Electronic musical apparatus for reproducing received music content

• US 8,232,468 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Takashi, Yanase, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/195,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20060027077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,555 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 846/00
• 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:

an interface portion that connects to a content distribution server;

an input operation portion that instructs an operation of the electronic musical apparatus;

a volatile memory that stores a music content;

a reproducing portion that reproduces the music content stored in the volatile memory; and

a storage controlling portion configured to, when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a first music content stream-distributed via the interface portion from the content distribution server, inhibit the input operation portion from instructing an operation of the electronic musical apparatus and prohibit the first music content stored in the volatile memory from transferring to a non-volatile memory, and when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a second music content generated using the input operation portion, allow the input operation portion to instruct an operation of the electronic musical apparatus and permit the second music content stored in the volatile memory to transfer to the non-volatile memory.

2. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage controlling portion cancels the prohibition of the music content stored in the volatile memory from transferring to the non-volatile memory when the stream-distribution of the music content is finished.

3. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface portion receives distribution type data for indicating whether the music content stored in the volatile memory is a stream type or not, along with the music content, and

the storage controlling portion determines whether the received music content is stream-distributed from the content distribution server based on the received distribution type data.

4. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the music content stored in the volatile memory is deleted after the reproducing portion finishes reproducing the music content.

5. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

an interface portion that connects to a content distribution server;

an input operation element that instructs an operation of the electronic musical apparatus;

a volatile memory that stores a music content;

a reproducing portion that reproduces the music content stored in the volatile memory; and

an external transfer controlling portion that, when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a first music content stream-distributed via the interface portion from the content distribution server, prohibits transferring of the first music content stored in the volatile memory to outside the electronic musical apparatus, and when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a second music content generated using the input operation portion, permits transferring of the second music content stored in the volatile memory to outside the electronic musical apparatus.

6. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the external transfer controlling portion cancels the prohibition of music content outputting to the outside when the stream-distribution of the music content is finished.

7. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the interface portion receives distribution type data for indicating whether the music content stored in the volatile memory is a stream type or not, along with the music content, and

the external transfer controlling portion determines whether the received music content is stream-distributed from the content distribution server based on the received distribution type data.

8. An electronic musical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the music content stored in the volatile memory is deleted after the reproducing portion finishes reproducing the music content.

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

a connecting instruction configured to connect to a content distribution server via an interface portion;

an input instruction configured to instruct an operation of the electronic musical apparatus via an input operation portion;

a temporary storing instruction configured to store a music content in a volatile memory;

a reproducing instruction configured to reproduce the music content stored in the volatile memory via a reproducing portion; and

a storage controlling instruction configured to, when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a first music content stream-distributed via the interface portion from the content distribution server, inhibit the input operation portion from instructing an operation of the electronic musical apparatus and prohibit the first music content stored in the volatile memory from transferring to a non-volatile memory, and when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a second music content generated using the input operation portion, allow the input operation portion to instruct an operation of the electronic musical apparatus and permit the second music content stored in the volatile memory to transfer to the non-volatile memory.

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

a connecting instruction configured to connect to a content distribution server via an interface portion;

an input instruction configured to instruct an operation of the electronic musical apparatus via an input operation portion;

a temporary storing instruction configured to store a music content in a volatile memory;

a reproducing instruction configured to reproduce the music content stored in the volatile memory via a reproducing portion; and

an external transfer controlling instruction configured to, when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a first music content stream-distributed via the interface portion from the content distribution server, prohibit transferring of the first music content stored in the volatile memory to outside the electronic musical apparatus, and when the music content stored in the volatile memory is a second music content generated using the input operation portion, permit transferring of the second music content stored in the volatile memory to outside the electronic musical apparatus.