Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-31
2004-08-31
Donels, Jeffrey W (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06784355
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical apparatus customizing method that customizes an electronic musical apparatus by providing musical tone control data for controlling the generation of musical tone signals from a server to the electronic musical apparatus that generates the musical tone signals, to an electronic musical apparatus that is applied to the method, and to a server for the electronic musical apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional electronic musical apparatus such as an electronic musical instrument often includes a musical tone signal generator that generates musical tone signals and a memory device that stores beforehand various musical tone control data that are supplied to the musical tone signal generator for controlling the generation of the musical tone signals, for example, various musical tone control data such as timbre data, effect data, automatic accompaniment data, and automatic play data. A user of the electronic musical apparatus may select desired musical tone control data to set the musical tone signals generated by the musical tone signal generator to a desired timbre, to impart a desired effect to the musical tone signals, and to allow generation of desired automatic accompaniment sounds, automatic play sounds, and the like from the musical tone signal generator.
Also, the user may prepare various musical tone control data such as timbre data, effect data, automatic accompaniment data, and automatic play data that the user desires by using a musical tone control data preparing function, a musical tone control data editing function, and others that are provided beforehand in the electronic musical apparatus, for storage in a memory device so that the user may use the prepared musical tone control data at the time of playing. Further, the user may connect the electronic musical apparatus to different electronic musical apparatus via a cable so as to store, in a memory device, the musical tone control data that are input from the different electronic musical apparatus, or may read the musical tone control data that are prepared in different electronic musical apparatus and recorded in a recording medium such as a flexible disk or a compact disk, for storage in a memory device.
However, in the aforesaid conventional electronic musical apparatus that uses only the musical tone control data stored beforehand in a memory device, desires of individual users may not be fully satisfied, since the memory device stores only the average musical tone control data that satisfy the desires of many users at an intermediate level. For example, a user that mainly plays or listens to Latin music may desire that the memory device stores beforehand numerous kinds of musical tone control data (timbre data, effect data, automatic accompaniment data, automatic play data, etc.) related to the Latin music; however, such desires may not be fully satisfied. Further, a beginner user may desire numerous kinds of automatic play data related to simple and easily understandable lesson music for practice; however, such desires of the user may not be fully satisfied, either. In contrast, if one wishes to satisfy the desires of all the users, a huge memory capacity is required in the memory device, and this is unrealistic.
Further, even in the aforesaid conventional electronic musical apparatus in which the users themselves prepare the musical tone control data, the musical tone control data cannot be easily prepared, and it is difficult to store numerous musical tone control data that suit the user's preference in a memory device. Further, even in an electronic musical apparatus that obtains musical tone control data from a different electronic musical apparatus or from a recording medium, it is not easy to find musical tone control data that are to be taken into the electronic musical apparatus and are suitable for the electronic musical apparatus, and in this case as well, it is difficult to store numerous musical tone control data that suit the electronic musical apparatus owned by the user and suit the user's preference in a memory device.
In order to solve these problems, one may prepare numerous kinds of electronic musical apparatus that are equipped with plural kinds of musical tone control data (timbre data, effect data, automatic accompaniment data, automatic play data) each made of a different combination for each region or country or in accordance with the user's preference. However, if this is adopted, one must manufacture numerous kinds of electronic musical apparatus that incorporate plural kinds of musical tone control data each made of a different combination, and also one must carry out the management of the stock and the like, thereby leading to cumbersome manufacture and management.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in order to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic musical apparatus customizing method by which an electronic musical apparatus purchased by a user can be easily customized to suit the user's preference by allowing various musical tone control data that suit the electronic musical apparatus to be easily taken into a memory device from outside. The present invention also aims at providing an electronic musical apparatus that is applied to this electronic musical apparatus customizing method, and a server for the electronic musical apparatus.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention relates to an electronic musical apparatus customizing method that is applied to an electronic musical apparatus comprising a musical tone signal generator for generating musical tone signals and a memory device capable of storing musical tone control data supplied to the musical tone signal generator for controlling generation of the musical tone signals. The electronic musical apparatus is customized in such a manner that desired musical tone control data to be stored into the memory device are supplied from a server having a database that stores various musical tone control data to be stored into the memory device and applicable to plural kinds of electronic musical apparatus, to a user side that uses the electronic musical apparatus so as to allow the supplied musical tone control data to be stored into the memory device on the user side. Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in accordance with identification information supplied from the user side and representing individual electronic musical apparatus, musical tone control data applicable to the electronic musical apparatus represented by the identification information are presented from the server to the user side; and musical tone control data belonging to the presented musical tone control data and selected by the user side are read out from the database, and the read-out musical tone control data are supplied from the server to the user side.
Viewed from another aspect, the present invention is characterized by the electronic musical apparatus to be customized and a server for realizing customization of an electronic musical apparatus. Further, in this specification, the term “electronic musical apparatus” widely refers to electronic apparatus that includes a musical tone signal generator for generating musical tone signals in accordance with musical tone control data and a memory device for storing the musical tone control data, and is used to include electronic musical instruments having a keyboard, electronic musical instruments without a keyboard, sequencers, personal computers, game apparatus, karaoke apparatus, and others.
In these cases, the information exchange between the user side and the server may be carried out via the internet. In order to use this internet, the first embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the electronic musical apparatus further includes a communication interface circuit that allows information exchange with the
Akahori Shigeki
Gyoten Yasuaki
Donels Jeffrey W
Yamaha Corporation
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