Computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file and to allow a user to play a musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation

• US 6,740,803 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Line 6, Inc. (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryle, Marcus, Brinkman, John, Randall, Charles Corris, Longawa, John, Hamilton, Dave, Rampley, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US09/990,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20030094092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00, 846/09, 846/26
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/026 File encryption of specific electrophonic music instrument file or stream formats, e.g. MIDI, note oriented formats, sound banks, wavetables digital rights management [DRM] G06F21/00; encryption H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes

Abstract

Disclosed is a computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user. An interface device couples the musical instrument to the computing device by performing A/D conversion of the musical instrument'"'"'s analog audio signal to create a digitized audio signal. The computing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device transmits a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to a server. In turn, the communication device receives a session file associated with the musical piece from the server. The processor processes the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user. Moreover, the processor processes the digitized audio signal of the musical instrument so that the user can play the musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file.

Claims

1. A computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a guitar in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the guitar to the computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the guitar'"'"'s analog audio signal to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the computing device comprising:

a communication device to;

transmit a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server, and

receive the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server; and

a processor to;

process the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user;

process the digitized audio signal of the guitar so that the user can play the musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file and

create and display a control panel graphical interface including an amplifier for the guitar, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristics for the guitar.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

5. The computing device of claim 3, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

6. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.

9. The computing device of claim 1, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the guitar associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein a guitar track is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s guitar in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the guitar track.

11. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising displaying music notation for a guitar associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing devices, the computing device to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a guitar in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the guitar to the computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the guitar'"'"'s analog audio signal to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the instructions when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the following operations comprising:

transmitting a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server;

receiving the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server;

processing the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user;

processing the digitized audio signal of the guitar so that the user can play the musical instrument in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file; and

creating and displaying a control panel graphical interface including an amplifier for the guitar, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristic for the guitar.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the guitar associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein a guitar track is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s guitar in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the guitar track.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising displaying music notation for a guitar associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

23. A method to allow for the selection and display of a multimedia presentation of an audio file to a user and to allow the user to play a guitar in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, wherein an interface device couples the guitar to a computing device by performing analog to digital conversion of the guitar'"'"'s analog audio signal to create a digitized audio signal and a server transmits a session file associated with a musical piece to the computing device through a computer network, the session file including an audio file and multimedia data, the method comprising:

transmitting a user'"'"'s request for the selection of a musical piece to the server;

receiving the session file associated with the selected musical piece from the server;

processing the session file such that the computing device presents a multimedia presentation of the audio file to the user;

processing the digitized audio signal of the guitar so that the user can play the guitar in conjunction with the multimedia presentation of the audio file; and

creating and displaying a control panel graphical interface including an amplifier for the guitar, the control panel graphical interface having settings that define sound characteristics for the guitar.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying music notation associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the server identifies the user based upon a unique identifier.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising displaying a presentation of musical pieces tailored to the user based upon the unique identifier.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the interface device stores a user key associated with the interface device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the audio file transmitted from the server to the computing device of the user is encrypted with an audio file key associated with the audio file and the audio file key is encrypted with a user key for the user and is also transmitted to the computing device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the interface device decrypts the audio file key that is encrypted with the user key using the stored user key and transmits the decrypted audio file key to the computing device, further comprising:

decrypting the audio file with the audio file key.

31. The method of claim 23, in response to the multimedia data of the session file, further comprising setting the control panel graphical interface to pre-defined values to model the sound characteristics of the guitar associated with the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein a guitar track is removed from the audio file for the musical piece selected by the user such that the user can play the user'"'"'s guitar in conjunction with a multimedia presentation of the audio file that does not include the guitar track.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising displaying music notation for a guitar associated with the audio file of the musical piece selected by the user in the multimedia presentation to the user.