Personalized karaoke recording studio

• US 6,086,380 A
• Filed: 08/20/1998
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carl V. Price, Chia Chen Chu, David Wung, Hong Lan
• Original Assignee: Carl V. Price, Chia Chen Chu, David Wung, Hong Lan
• Inventors: Lan, Hong, Price, Carl V., Wung, David, Chu, Chia Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/137,500
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/307 R-318, 434/323, 434/365, 434/219, 84/477 R, 84/601-611, 84/615, 84/625, 84/645, 386/96, 386/97, 386/104, 386/106, 386/102, 386/107, 348/722, 360/18, 360/32, 360/131-136, 360/69, 361/681, 369/30, 369/48, 369/178, 369/192
• US Class Current: 434/307.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/30 for musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/011 Lyrics displays, e.g. for karaoke applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/455 Camera input, e.g. analyzing pictures from a video camera and using the analysis results as control data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/066 MPEG audio-visual compression file formats, e.g. MPEG-4 for coding of audio-visual objects MP3 G10H2240/061
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

In a self-operated karaoke recording booth a user is provided with a selection of background scenes from which to choose and also with the option of having the lyrics of the karaoke selection displayed or suppressed. A video camera positioned at the user'"'"'s eye level is located on the nonreflective side of a one-way mirror and is directed at a specified performer location through the one-way mirror, which is inclined at a forty-five degree angle relative thereto. Messages and video displays are provided to the user by a video display monitor connected to a computer that faces the reflective side of the one-way mirror and is also located at a forty-five degree angle relative thereto. The system is designed to maintain the visual focus of the performer directly into the lens of the video camera throughout the performance and to combine the video camera images with the background scene in such a way as to avoid a double exposure or phantom image of the performer against the background. The performer can choose to have the lyrics of the selected karaoke composition displayed or suppressed. If the election is for a display, the lyrics are displayed at the center of the viewing screen, directly in line with the video camera.

Claims

1. A personalized karaoke recording studio comprising:

a sound insulated booth;

a control panel dividing said sound insulated booth into an occupant enclosure large enough to accommodate a human occupant and an equipment enclosure;

a viewing screen located in said control panel at eye level relative to an occupant of said occupant enclosure;

a video camera located in said equipment enclosure and directed at said viewing screen along a linear camera viewing axis;

a uniformly colored backdrop surface located within said occupant enclosure parallel to said viewing screen and in alignment with said camera viewing axis to provide a neutral backdrop image from said video camera that contrasts sharply with an image of a booth occupant that is located between said backdrop surface and said viewing screen;

a one-way mirror having opposing reflecting and nonreflecting faces and located in said equipment enclosure at an acute angle relative to said camera viewing axis with said nonreflective face exposed to said video camera and with said reflective face exposed to said viewing screen;

a video display screen located in said equipment enclosure and directed toward said reflective face of said one-way mirror at an acute angle relative thereto, whereby images displayed on said video display screen are visible to said human occupant in said occupant enclosure as a reflection from said one-way mirror through said viewing screen while said video camera is concealed from said human occupant by said one-way mirror;

an audio microphone located in said occupant enclosure;

an audio speaker system that can be heard in said occupant enclosure; and

an audio and video recorder apparatus located in said equipment enclosure;

at least one modular audio and video recordation medium article located in said audio and video recorder apparatus;

audio and video playing means located in said equipment enclosure;

audio selection storage means for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable musical compositions that include both lyrics and music;

video background storage means for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable video background displays;

an occupant input selection means on said control panel for providing electronic occupant input signals;

a central processing system including;

(a) means for transmitting to said video display screen indicia of said selectable musical compositions,

(b) means responsive to said occupant input selection means for providing signals to said audio selection storage means for selecting a single one of said selectable musical compositions as a chosen musical composition and for controlling said audio and video playing means to play at least said music of said chosen musical composition through said audio speaker system,

(c) means for transmitting to said video display screen a choice of selecting between display and suppression of display of lyrics of said chosen musical composition,

(d) means responsive to said occupant input selection means for providing signals to said audio and video playing means to display said lyrics of said chosen musical composition at the center of said video display screen,

(e) means for transmitting to said video display screen indicia of said selectable video background displays,

(f) means responsive to said occupant selection means for providing signals to said video background storage means for selecting a single one of said alternatively selectable video background displays as a chosen video background display,

(g) means responsive to said occupant input selection means for providing signals to said audio and video playing means to play said chosen video background display,

(h) means responsive to said occupant selection means for activating said audio and video playing means and said audio and video recorder apparatus to record audio inputs of said music of said chosen musical composition and from said microphone and video inputs from both said video background storage means and said video camera as images of said human occupant superimposed on images of said chosen background display such that said images of said chosen background display are masked by said images of said booth occupant on said audio and video recordation article; and

a dispenser for ejecting said audio and video recordation medium article from said audio and video recorder apparatus into said occupant enclosure following recordation thereof.

2. A personalized karaoke recording studio according to claim 1 further comprising a label printer in said equipment enclosure, a strip of labelling stock located in said label printer and wherein said central processing system further includes:

(i) means for transmitting to said video display means a choice of notifying said human occupant of the availability of a customized label for said recordation medium article; and

(j) means responsive to said occupant selection means to actuate said label printer to print a customized label on a portion of said labelling stock, separate it from the remainder thereof, and dispense it into said occupant enclosure.

3. A personalized karaoke recording studio according to claim 2 wherein said central processing system further includes:

(k) means for transmitting to said video display means a choice of selection of print font styles to said human occupant; and

(l) means responsive to said occupant selection means to display to said human occupant the appearance of labelling information provided by said human occupant through said occupant input selection means and to make changes in said labelling information as specified through said occupant input selection means prior to actuation of said printer.

4. A personalized karaoke recording studio according to claim 1 further comprising supplies of units of different types of audio and video recordation medium articles, and wherein said central processing system further comprises:

(m) means for selecting at least one of said different types of audio and video recordation medium articles responsive to an input from said occupant input selection means and for operating said audio and video recorder apparatus to record on a single unit of each selected type of audio and video recordation medium articles.

5. A personalized karaoke recording studio according to claim 4 wherein said different types of audio and video recordation medium articles include video cassette tapes and compact discs.

6. A personalized karaoke recording studio according to claim 1 wherein said central processing system further includes:

(n) means for actuating said audio and video playing means to play a selected portion of said music of said chosen musical composition through said audio speaker system prior to actuation of said audio and video recorder apparatus; and

(o) means responsive to said occupant input selection means to adjust the audible tone of said music to said speaker system, to said audio and video playing means, and to said audio and video recorder apparatus prior to actuation of said audio and video recorder apparatus.

7. In an automated, self-operated karaoke recording system for recording a video and audio karaoke performance by a karaoke performer and including a video camera trained upon said karaoke performer, a video display observable by said karaoke performer, an audio selection karaoke storage device for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable karaoke musical compositions that include both music and lyrics, karaoke selection audio and video recordation equipment coupled to said karaoke storage device, and a central processing system for controlling recordation of a performance by said karaoke performer of a selected one of said karaoke musical compositions with video images of said karaoke performer from said video camera, the improvement comprising:

a one-way mirror located between said performer and said video camera, wherein said one-way mirror has a reflective face directed toward said karaoke performer and said video display and a nonreflective face directed toward said video camera.

8. A karaoke recording system according to claim 7 wherein said one-way mirror is a planar structure oriented at a forty-five degree angle relative to video camera, relative to said video display, and relative to said performer.

9. A karaoke recording system according to claim 8 further comprising:

a video background storage device for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable background image scenes, and a uniformly colored backdrop surface located beyond said karaoke performer opposite said one-way mirror and in visual alignment with said karaoke performer and said video camera projected onto images of a video background, whereby said video camera produces backdrop images that contrast sharply with images of said karaoke performer and said computer system includes means for selecting from said video background storage device a single one of said selectable background scenes as a chosen background scene, and video mixing means that projects images from said video camera onto images of said chosen background scene and masks said images of said chosen video background scene with said images from said video camera and passes from said video camera to said video display and to said audio and video recordation equipment only images of said karaoke performer and suppresses passage of images of said backdrop and passes from said background storage device to said video display and to said audio and video recordation equipment only those portions of images of said chosen background scene that coincide in location with said suppressed images of said backdrop.

10. A karaoke recording system according to claim 8 further comprising an audio and video player for playing a selected musical composition from said karaoke storage device by playing said music thereof so that it is audible to said performer and by projecting images of said lyrics thereof sequentially onto said video display so that they are transmitted to the center of said one-way mirror in synchronism with said music of said selected musical composition.

11. A karaoke recording system according to claim 10 further comprising:

a tone adjustment system operable prior to recordation of said performance and including;

(a) means in said central processing system for playing a selected portion of said music of said selected musical composition,

(b) performer input means operable by said performer for designating a degree and direction of desired change in audio tone, and

(c) means in said central processing system for altering the tone of said music of said selected musical composition that is transmitted to said audio and video player and to said audio and video recordation equipment for playing said music of said selected musical composition and recording said performance.

12. A karaoke recording system according to claim 10 further comprising supplies of articles of a plurality of different forms of audio and video recordation media, means for selecting by said performer at least one of said different forms of audio and video recordation media, means for dispensing a single article of each of said selected forms of audio and video recordation media to said performer, and means in said audio and video recordation equipment for receiving said dispensed articles for recordation of said performance thereon.

13. A karaoke recording system according to claim 12 further comprising performer input means operable by said performer and connected to said central processing system for providing performer labeling selections to said central processing system, means for printing recording media labels in response to inputs to said central processing system of said labeling selections by said performer, and means for dispensing said printed recording media labels to said performer.

14. In an automated, self-operated karaoke recording system for recording a video and audio karaoke performance by a karaoke performer and including a video camera trained upon said karaoke performer, a video display observable by said karaoke performer, an audio selection karaoke storage device for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable karaoke musical compositions that include both music and lyrics, a musical composition selector operable by said karaoke performer to select a single one of said karaoke musical compositions as a chosen karaoke composition, a karaoke player for playing said music of said chosen karaoke composition, karaoke selection audio and video recordation equipment coupled to said karaoke storage device, and a computer system for controlling recordation of a performance by said karaoke performer of said chosen karaoke composition, the improvement comprising:

a one-way mirror having a center and located between said performer and said video camera, wherein said one-way mirror has a reflective face directed and inclined toward both said karaoke performer and toward said video display and a nonreflective face directed and inclined toward said video camera, whereby said video camera, said karaoke performer, and said center of said one-way mirror are in lineal alignment with each other and whereby said video display is observable only indirectly by said karaoke performer as reflected from said one-way mirror,

a lyric mode selector operable by said karaoke performer to alternatively elect between display and suppression of display of lyrics of said chosen karaoke composition, and

lyric display control means in said computer system for directing images of said lyrics of said chosen karaoke composition toward said center of said video display in synchronism with playing of said music of said chosen karaoke composition by said karaoke player.

15. A karaoke recording system according to claim 14 further comprising a video background storage device for electronically storing a plurality of alternatively selectable background image scenes, a uniformly colored backdrop located behind said performer and in linear alignment with said video camera, said one-way mirror and said performer, whereby said video camera produces images of said backdrop that are electronically distinguishable from said images of said performer, means for combining digitized images from said video camera and digitized images of a selected background image scene from said video storage background device such that said video images from said video camera are superimposed upon said selected background image scene, and means for electronically filtering from said selected background image scene all portions thereof except those upon which said images of said backdrop are superimposed.