Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2001-07-03
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S613000, C084S649000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06255577
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a melody sound generating apparatus that plays a recorded melody sound in portable telephones or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a programmable melody sound generating apparatus that reproduces a recorded melody sound including a plurality of sets of musical notes based on different musical scales, as a call-reception sound or a call-hold sound in portable telephones or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent rapid developments of portable telephones, personal handy phone systems (PHS) or the like, many portable telephones, currently on the market, are equipped with a melody sound generating device, which reproduces a recorded melody sound as a cell-reception sound or a call-hold sound. The call-reception sound is played by the melody sound generating device in order to alarm the user about a call-reception state of the portable telephone. The call-hold sound is reproduced to alarm the user about a call-hold state of the portable telephone.
Further, another type of portable telephone that is equipped with a programmable melody sound generating device is currently known. In this melody sound generating device, a control program enables the user to record a desired melody sample for the call-reception sound or the call-hold sound in the portable telephone.
However, what the above-described melody sound generating devices can reproduce are limited to a melody sound consisting of a set of musical notes based on a single musical scale. The melody sound reproduced has been poor or monotonous in the sense of hearing. It is desirable to provide a melody sound generating device that can reproduce any of a variety of melody sounds in a pleasant sounding way. However, there has been a problem in that such a melody sound generating device that meets this demand requires more complicated circuits with a larger size than the existing melody sound generating devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an improved melody sound generating apparatus that is constructed with a simple circuit configuration and effectively reproduces a recorded melody sound including a plurality of sets of musical notes based on different musical scales.
Further, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a melody sound generating apparatus that allows the user to easily record a desired melody sample for the call-reception sound or the call-hold sound in a portable telephone.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a melody sound generating apparatus includes: a musical-scale generator which produces a plurality of musical scales based on a recorded melody pattern, each musical scale being a set of musical notes arranged in a predetermined order and at fixed separations; a melody sound data generator which produces an output melody sound data containing a plurality of sets of musical notes based on the plurality of musical scales supplied by the musical-scale generator, by adding the plurality of musical scales together; and a sound generating mechanism which plays a melody sound based on the output melody sound data supplied by the melody sound data generator.
In the melody sound generating apparatus of the preferred embodiment, the musical-scale generator produces different musical scales based on a recorded melody pattern. The melody sound data generator produces an output melody sound data containing a plurality of sets of musical notes based on the different musical scales. The musical-scale generator and the melody sound data generator in the preferred embodiment can be produced with a simple circuit configuration. The melody sound generating apparatus of the present invention is effective in reproducing a recorded melody sound containing a plurality of sets of musical notes based on different musical scales.
Further, in the melody sound generating apparatus of the preferred embodiment, an input device is provided to input a melody pattern specified by a user, the input melody pattern containing a main tune and associated chords for a desired melody sample. The melody sound generating apparatus of the present invention makes it possible that the user easily record a desired melody sample for the call-reception sound or the call hold sound in a portable telephone.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4450742 (1984-05-01), Sugiura
patent: 6100462 (2000-08-01), Aoki
patent: 2237435 (1991-05-01), None
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Fletcher Marlon
Nappi Robert E.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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