Electronic musical apparatus for reproducing received music content

• US 7,601,905 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kageyama, Tomoyuki, Yanase, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US12/131,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00, 726/26
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• 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 2240/125 Library distribution, i.e. distributing musical pieces from a central or master library

Abstract

A browser portion BR obtains a reproduction manner specifying file from a content distribution server 30, and delivers the same to a reproduction control portion CT. The reproduction control portion CT obtains from the content distribution server 30 a music content file designated by a reproduction content list in the reproduction manner specifying file. The reproduction control portion CT reproduces, in cooperation with a tone generating circuit 43, a music piece corresponding to the music content in a reproduction manner specified by the reproduction manner specifying file. The reproduction control portion CT displays the music content on a display device 42 in a display manner specified by a reproduction manner specifying file. When a user operates an input operation element group 41 for changing the display manner of the display device 42, the reproduction control portion CT changes the display manner of the display device 42. Stream-distributed music content is prohibited from being stored in recording medium (a non-volatile memory) 65a and from being outputted to the outside through output interface 67.

Claims

1. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

a receiving portion configured to receive screen control data for a plurality of music contents from a content distribution server, the screen control data indicating at least one screen type shared by the plurality of music contents;

a controller configured to receive a selected music content from the content distribution server and display the selected music content based on the received screen control data, to display the selected music content in accordance with a selected one screen type among the at least one screen type on a display device;

a reproducing portion that reproduces a music piece corresponding to the selected music content; and

a changing portion that changes the displayed screen from the selected one screen type to another screen type.

2. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one screen type includes a plurality screen types including a browser screen, a lyric screen, and a score screen.

3. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 2, further including an input operational unit operable by a user, wherein the changing portion changes the displayed screen to the another screen type in accordance with screen-change operation selected by a user with the input operational unit.

4. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the changing portion changes the displayed screen to the another screen type before the music piece is reproduced by the reproducing portion.

5. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the changing portion changes the displayed screen to the another screen type while the music piece is being reproduced by the reproducing portion.

6. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by an electronic musical apparatus, the computer program comprising:

a receiving instruction configured to receive screen control data for a plurality of music contents from a content distribution server via a receiving portion of the electronic musical apparatus, the screen control data indicating at least one screen type shared by the plurality of music contents;

a display control instruction configured to receive a selected music content from the content distribution server and display the selected music content based on the received screen control data, to display the selected music content in accordance with a selected one screen type among the at least one screen type on a display device;

a reproducing instruction configured to reproduce a music piece corresponding to the selected music content; and

a changing instruction configured to change the displayed screen from the selected one screen tyre to another screen type.

7. A method of displaying a plurality of music contents on a display device for an electronic musical apparatus, the method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving screen control data for a plurality of music contents from a content distribution server via a receiving portion of the electronic musical apparatus, the screen control data indicating at least one screen type shared by the plurality of music contents;

a display control step of receiving a selected music content from the content distribution server and displaying the selected music content based on the received screen control data, to display the selected music content in accordance with a selected one screen type among the at least one screen type on the display device;

a reproducing step of reproducing a music piece corresponding to the selected music content; and

a changing step of changing the displayed screen from the selected one screen type to another screen type.