Music playback apparatus and music playback system

• US 6,969,794 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WARREN, DAVID S
• Application Number:
  US10/261,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20030089217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 84600-609, 369 1- 7, 707/1, 707/102, 709/203, 709/219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 84/600
• 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 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/251 Mobile telephone transmission, i.e. transmitting, accessing or controlling music data wirelessly via a wireless or mobile telephone receiver, analog or digital, e.g. DECT GSM, UMTS smartphone, PDA or palmtop used for musical purposes G10H2230/015; mobile ringtone G10H2230/021
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/321 Bluetooth

Abstract

The data of the same musical pieces are stored in the same order in each of a plurality of music playback apparatuses. When one music playback apparatus is instructed to finish musical-piece playback, it generates musical-piece playback information indicating the playback order of the musical piece being played at that time, and sends the musical-piece playback information to a mobile telephone. The mobile telephone receives the musical-piece playback information and stores it in its internal memory. When the mobile telephone is moved to a position around another of the music playback apparatuses, the mobile telephone sends the musical-piece playback information to the other music playback apparatus. When the other music playback apparatus is instructed to start musical-piece playback, it selects the musical piece to be played back next, according to the musical-piece playback information sent from the mobile telephone, reads the data of the selected musical piece, and starts playing back the musical piece.

Claims

1. A music playback apparatus comprising:

a storage section in a local music playback apparatus for storing the data of a plurality of musical pieces to be played back;

a first musical-piece playback section for playing back the musical pieces, whose data is stored in the storage section;

a musical-piece-playback-information generation section for generating musical-piece playback information indicating a played musical piece when the first musical-piece playback section included in the local apparatus has started musical-piece playback and finishes it;

a musical-piece-playback-information sharing section for sharing the musical-piece playback information generated by the musical-piece-playback-information generation section between the local apparatus and at least one other music playback apparatus having a second musical-piece playback section; and

a musical-piece selection section for selecting a musical piece to be played back next by the first musical-piece playback section, using the shared musical-piece playback information,

wherein the shared musical-piece playback information includes information indicating a musical piece played by the second musical-piece playback section of the at least one other music playback apparatus.

2. A music playback apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data of the same musical pieces are stored in the same order in the storage section included in each of the local apparatus and the at least one other music playback apparatus;

the musical-piece playback information includes identification information for the musical piece played back last; and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next, stored in the storage section, according to the identification information.

3. A music playback apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes history information for musical pieces which have been played back so far;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects a musical piece other than the musical pieces identified by the history information as the musical piece to be played back next.

4. A music playback apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes the playback order of the musical piece being played back when the musical-piece playback section finishes playback, and interruption-position information indicating the position of playback interruption in the musical piece;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next by the musical-piece playback section and identifies a playback-start position according to the interruption-position information.

5. A music playback apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes playback-state information for the musical-piece playback section;

and

the musical-piece playback section sets a playback state according to the playback-state information when the musical-piece playback section plays back a musical piece next according to the musical-piece playback information.

6. A music playback system comprising a plurality of music playback apparatuses,

each of the plurality of music playback apparatuses comprising:

a storage section in a local music playback apparatus for storing the data of a plurality of musical pieces to be played back;

a first musical-piece playback section for playing back the musical pieces, whose data is stored in the storage section;

a musical-piece-playback-information generation section for generating musical-piece playback information indicating a played musical piece when the first musical-piece playback section included in the local apparatus has started musical-piece playback and finishes it;

a musical-piece-playback-information sharing section for sharing the musical-piece playback information generated by the musical-piece-playback-information generation section between the local apparatus and at least one other music playback apparatus having a second musical-piece playback section; and

a musical-piece selection section for selecting a musical piece to be played back next by the first musical-piece playback section, using the shared musical-piece playback information,

wherein the shared musical-piece playback information includes information indicating a musical piece played by the second musical-piece playback section of the at least one other music playback apparatus.

7. A music playback system according to claim 6,

wherein the data of the same musical pieces are stored in the same order in the storage section included in each of the plurality of music playback apparatuses;

the musical-piece playback information includes identification information for the musical piece played back last; and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next, stored in the storage section, according to the identification information.

8. A music playback system according to claim 6,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes history information for musical pieces which have been played back so far;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects a musical piece other than the musical pieces identified by the history information as the musical piece to be played back next.

9. A music playback system according to claim 6,

wherein the musical-piece-playback-information sharing section serves as a communication section for connecting a musical-piece-playback-information storage section provided in each of the plurality of music playback apparatuses to each other;

when the musical-piece-playback-information generation section included in the local apparatus generates the musical-piece playback information, the communication section sends the musical-piece playback information to other apparatuses to store the musical-piece playback information in the musical-piece-playback-information storage sections of the apparatuses in common; and

the musical-piece selection section obtains the musical-piece playback information stored in the musical-piece-playback-information storage section.

10. A music playback system according to claim 9,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes the playback order of the musical piece being played back when the musical-piece playback section finishes playback, and interruption-position information indicating the position of playback interruption in the musical piece;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next by the musical-piece playback section and identifies a playback-start position according to the interruption-position information.

11. A music playback system according to claim 9,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes playback-state information for the musical-piece playback section;

and

the musical-piece playback section sets a playback state according to the playback-state information when the musical-piece playback section plays back a musical piece next according to the musical-piece playback information.

12. A music playback system according to claim 6,

wherein the musical-piece-playback-information sharing section is a portable terminal apparatus provided with a musical-piece-playback-information storage section and provided outside the plurality of music playback apparatuses, and a communication section for connecting the portable terminal apparatus to each of the plurality of music playback apparatuses;

when the musical-piece-playback-information generation section included in the local apparatus generates the musical-piece playback information, the communication section is used to send the musical-piece playback information to the portable terminal apparatus to store the musical-piece playback information in the musical-piece-playback-information storage section; and

when the musical-piece-playback-information generation section included in the local apparatus performs musical-piece playback, the musical-piece selection section obtains the musical-piece playback information stored in the musical-piece-playback-information storage section of the portable terminal apparatus, through the communication section.

13. A music playback system according to claim 12,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes the playback order of the musical piece being played back when the musical-piece playback section finishes playback, and interruption-position information indicating the position of playback interruption in the musical piece;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next by the musical-piece playback section and identifies a playback-start position according to the interruption-position information.

14. A music playback system according to claim 12,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes playback-state information for the musical-piece playback section;

and

the musical-piece playback section sets a playback state according to the playback-state information when the musical-piece playback section plays back a musical piece next according to the musical-piece playback information.

15. A music playback system according to claim 6,

wherein the musical-piece-playback-information sharing section is a transportable storage device which stores the musical-piece playback information and an input-and-output section provided for each of the plurality of music playback apparatuses, for writing and reading the musical-piece playback information to and from the storage device;

when the musical-piece-playback-information generation section included in the local apparatus generates the musical-piece playback information, the input-and-output section writes the musical-piece playback information into the storage device; and

when the musical-piece-playback-information generation section included in the local apparatus performs musical-piece playback, the musical-piece selection section reads the musical-piece playback information from the storage device through the input-and-output section and obtains it.

16. A music playback system according to claim 15,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes the playback order of the musical piece being played back when the musical-piece playback section finishes playback, and interruption-position information indicating the position of playback interruption in the musical piece;

and

the musical-piece selection section selects the musical piece to be played back next by the musical-piece playback section and identifies a playback-start position according to the interruption-position information.

17. A music playback system according to claim 15,

wherein the musical-piece playback information includes playback-state information for the musical-piece playback section;

and

the musical-piece playback section sets a playback state according to the playback-state information when the musical-piece playback section plays back a musical piece next according to the musical-piece playback information.