Miniature musical system with individually controlled musical instruments

• US 6,822,154 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2003
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sunco Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sunco Ltd.
• Inventors: Thai, Vincent T. T.
• Primary Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US10/645,416
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00--02, 846/09, 446/318, 446/408
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/415 Infrared beams
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/171 Transmission of musical instrument data, control or status information; Transmission, remote access or control of music data for electrophonic musical instruments

Abstract

The miniature self-controlled musical system includes a plurality of musical instrument assemblies including a drummer, a bass guitar, a guitar and a turntablist. Each assembly represents the selected musical instrument and includes a processor/storage member for storing musical sounds associated with the musical instrument for a particular pre-programmed song. Each musical assembly also includes a speaker member for playing the musical sounds and a control switch for controlling the on-off status of the musical instrument assembly. The system also includes initiating control (selection) elements on each musical assembly for selecting one musical instrument assembly as a master assembly member for a particular pre-recorded song and for communicating control information from the selected master assembly to the remaining musical assemblies to play the particular song.

Claims

1. A miniature, self-controlled musical system, comprising:

a plurality of musical instrument assemblies, each assembly representing a selected musical instrument and including a processor/storage member for storing musical sounds associated with said musical instrument for a particular pre-programmed song for playing the musical sounds, and a control member for controlling the operating status of the musical instrument assembly;

an initiating selection element associated with each musical instrument assembly for selecting that musical instrument assembly as a master assembly for a particular pre-programmed song; and

means for communicating control information from the selected master assembly to the remaining musical assemblies to initiate and play the particular song.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the remaining musical assemblies communicate to the master musical assembly, and wherein the master musical assembly provides selected control information to each of the remaining musical assemblies depending upon communication with the remaining musical assemblies.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of musical instrument assemblies includes a drummer musical instrument assembly, a bass guitar musical instrument assembly, a guitar musical instrument assembly and a turntable musical instrument assembly.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each musical assembly can be in an off operating condition, a standby operating condition, and a playing operating condition.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of musical instrument assemblies includes a turntablist assembly.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for communication is infrared communication.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for communication is wire communication.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor/storage unit of each musical instrument assembly includes stored text information which is provided audibly by the selected master musical assembly for the particular song at the beginning or end of each song.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein audible text is provided audibly at both the beginning and the end of each song.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a song is played in accordance with a particular programmed sequence controlled by the master assembly, including portions thereof which are played by all the musical assemblies and solo portions which are played by only one musical assembly.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each musical assembly has a solo portion in the song, at times established by the pre-programmed sequence.