Graphical user interface to query music by examples

• US 6,674,452 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Qi, Teng, Shang-Hua, Kraft, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/543,218
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/762, 345/765, 345/764, 707/6, 707/102
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A According to the invention, a music search system includes a music player, music analyzer, a search engine and a sophisticated user interface that enables users to visually build complex query profiles from the structural information of one or more musical pieces. The complex query profiles are useful for performing searches for musical pieces matching the structural information in the query profile. The system allows the user to supply an existing piece of music, or some components thereof, as query arguments, and lets the music search engine find music that is similar to the given sample by certain similarity measurement.

Claims

1. A method of creating queries useful in searching for musical content comprising:

(a) receiving data defining at least a first musical piece;

(b) decomposing the first musical piece into a structural representation of the first musical piece;

(c) displaying the structural representation of the first musical piece in the form of a component graph that displays parts and measure components of the first musical piece;

(d) receiving selection criteria identifying at least a portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece; and

(e) creating a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) comparing the created query profile to the structural information of at least another musical piece.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

(g) presenting the results of the comparison of the created query profile to the at least another musical piece.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) further comprises:

(a.1) receiving data defining at least a second musical piece.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further comprises:

(b.1) decomposing the second musical piece into a structural representation of the second musical piece.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein step (c) further comprises:

(c.1) displaying the structural representation of the second musical composition.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (d) further comprises:

(d.1) receiving selection criteria identifying at least a portion of the structural representation of one of the first and second musical pieces.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (e) further comprises:

(e.1) creating a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of one of the first and second musical pieces.

9. A computer program product for use with a computer apparatus, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon comprising:

(a) program code configured to receive data defining at least a first musical piece;

(b) program code configured to decompose the first musical piece into a structural representation of the first musical piece;

(c) program code configured to display the structural representation of the first musical piece in the form of a component graph that displays parts and measure components of the first musical piece;

(d) program code configured to receive selection criteria identifying at least a portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece; and

(e) program code configured to create a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

(f) program code configured to compare the created query profile to the structural information of at least another musical piece.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

(g) program code configured to present the results of the comparison of the created query profile to the at least another musical piece.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the program code configured to receive data further comprising:

(a.1) program code configured to receive data defining at least a second musical piece.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the -program code configured to decompose further comprises:

(b.1) program code configured to decompose the second musical piece into a structural representation of the second musical piece.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the program code configured to display further comprises:

(c.1) program code configured to display the structural representation of the second musical composition.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the program code configured to receive selection criteria further comprises:

(d.1) program code configured to receive selection criteria identifying at least a portion of the structural representation of one of the first and second musical pieces.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the program code configured. to configured to create a query profile further comprises:

(e.1) program code configured to create a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of one of the first and second musical pieces.

17. In a computer processing apparatus, an apparatus for creating queries useful in searching for musical content, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a music analyzer configured to receive computer-readable data representing a first musical piece and configured to generate from the computer-readable data a plurality of components representing structural elements of the musical piece;

(b) a user interface configured to display the structural representation of the first musical piece in the form of a component graph that displays parts and measure components of the first musical piece;

(c) program logic coupled to the user interface and configured to receive selection criteria identifying at least a portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece; and

(d) a query generator configured to create a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of the first musical piece.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

(e) a search engine coupled to the query generator and configured to compare the query profile to the structural information of at least another musical piece.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:

(f) program logic configured to present the results of the comparison of the created query profile to the at least another musical piece.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the a query generator is configured to configured to create a query profile from the identified portion of the structural representation of one of the first and second musical pieces.