Method of generating continuous non-looped sound effects

• US 5,633,985 A
• Filed: 05/31/1995
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SF IP Properties 12 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Frederick E Severson, Patrick A Quinn
• Inventors: Severson, Frederick E., Quinn, Patrick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US08/443,893
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 381/51, 381/52, 395/2, 395/2.76, 395/2.81, 395/2.73, 395/2.77, 395/600, 84/627, 84/663, 84/601, 84/653, 446/297, 340/384.1
• US Class Current: 704/267
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 19/14 Arrangements for imitating locomotive features, e.g. whistling, signalling, puffing
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/115 using a random process to generate a musical note, phrase, sequence or structure using a random process to build a rhythm pattern G10H2210/356; random rhythm pattern selection G10H2210/366
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/351 Environmental parameters, e.g. temperature, ambient light, atmospheric pressure, humidity, used as input for musical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/211 Random number generators, pseudorandom generators, classes of functions therefor musical processes using white noise or nonwhite noise generators G10H2250/295; noise formant generator G10H2250/495; magnetic or electromagnetic noise shielding G10H2220/565
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/331 Ducks
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/345 Cattle, e.g. cows
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/351 Dogs
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/355 Elk or other animals in the Cervidae family, e.g. moose, wapiti, reindeer
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/361 Insects, e.g. cricket
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/365 Gensound applause, e.g. handclapping; Cheering; Booing crowd sounds G10H2250/401
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/381 Road, i.e. sounds which are part of a road, street or urban traffic soundscape, e.g. automobiles, bikes, trucks, traffic, vehicle horns, collisions
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/401 Crowds, e.g. restaurant, waiting hall, demonstration, subway corridor at rush hour applause, cheering, booing G10H2250/365
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/405 Fire, e.g. cracks and pops of burning wood
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/411 Water, e.g. seashore, waves, brook, waterfall, dripping faucet
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/425 Thunder
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/431 Natural aerodynamic noises, e.g. wind gust sounds, rustling leaves, beating sails gensound wind instruments G10H2250/461; spint wind instruments G10H2230/155

Abstract

Non-looped continuous sound made up of random sequencing of digital sound segments is generated by taking several short segments of an otherwise continuous sound and forming independent records of those short segments. The stored segments are re-assembled into a sound sequence of arbitrary length based on selecting the next sound segment according to some statistical algorithm. The selected algorithm may be simply a random or pseudo-random selection, or it may provide a probability weighting to emphasize some sound records over others, or some combination of factors also affected by external stimuli such as light, heat or operator input. The selection of sound segments proceeds according to a logical sequence which is programmable. Sounds are organized into groups of similar sounds which may be accessed according to subsects. Groups may include beginning (head), middle and end (tail) sound segments.

Claims

1. A method of generating a continuous random sequenced sound of arbitrary duration and having predetermined head and tail sound segments, the method comprising the steps:

providing a group of sound segments including a head segment, a plurality of compatible middle segments and a tail segment;

responsive to a play signal, selecting and playing the head segment;

then selecting from and playing the middle segments as long as the play signal persists; and

responsive to a termination of the play signal, selecting and playing the tail segment, thereby providing a continuous sound having a duration coextensive with the play signal and beginning and ending with the head and tail sound segments, respectively.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said selecting from the middle sound segments includes randomly selecting from the middle sound segments according to a predetermined weighted probability.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein:

the sound to be generated is a horn sound;

the head sound segment contains an opening sound of a horn;

the middle sound segments each contains a sustained horn sound;

the tail segment contains a closing sound of a horn; and

the end of the tail segment is formed so as to be compatible with the beginnings of all of the middle segments, thereby ensuring a smooth transition into the middle segments.