Method and apparatus for user controlled modulation and mixing of digitally stored compressed data

• US 5,852,800 A
• Filed: 10/20/1995
• Issued: 12/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Liquid Audio Inc
• Inventors: Modeste, A. Robert, Kearby, Gerald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US08/546,438
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.2, 395/2.14, 381/17, 381/119, 84/609, 84/610
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/363 using optical disks, e.g. CD, CD-ROM, to store accompaniment information in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating a summation signal by programmably modulating the intensity levels of a plurality of associated channels of a selection and combining the modulated segments into a unified digital record. A pre-established and user modifiable set of channel intensity levels is provided to the user as a manufacturer recommended modulation and mixing pattern. The user creates, personalizes and subjectively improves sets of channel intensity levels from the basis of default or pre-established patterns and thus produces unique and customized summation signals. A system operator individually adjusts the relative intensity levels of each of a plurality of channels. Each channel is played at default or pre-established intensity, solely and individually, or completely masked, or at a specific relative intensity as programmed by the system operator. Intensity value sets are stored for later access, whereby the operator recreates a previously programmed summation signal. Digitized records from external origins, to include remotely transmitted data and Internet sources, and digital data received from read only memory media are processed solely or in various combinations to generate single source and hybrid summation signals.

Claims

1. A read only memory data modulation system comprising:

a programmable computing element, the programmable computing element for receiving and decompressing a plurality of compressed, interleaved data channels of a read only memory selection, and for programmably generating a summation signal output combining the plurality of channels at intensity levels individually selected by an operator for each of the plurality of channels; and

a first digital memory device having a fixed bandwidth data channel and in electrical connection with the programmable computing element, the first digital memory device for storing the plurality of compressed data channels of the read only memory selection in an interleaved format, and for transmitting the plurality of compressed, interleaved data channels to the programmable computing element, and for storing the summation signal as generated by the programmable computing element.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first digital memory device further comprises:

for each data channel, a time synchronized, arbitrarily varying intensity level signal, which is used by the programmable computing element to produce the summation signal.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the programmable computing device receives as user inputs for selected ones of the data channels the arbitrarily varying intensity level signals, and produces the summation signal from the stored data channels in accordance with the received intensity level signals.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the programmable computing element receives from a source external to the first digital memory device, the time synchronized, arbitrarily varying intensity level signals for selected data channels received from the first digital memory device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second digital memory device storing for each of data channels the time synchronized, arbitrarily varying intensity level signal, wherein the programmable computing device is coupled to the second digital memory device to receive the intensity levels and to produce the summation signal of the data channels.

6. A method of programmably modulating and combining a plurality of channels of a CD-ROM selection into a summation signal which comprises the steps of:

(a) individually recording each of the plurality of channels;

(b) establishing a format of the CD-ROM selection to individually contain a digital record of each of the recorded plurality of channels;

(c) digitally storing each of the plurality of channels onto a CD-ROM in accordance with the format of step (b);

(d) reading the plurality of channels from the CD-ROM; and

(e) programmably generating a summation signal by combining the plurality of channels at individually selected intensity levels whereby an operator programmably selects the intensity levels of each of the plurality of channels and combines the plurality of channels at each of the programmable intensity levels to produce the summation signal.