means comprising:

multiplexer/decoder means for receiving said latched signals from said latching means and outputting a corresponding signal on one of a plurality of output channels; and

music generating means for receiving said corresponding signal from said one output channel of said multiplexer/decoder means and generating a corresponding musical note.