Methods, devices, and computer program products for providing a karaoke service using a mobile terminal

• US 7,899,389 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mangum, Peter Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan; James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan; Allen
• Application Number:
  US11/227,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20070065794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 43, 273430-432, 273/453, 434308-321, 434/307.A, 434/307.R
• US Class Current: 434/307.00A
• 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 2240/125 Library distribution, i.e. distributing musical pieces from a central or master library
• 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

Abstract

A karaoke service is provided responsive to receiving a plurality of performance requests associated with a plurality of mobile terminals. The plurality of performance requests are queued in a selected order to provide a karaoke performance schedule, and a next performance request is identified based on the karaoke performance schedule. An end time of a current karaoke performance is determined, and a notification is transmitted to at least one of the plurality of mobile terminals associated with the next performance request over a wireless connection at a predetermined time based on the determined end time. Audio data is received from the at least one mobile terminal associated with the next performance request over a wireless connection responsive to transmitting the notification thereto. The received audio data is provided to audio equipment for output.

Claims

1. A method of operating a karaoke server to provide a karaoke service, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of performance requests associated with a plurality of mobile terminals;

queuing the plurality of performance requests in a selected order to provide a karaoke performance schedule;

receiving a performance schedule query from one of the plurality of mobile terminals;

transmitting at least a portion of the karaoke performance schedule to the querying mobile terminal responsive to receiving the performance schedule query;

identifying a next performance request based on the karaoke performance schedule;

determining an end time of a current karaoke performance;

transmitting a notification to one of the plurality of mobile terminals associated with the next performance request over a wireless connection at a predetermined time based on the determined end time;

receiving audio data from the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request over a wireless connection responsive to transmitting the notification thereto; and

providing the received audio data to audio equipment for output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received audio data comprises first audio data, the method further comprising:

retrieving second audio data associated with the first audio data from a database; and

mixing the first audio data and the second audio data;

wherein providing the received audio data comprises providing the mixed audio data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the database comprises a song database, wherein the first audio data comprises voice data received via a microphone of the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request, and wherein the second audio data comprises instrumental music data corresponding to a song specified in the next performance request and retrieved from the song database.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

retrieving lyric data corresponding to the song specified in the next performance request from the song database; and

transmitting the lyric data to a display of the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of performance requests, queuing the plurality of performance requests, identifying the next performance request, determining the end time, transmitting the notification, and receiving the audio data are performed by a karaoke server, wherein the audio data comprises voice data, and wherein providing the received audio data comprises providing the received voice data from the karaoke server to a karaoke machine.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a song database query from a mobile terminal; and

transmitting a list of song library information to the querying mobile terminal responsive to receiving the song database query.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein queuing the plurality of performance requests in the selected order comprises:

queuing the plurality of performance requests based on an order of receipt thereof to provide the karaoke performance schedule.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein queuing the plurality of performance requests in the selected order comprises:

queuing the plurality of performance requests based on respective priority data associated with the plurality of mobile terminals to provide the karaoke performance schedule.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of manually entered performance requests that are not associated with the plurality of mobile terminals; and

wherein queuing comprises queuing the plurality of manually entered performance requests and the plurality of performance requests associated with the mobile terminals together in a selected order to provide the karaoke performance schedule.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rescheduling the next performance request in the performance schedule if audio data is not received from the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request responsive to transmitting the notification thereto.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein queuing the plurality of performance requests comprises:

assigning the plurality of performance requests to respective designated timeslots in the karaoke performance schedule; and

wherein transmitting a notification comprises transmitting the notification to the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request at a predetermined time based on a designated timeslot associated with the performance request therefrom, and wherein receiving audio data comprises receiving the audio data from the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request during the designated timeslot.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user request to perform karaoke at a user interface associated with one of the plurality of mobile terminals;

formatting the user request at the mobile terminal associated with the user interface to provide a performance request configured to be queued at a karaoke server;

transmitting the performance request from the mobile terminal associated with the user interface to the karaoke server over a wireless connection;

receiving the notification at the mobile terminal associated with the user interface from the karaoke server over a wireless connection at the predetermined time; and

transmitting audio data from the mobile terminal associated with the user interface to the karaoke server over a wireless connection responsive to receiving the notification.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request comprises a plurality of mobile terminals.

14. A computer program product for providing a karaoke service, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein configured to carry out the method of claim 1.

15. A method of operating a mobile terminal to provide a karaoke service, the method comprising:

receiving a user request to perform karaoke for a specified song from a user interface of the mobile terminal;

formatting the user request to provide a performance request configured to be queued at a karaoke server;

transmitting the performance request to the karaoke server over a first wireless connection;

receiving a notification from the karaoke server over a second wireless connection at a predetermined time based on an end time of a current karaoke performance;

transmitting audio data to the karaoke server over a third wireless connection responsive to receiving the notification therefrom;

receiving a user request to view a performance schedule from the user interface;

transmitting a performance schedule query to the karaoke server responsive to receiving the user request to view the performance schedule;

receiving at least a portion of the karaoke performance schedule from the karaoke server responsive to transmitting the performance schedule query thereto; and

displaying the at least a portion of the karaoke performance schedule on a display of the mobile terminal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first, second, and/or third wireless connection is provided over an ad hoc wireless network, and further comprising:

receiving voice data corresponding to the specified song via a microphone of the mobile terminal; and

wherein transmitting audio data comprises transmitting the received voice data to the karaoke server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving lyric data corresponding to the specified song from the karaoke server over the wireless connection; and

displaying the lyric data on a display of the mobile terminal.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user request to view a list of song library information from the user interface;

transmitting a song database query to the karaoke server responsive to receiving the user request to view the song library information; and

receiving the list of song library information from the karaoke server responsive to transmitting the song database query thereto; and

displaying the list of song library information on a display of the mobile terminal.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first, second, and/or third wireless connections comprise a same wireless connection.

20. A mobile terminal configured to carry out the method of claim 15.

21. A computer program product for operating a mobile terminal to provide a karaoke service, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein configured to carry out the method of claim 15.

22. A karaoke server, comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a plurality of performance requests associated with a plurality of mobile terminals;

a second interface configured to receive performance schedule query requests associated with the plurality of mobile terminals;

a transceiver configured to establish wireless connections with the plurality of mobile terminals; and

a controller coupled to the first and second interfaces and the transceiver and configured to queue the received plurality of performance requests in a selected order to provide a karaoke performance schedule, identify a next performance request based on the karaoke performance schedule, and determine an end time of a current karaoke performance, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a notification to a mobile terminal associated with the next performance request over a wireless connection at a predetermined time based on the determined end time, receive audio data from the mobile terminal over a wireless connection responsive to transmission of the notification, and provide the received audio data to audio equipment for output, and

wherein the controller is further configured to provide at least a portion of the karaoke performance schedule to the mobile terminals associated with received performance schedule query requests.

23. The karaoke server of claim 22, wherein the audio data comprises first audio data, and further comprising:

a database coupled to the controller and configured to store second audio data associated with the first audio data; and

an audio processor coupled to the controller;

wherein the controller is configured to retrieve the second audio data from the database and provide the first and second audio data to the audio processor, and wherein the audio processor is configured to mix the first audio data and the second audio data and provide the mixed audio data to a speaker for output.

24. The karaoke server of claim 23, wherein the database comprises a song database, wherein the first audio data comprises voice data received via a microphone of the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request, and wherein the second audio data comprises instrumental music data corresponding to a song specified in the performance request.

25. The karaoke server of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to retrieve lyric data corresponding to the song specified in the performance request from the song database and provide the lyric data to a display of the mobile terminal associated with the next performance request.