Portable telephony apparatus with music tone generator

• US 7,514,624 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Ide, Kensuke, Kunii, Takashi, Kurakake, Yasushi, Futamase, Tsuyoshi, Mizuno, Shigehiko, Hasegawa, Yutaka, Karakawa, Shuzo, Terada, Kosei
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/412,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20030224767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 846/09, 846/15, 846/22, 846/45, 434/307.A
• US Class Current: 84/622
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• 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 1/365 the accompaniment information being stored on a host computer and transmitted to a reproducing terminal by means of a network, e.g. public telephone lines
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/021 Background music, e.g. for video sequences or elevator music
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/385 Speed change, i.e. variations from preestablished tempo, tempo change, e.g. faster or slower, accelerando or ritardando, without change in pitch
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/021 Mobile ringtone, i.e. generation, transmission, conversion or downloading of ringing tones or other sounds for mobile telephony; Special musical data formats or protocols therefor
• 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, analogue or digital, e.g. DECT, GSM, UMTS
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/002 using a common processing for different operations or calculations, and a set of microinstructions (programme) to control the sequence thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A sound control apparatus is provided in a portable terminal for sounding a music tone in association with operation of the portable terminal, which is controlled by a main CPU. In the sound control apparatus, a memory memorizes music information representing a music tone and configuration information associated to a timbre of the music tone. An information acquiring section acquires the music information and the configuration information from the memory. A tone generating section is configured by the acquired configuration information to create a timbre specified by the configuration information. The tone generating section operates according to the acquired music information to generate the music tone being represented by the music information and having the specified timbre. A dedicated CPU is provided separately from the main CPU for controlling the memory, the information acquiring section and the tone generating section.

Claims

1. A portable terminal apparatus having a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, comprising:

a communication section that is operated to transmit and receive various information;

a memory section that stores karaoke information including music information representing a music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to the music piece, wherein the karaoke information is received from another portable terminal apparatus;

a sound control section that is operated according to the music information for controlling the tone generator to generate tones of the music piece;

a display control section that is operated according to the lyric information for controlling the display monitor to display the words in parallel to progression of the music piece, and

an input control operated to select one music piece from the memory section which stores a plurality of music pieces, so that the sound control section controls the tone generator to generate tones of the selected music piece, and the display control section controls the display monitor to display the lyric words in parallel to the progression of the selected music piece.

2. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory section can also store karaoke information loaded from an external recording medium.

3. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory section can also store karaoke information received from a personal computer.

4. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory section can also store karaoke information received from a base station.

5. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the karaoke information stored in the memory section corresponds to a part of one music piece.

6. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the music information stored in the memory section is composed of a sequence of event data representing tones and timing data determining timings of generating tones along the progression of the music pieces, and the lyric information stored in the memory section is composed of a sequence of event data representing words and timing data determining timings of displaying words along the progression of the music piece.

7. The portable te rminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a separating section that separates the karaoke information into the music information and the lyric information, so that the sound control section controls the tone generator to generate tones according to the separated music information, and the display control section controls the display monitor to display the lyric words according to the separated lyric information.

8. A portable terminal apparatus having a tone generator and a display monitor, comprising:

a communication section that is operated to receive a telephone call;

a memory section that stores first music information representing a ringing tone, second music information representing a karaoke music piece, and lyric information representing lyric words of the karaoke music piece;

a sound control section that is operated according to the second music information for controlling the tone generator to generate tones of the karaoke music piece; and

a display control section that is operated according to the lyric information for controlling the display monitor to display the lyric words in parallel to progression of the karaoke music piece, wherein

the sound control section operates in response to receipt of the telephone call by the communication section for controlling the tone generator to stop the tones of the music piece and to start the ringing tone.

9. The portable te rminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display control section controls the display monitor to display an icon for indicating that the tone generator stops the tones of the karaoke music piece and starts the ringing tone.

10. The portable te rminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display control section controls the display monitor to flash the icon.

11. The portable te rminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display control section controls the display monitor to stop displaying of the lyric words when the tone generator stops the tones of the karaoke music piece and starts the ringing tone.

12. The portable te rminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display control section controls the display monitor to variably display the lyric words such as to prompt the progression of the karaoke music piece.

13. A method of operating a portable terminal apparatus having a communication device, a memory, a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, comprising the steps of:

operating the communication device to transmit and receive various information;

operating the memory to store karaoke information including music information representing a music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to the music piece, wherein the karaoke information is received from another portable terminal apparatus;

controlling the tone generator according to the music information for generating tones of the music piece;

controlling the display monitor according to the lyric information for displaying the words in parallel to progression of the music piece, and

selecting one music piece from the memory which stores a plurality of music pieces, so as to generate tones of the selected music piece, and display the lyric words in parallel to the progression of the selected music piece.

14. A method of operating a portable terminal apparatus having a communication device, a memory, a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, the method comprising the steps of:

operating the communication device to receive a telephone call;

operating the memory to store karaoke information including music information representing a music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to the music piece;

controlling the tone generator according to the music information for generating tones of the music piece;

controlling the display monitor according to the lyric information for displaying the words in parallel to progression of the music piece; and

controlling the tone generator in response to receipt of the telephone call by the communication device for stopping the tones of the music piece and for starting the ringing tone.

15. A machine readable medium for use in a portable terminal apparatus having a processor, a communication device, a memory, a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, the medium containing program instructions executable by the processor for causing the portable terminal apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

operating the communication device to transmit and receive various information;

operating the memory to store karaoke information including music information representing a music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to the music piece, wherein the karaoke information is received from another portable terminal apparatus;

controlling the tone generator according to the music information for generating tones of the music piece;

controlling the display monitor according to the lyric information for displaying the words in parallel to progression of the music piece, and

selecting one music piece from the memory which stores a plurality of music pieces, so as to generate tones of the selected music piece, and display the lyric words in parallel to the progression of the selected music piece.

16. A machine readable medium for use in a portable terminal apparatus having a processor, a communication device, a memory, a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, the medium containing program instructions executable by the processor for causing the portable terminal apparatus to perform a method comprising the steps of:

operating the communication device to receive a telephone call;

operating the memory to store karaoke information including music information representing a music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to the music piece;

controlling the tone generator according to the music information for generating tones of the music piece;

controlling the display monitor according to the lyric information for displaying the words in parallel to progression of the music piece; and

controlling the tone generator in response to receipt of the telephone call by the communication device for stopping the tones of the music piece and for starting the ringing tone.

17. A portable terminal apparatus having a tone generator and a display monitor for presenting information, comprising:

a communication section that is operated to transmit and receive various information including a request for call termination from another terminal apparatus;

a memory section that stores music information representing a plurality of music pieces, the music information of each music piece containing performance information indicating a music performance of the music piece and lyric information representing words corresponding to a progression of the music performance of the music piece;

a sound control section that is operated according to music information of a music piece selected from the plurality of the music pieces for controlling the tone generator to generate tones of the selected music piece;

a display control section that is operated according to the lyric information contained in the music information of the selected music piece for controlling the display monitor to display the words in parallel to the progression of the music performance of the selected music piece; and

a reproduction control section that controls a reproduction of the performance information contained in the music information of the selected music piece when a request for call termination is received by the communication section from another terminal apparatus, for providing the performance information of the selected music piece to the sound control section so as to notify the call termination according to the tones of the selected music piece, and for preventing the display control section from displaying of the words represented by the lyric information contained in the music information of the selected music piece in case of notifying the call termination.

18. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the reproduction control section provides only a part of the performance information contained in the music information of the selected music piece to the sound control section when the request for call termination is received by the communication section.