Mobile communication terminal with light effects editor

• US 7,767,900 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2004
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Auer, Jurgen, Abe, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David S.
• Application Number:
  US10/586,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20070199432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 844/64.R, 844/64.A, 84600-602, 846/45
• US Class Current: 84/645
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0075 with translation or conversion means for unvailable commands, e.g. special tone colors
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/101 for graphical creation, edition or control of musical data or parameters
• 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 herefor mobile telephone transmission specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments G10H2240/251
• 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 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

The activation of lights of a mobile communication terminal is controlled with information in music data files, such as SP-MIDI files. The music data files contain note events informating the terminal to play a note of a particular instrument. Light configuration messages are added to the SP-MIDI file. The light configuration messages contain information mapping the activation position, -color and -intensity to the note events. The mobile terminal is provided with an editor application for creating and changing light configuration messages. The light configuration messages can also be created and changed with a light configuration program on a PC. The light configuration messages can be tested on a PC with a MIDI editor program provided with a plug in application for emulating the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a processor unit being configured to control said communication terminal,

an electronic memory having at least one music data sequence received therein, wherein a single music data sequence is configured to control both a playing of notes a particular instrument and an activation of lights, the single music data sequence comprises note events and light configuration messages, the note events containing information for notes to be played, and the light configuration messages mapping locations of lights to be activated to the notes in the note events and containing other music related information for the mobile communication terminal,

a loudspeaker connected to a sound generator configured for generating audio waveforms in accordance with the information in the note events,

a plurality of lights that can be activated by the processor unit, and

the processor unit being configured to receive both the note events and the light configuration messages in the single music data sequence, the processor being configured by the information in light configuration messages to activate the lights based on the information contained in the note events of the single music data sequence, wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping a simultaneous activation of the lights to the note information in the note events note events and the mapping reduces the number of available notes to the number of available light locations.

2. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the note events comprise note-on events and note-off events, and said processor unit is configured to use a last event in the note events when one light or one light group is mapped to one or more notes at the same time.

3. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, in which the lights are distributed over a plurality of different locations of the terminal, and the light configuration messages contain data mapping the location of the lights to be simultaneously activated to the notes in the note events, and the processor unit being configured to activate lights at locations in accordance with the information in the light configuration messages.

4. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, comprising lights in a plurality of different colors, the light configuration messages containing data mapping the color of the lights to be activated to the notes in the note events message and the processor unit being configured to activate lights with the color in accordance with the data in the light configuration messages.

5. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping the intensity or intensity profile of the lights to be activated to the information in the note events message, and the processor unit being configured to activate lights with the intensity in accordance with the mapping data in the light configuration messages.

6. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the note events messages contains the velocity of the notes, and the intensity of the light to be activated is mapped to the velocity of the notes concerned.

7. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping the location of the lights to be activated to the notes in the note events message, and the processor unit being configured to activate lights at locations in accordance with the information in the light configuration messages.

8. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the light configuration message contains data mapping the activation of groups of lights to be activated simultaneously to the note information in the note events messages, and the processor unit being configured to activate the groups of lights in accordance with the data in the light configuration messages.

9. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein a group of lights to be activated comprises a plurality of lights arranged in a recognizable pattern.

10. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said music data is arranged in a number of channels and the note events messages are assigned to one of the channels, and note events messages used for activating the lights are assigned to a specific one of the channels.

11. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein the volume setting for the channel used for activating the lights is set to zero to create a dedicated light activation channel.

12. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises a function whose arguments comprise the note number.

13. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 12, wherein a first parameter is added or subtracted from the note number and the result is integer or modulo divided by a second parameter in the function.

14. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 12, wherein the function reduces the number of available notes to the number of available light colors.

15. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 12, wherein the mapping comprises a random function.

16. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises a look up table.

17. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein the terminal comprises a vibrator, a flashlight or a camera flash and the processor being configured by light configuration message to activate the vibrator flashlight or camera flash based on the information contained in the note events messages.

18. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising an editor application enabling a user to create or edit the light configuration messages.

19. A mobile communication terminal according claim 18, wherein the editor application enables the user to select the channel to be used, to select the patterns to be activated, or to modify the function.

20. A mobile communication terminal according claim 18, wherein the terminal comprises different ranges of lights, and the editor application enables the user to select the range.

21. A mobile communication terminal according claim 18, wherein the editor application enables the user to map the intensity to the velocity, to a given fixed parameter, or to a random number.

22. A mobile terminal according to claim 18, wherein the editor application enables the user to edit the music data contained in the note events messages to add, delete or change notes and note related information.

23. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the single music data sequence is a MIDI sequence or file that does not include an instrument definition associated with a light grouping.

24. A mobile terminal according to claim 23, wherein the light configuration messages are System Exclusive Message and the note events messages are channel voice messages, NOTE ON and NOTE OFF messages.

51. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 1 wherein the note events are passed to an audio portion of the processor and a light controller, and the light configuration message is passed to a light configuration database, the light controller being configured to search the light configuration database for configuration information corresponding to the note events when the note events are detected.

25. A method for controlling the activation of lights of a mobile communication terminal configured to play music from music data, wherein a single music data sequence is configured to control both a playing of music and an activation of lights, wherein the single music data sequence comprises at least a note events message and a light configuration message, the note events message containing information for notes to be played and the light configuration message mapping locations of lights to be activated to the notes in the note events message and containing other information for the device that is to reproduce the music, and activating the lights based on the information contained in the note events of the music data and wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping a simultaneous activation of the lights to the note information in the note events message and the mapping reduces the number of available notes to the number of available light locations.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein data mapping the position of lights to be activated is placed in the light configuration messages.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein data mapping the color of lights to be activated is placed in the light configuration messages.

28. A method according to claim 25, wherein data mapping the intensity of lights to be activated is placed in the light configuration messages.

29. A method according to claim 25, wherein data mapping the simultaneous activation of groups of lights arranged in recognizable patterns to be activated, is placed in the light configuration messages.

30. A method according to claim 25, wherein a function whose arguments include the note number is placed in the light configuration messages.

31. A method according to claim 30, further comprising adding or subtracting a first parameter from the note number and integer or modulo dividing the result by a second parameter.

32. A method according to claim 30, wherein the function reduces the number of available notes to the number of available light colors.

33. A method according to claim 30, further comprising the step of applying a random function in the mapping.

34. A method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of using a look up table for the mapping.

35. A method according to claim 25, wherein the music data is a MIDI sequence or file.

36. A method according to claim 35, wherein the light configuration messages are System Exclusive Messages.

37. A method according to claim 25, wherein one of more light configuration messages are placed in the beginning of the music data file or sequence for initializing the mapping.

38. A method according to claim 37, in which further light configuration messages are placed later in the music data file or sequence for changing the mapping, the light configuration messages all being located within one track.

39. A computer terminal comprising:

a processor unit controlling the terminal,

a user interface comprising a keyboard and a display,

an electronic memory having music data stored thereon, wherein a single music data sequence is configured to control both a playing of notes a particular instrument and an activation of lights, the single music data sequence comprising at least a note events message and a light configuration message, the note events messages containing information for notes to be played, the light configuration messages mapping locations of lights to be activated on a mobile communication terminal to the note information in the note events messages, and wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping the activation of the lights to the notes in the note events message, the light configuration messages contain data mapping a simultaneous activation of the lights to the note information in the note events message and the mapping reduces the number of available notes to the number of available light locations,

a loudspeaker connected via an amplifier to a sound generator capable of generating audio waveforms in accordance with the music data, and

an application for creating and/or modifying the light configuration messages.

40. A computer terminal according to claim 39, wherein the application is configured to emulate the activation of the lights of a mobile terminal on the display of the computer terminal.

41. A computer terminal according to claim 39, wherein the application is configured for controlling lights of a mobile communication terminal connected thereto for allowing the testing of the activation of the lights directly on the mobile communication terminal.

42. A single music data sequence or file for use on a mobile communication terminal, said single music data file comprising:

note events messages with note information, and

light configuration messages mapping a simultaneous activation of lights of a mobile communication terminal to the note information contained in the note events messages, wherein the light configuration messages contain data mapping a location and the activation of the lights to the note information in the note events message and the mapping reduces a number of available notes to a number of available light locations.

43. A music data sequence or file according to claim 42, wherein the note events messages contain information mapping the activation of lights to the note-on commands, and information mapping the deactivation of lights to note-off commands.

44. A music data sequence or file according to claim 42, wherein the note events messages contain velocity information associated with a note-on command, and the light configuration messages contain information mapping the intensity of a light to be activated to the velocity information.

45. A music data sequence or file according to claim 42, wherein the note events messages contain the note number associated with a note-on or note-off command, and the light configuration messages contain a function whose arguments comprise the note number.

46. A music data sequence or file according to claim 45, wherein the function reduces the range of note numbers to the range of light locations on the mobile communication terminal.

47. A music data sequence or file according to claim 46, wherein the function reduces the range of note numbers to the range of light colors on the mobile communication terminal.

48. A music data sequence or file according to claim 42, wherein the single music data or sequence is in a MIDI format that does not include an instrument definition associated with a light grouping.

49. A music data sequence or file according to claim 48, wherein the light configuration messages are system exclusive messages.

50. A music data sequence or file according to claim 42 stored in a computer medium.