Flexibility digital sound relaxation system

• US 5,867,580 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 02/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Headwaters Research & Development Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Headwaters Research Development Incorporated (Seven Group Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Vandenbelt, Rudy Anthony, Anderson, Troy Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Application Number:
  US08/706,134
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 381/61, 381/62, 381/63, 381/118, 84/603, 84/604, 84/605, 84/606, 704/272, 40/906, 40/717, 40/455, 40/457, 340/825.24, 340/825.25, 369/30
• US Class Current: 381/61
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/335 Sea birds, e.g. seagulls
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/361 Insects, e.g. cricket
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/375 Harbour, i.e. sounds which are part of a harbour soundscape, e.g. ships, fog horn, buoy, bells, cranes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/411 Water, e.g. seashore, waves, brook, waterfall, dripping faucet
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/421 Rain
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00

Abstract

In one embodiment, an improved-customizability digital sound relaxation system having a sound card receiving port and a collectable sound card are cooperative to play prerecorded natural or other sounds by depressing one of a plurality of sound selector switches and a sound card selector switch. The new sounds of each collectable sound card customize the library of available sounds to individual taste. In another embodiment, an improved-flexibility digital sound relaxation system having at least two (2) prerecorded sounds stored at first and second memory locations of internal or external/internal memory devices may be selected and combined for concurrent and/or individual replay by depressing one of a plurality of sound selector switches and a combine switch, or by depressing one of a plurality of sound selector switches, a sound card selector switch and a combine switch. In this manner, from eighteen (18) digitally prerecorded sounds of the preferred embodiment ninety (90) individually selectable and/or combinable sounds are made available. In either embodiment, natural or other sounds may be stored in loop or sound bite format in either or both of the internal and external memories.

Claims

1. An improved digital sound relaxation system that enables individuals to selectably choose, according to their individual tastes, a combination of at least two (2) individual prerecorded natural sounds of a plurality of prerecorded natural sounds for concurrent replay, comprising:

(1) a first digital memory in which a first plurality of prerecorded natural sounds are stored in a predetermined manner;

(2) at least one first sound selector switch for selecting any individual one of said first plurality of prerecorded natural sounds stored in said first digital memory for replay;

(3) a second digital memory in which a second plurality of prerecorded natural sounds are stored in a predetermined manner;

(4) at least one second sound selector switch for selecting any individual one of said second plurality of prerecorded natural sounds stored in said second digital memory for replay;

(5) a third switch to select for replay a sound that is a combination of the individual sounds selected by activating said at least one first and second switches; and

(6) a processor coupled to said digital memories and responsive to said switches operable in one of two (2) basic modes;

in one mode, any prerecorded sound stored in at least one of said digital memories is individually replayed by activating at least one of said first and second sound selector switches, and in another mode, any combination of at least two (2) individual prerecorded sounds stored in said digital memories are concurrently replayed by activating said first and second sound selector switches and said third switch.

2. The improved digital sound relaxation system of claim 1, wherein the prerecorded natural sounds are stored in a "loop" format in one of the first and second memories, and in sound bite format in the other of the first and second memories, where said loop format defines (1) a plurality of addressable memory locations and (2) start and end locations, such that a different part of the same natural sound is stored at another address location and in such a way that the parts stored at the start and end locations are as acoustically-seamless as possible, and where said sound bite format defines at least two (2) groups of addressable memory locations, such that another self-contained and complete-in-itself version of the same natural sound is stored in each of said at least two (2) groups of addressable memory locations.

3. An improved-flexibility digital sound relaxation system that allows a user to select composite-sounds for playback tailored to their individual preferences and personal tastes in a composite-sounds playback mode as well as to select single-sounds for individual playback in a single-sounds playback mode, comprising;

a digital sound relaxation device having (1) at least one user input device for allowing user selection of prerecorded sounds of a library of individual prerecorded sounds both for individual replay and for concurrent replay, (2) at least one digital memory in which are digitally stored a first plurality of prerecorded individual continuous-type sounds, and in which are digitally stored a second plurality of prerecorded individual intermittent-type sounds, which first and second pluralities of prerecorded sounds provide said library of individual sounds that may be selected by means of said at least one user input device for individual replay in said single-sounds playback mode and that may be individually selected by means of the at least one user input device for concurrent replay tailored to the individual preferences and personal tastes of the user in said composite-sounds playback mode and (3) a digital controller coupled to said at least one digital memory and to said at least one user input device, responsive to at least one user input selection in said single-sounds replay mode, to individually replay any one of at least said first plurality of sounds of said library of said first and second pluralities of individual prerecorded sounds that has been user selected for individual replay, and responsive to at least one user input selection in said composite-sounds replay mode, to concurrently replay any individual one of said first plurality of individual prerecorded continuous-type sounds with any individual one of said second plurality of individual prerecorded intermittent-type sounds that have been individually user selected for concurrent replay in accord with the individual preferences and personal tastes of each user.

4. The improved-flexibility digital sound relaxation system that allows a user to select composite-sounds for playback tailored to their individual preferences and personal tastes as well as to select single-sounds for playback of claim 3, wherein said first plurality of prerecorded continuous-type sounds are stored in loop format and wherein said second plurality of prerecorded intermittent-type sounds are stored in sound-bite format.

5. The improved-flexibility digital sound relaxation system that allows a user to select composite-sounds for playback tailored to their individual preferences and personal tastes as well as to select single-sounds for playback of claim 3, wherein at least part of said library of sounds is prerecorded on a digital memory of a collectable sound card.

6. An improved-flexibility digital sound relaxation system having single-sounds and composite-sounds playback modes that allows a user to select composite-sounds for playback tailored to their individual preferences and personal tastes in composite-sounds playback mode as well as to select single-sounds for playback in single-sounds playback mode, comprising:

a digital memory device;

a library of individual prerecorded sounds digitally stored in said digital memory device having a first plurality of continuous-type sounds each individually selectable for replay, and having a second plurality of intermittent-type sounds each individually selectable for replay, each said intermittent-type sound of said second plurality of intermittent-type sounds being constituted by multiple, different, complete-in-itself versions;

an operator input device for allowing user selection of any individual continuous-type sound for playback in said single-sounds playback mode and for allowing user selection of any individual continuous-type sound and of any individual intermittent-type sound of said library of individual prerecorded sounds for concurrent playback in said composite-sounds playback mode; and

a digital controller coupled to said digital memory device and to said operator input device operative in response to user selection of an individual continuous-type sound of said library of individual prerecorded sounds in said single-sounds playback mode to replay the individual continuous-type sound selected for replay, and operative in said composite-sounds playback mode in response to user input selection of any individual continuous-type sound of said first plurality of sounds of said library of individual sounds selected for concurrent replay and to user input selection of any individual intermittent-type sound of said second plurality of sounds of said library of individual sounds selected for concurrent replay, to concurrently replay the individual continuous-type sound selected with different ones of the multiple, different, complete-in-itself versions of the individual intermittent-type sound selected, such that the different versions are individually selected for replay at random, and in such a way that each randomly selected version is replayed at a random time.