Communicating data with audible harmonies

• US 9,882,658 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2017
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Smus, Boris, Getreuer, Pascal Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): WARREN, DAVID S
• Application Number:
  US15/680,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 165 Days
• Field of Search: 84609
• 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 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/066 for pitch analysis as part of wider processing for musical purposes, e.g. transcription, musical performance evaluation; Pitch recognition, e.g. in polyphonic sounds; Estimation or use of missing fundamental
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/086 for transcription of raw audio or music data to a displayed or printed staff representation or to displayable MIDI-like note-oriented data, e.g. in pianoroll format
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

In some implementations, a process for communicating data over audio is performed. In one aspect, one or more ordered sequences of audio attribute values that are selected based on a musical relationship between the audio attribute values and associated with data values may be played by a first device and received by a second device. This technique may allow for sound-based communications to take place between devices that listeners may find pleasant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

determining at a first device, from among a plurality of different musical relationships, a particular musical relationship for generating a set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values to be modulated to transfer a data set to a second device, and wherein each set of audio attribute values are different from each other for each set of particular musical relationships;

selecting, based on the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship; and

transferring the data set to the second device by encoding the data set in an audio signal generated from modulating the audio attribute values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different musical relationships include a chordal relationship and a rhythmic relationship.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected musical relationship is a chordal relationship and each audio attribute value of the generated set of audio attribute values includes a pitch value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the chordal relationship is a major chord relationship, a minor chord relationship, a major seventh chord relationship, or a minor seventh chord relationship.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected musical relationship is a rhythmic relationship and each audio attribute value of the generated set of audio attribute values includes a duration value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rhythmic relationship includes defining a tempo or time signature for a melody.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of audio attributes values are envelope shape parameter values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the audio signal generated from modulating the audio attribute values further comprises determining a symbol map associating each possible data value for the data set with an ordered sequence of audio attribute values from the set of audio attribute values.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the symbol map includes a set of notes and a set of chords for modulating the data set.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular musical relationship between the set of notes and the set of chords included in the symbol map can be specified by a particular key and/or scale.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each possible data value is represented by playing an ordered sequence of one or more sounds, and wherein each of the one or more sounds in the ordered sequence includes a plurality pitches played substantially simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the symbol map includes a chord progression including a plurality of sets of pitch values, and timing information indicating when each set of pitch values will be used to send associated data values, wherein each set of pitch values are selected based on a chordal relationship between the pitch values in the set.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein transferring the data set from the first user device to the second user device includes sending a header, wherein the header includes the symbol map.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a plurality of symbol maps are stored on the second user device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transferring the data set from the first user device to the second user device includes sending a header identifying a particular symbol map from the plurality of symbol maps used to modulate the data set.

16. A system comprising:

a first user device operable to interact with a second user device through a data communication network, wherein the first user device is further operable to;

determine, at the first device, from among a plurality of different musical relationships, a particular musical relationship for generating a set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values to be modulated to transfer a data set to the second device, and wherein each set of audio attribute values are different from each other for each set of particular musical relationships;

select, based on the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship; and

transfer the data set to the second device by encoding the data set in an audio signal generated from modulating the audio attribute values.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of different musical relationships include a chordal relationship and a rhythmic relationship.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the selected musical relationship is a chordal relationship and each audio attribute value of the generated set of audio attribute values includes a pitch value.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the selected musical relationship is a rhythmic relationship and each audio attribute value of the generated set of audio attribute values includes a duration value.

20. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus case the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining at a first device, from among a plurality of different musical relationships, a particular musical relationship for generating a set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values to be modulated to transfer a data set to a second device, and wherein each set of audio attribute values are different from each other for each set of particular musical relationships;

selecting, based on the particular musical relationship, the set of audio attribute values that are particular to the particular musical relationship; and

transferring the data set to the second device by encoding the data set in an audio signal generated from modulating the audio attribute values.