Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control... – Control of information signal processing channel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-04
2004-12-14
Tran, Thang V. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
Control of information signal processing channel
C369S053340
Reexamination Certificate
active
06831883
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, and an information record medium on which an audio information reproduction program to enable such a reproduction is recorded and which can be read by a computer, and more particularly relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing the audio information, which can reproduce two or more audio information continuously without intermittence while maintaining a constant rhythm. The present invention also relates to a program storage device such as an information record medium for storing a program and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to perform such an audio information reproduction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A club or salon referred to as a so-called “club” in Japan is very popular in which young persons mainly enjoy a dance in time to a music composition having a nimble rhythm. In such a club, in order for the persons to enjoy the dance, it is preferred that a plurality of music compositions are continuously played while a constant rhythm is maintained, even between different music compositions.
Here, the “rhythm” implies such a structure that a strength and a weakness of a tone are periodically repeated in a certain music composition (namely, a beat).
A plurality of music compositions are outputted to the inside of the club as an editor for editing the combination of music compositions (hereafter, this editor is referred to as a “disc jockey”) selects and synthesizes the music compositions respectively outputted from a plurality of reproducing apparatuses, in the actual spot or scene.
At this time, as an actual method of continuously reproducing and outputting two music compositions, the disc jockey drives two reproducing apparatuses, for example, by using the following procedure.
(i) While a first reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce and output one music composition from an information record medium such as an optical disc, a second reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce another music composition. Then, another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey by using a headphone or the like without outputting it into the inside of the club.
(ii) Then, a reproducing speed of the second reproducing apparatus is set such that, while another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey, the time period required for one beat in another music composition coincides with that in the one music composition (which is currently being reproduced and outputted). Then, a head portion of another music composition is searched (i.e., a so-called “head search” is performed).
(iii) When the one music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted approaches an end thereof, a reproduction level of the one music composition is gradually dropped (a so-called “fade-out” is performed). Along with this, another music composition is reproduced from the head portion thereof while it is matched with the beat timing of the one music composition. Then, the reproduction level for another music composition is gradually increased (a so-called “fade-in” is performed), so that another music composition is outputted to the inside of the club.
(iv) When the reproduction level of another music composition becomes equal to a proper reproduction level, the reproduction of the one music composition, which has been reproduced and outputted, is stopped. Then, the first reproducing apparatus is ready for further another music composition to be continuously reproduced after another music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted.
After that, as the disc jockey repeats the procedure (i) to the procedure (iv), the plurality of different music compositions can be reproduced continuously without the intermittence while the rhythm is maintained constant.
In the above-mentioned series of operations, the “beat” implies each portion of the strengths and weaknesses of the tones repeated in the cycles of the rhythms of each music composition, and it is composed of a strong beat and a weak beat. The “strong beat” implies a strong portion of the bar or beat in a flow of the rhythm (typically, this portion corresponds to a first beat on a staff, and this is a portion represented by a motion of a conductor in which a baton is brought down from the above). Moreover, the “weak beat” implies a weak portion of the bar or beat in the flow of the rhythm.
At this time, for example, a double time uses a strong beat and a weak beat. A triple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat and a weak beat. A quadruple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat, a middle beat and a weak beat.
On the other hand, as a method of mechanically carrying out such a continuous reproduction, there is a connection reproduction method using a memory, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open Publication No. Sho. 60-166892.
However, in case that the continuous reproduction is performed by the above-mentioned manual operations of the disc jockey, it is required to temporarily stop the reproduction output of the music composition, which is being currently reproduced and outputted, and perform a detection of a time period required for one beat of the music composition to be next reproduced, in order to recognize this predetermined time duration to perform the continuous reproduction while keeping the consistency of the rhythm.
On the other hand, according to the above mentioned mechanical connection reproduction using the memory, there is only disclosed a technique of performing the continuous reproduction without inserting any vacant time duration between the plurality of music compositions, which are recorded on the same information record medium, and there is not disclosed any technique of detecting the time period required for one beat of the music composition, which is recorded on the same information record medium and is to be next reproduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, while continuing a reproduction output of one music composition, which can detect a time period required for one beat of another music composition, to thereby caution a disc jockey etc., by outputting the detected time period, or to thereby enable a reproduction control such as starting another music composition with making the time period required for one beat of said another music composition coincident with that of said one music composition, as well as a program storage device for storing a program such as an information record medium and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to function as such an audio information reproducing apparatus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an apparatus for reproducing one audio information and another audio information, both of which are recorded on an information record medium. The apparatus is provided with: a detecting device such as a BPM (Beat Per Minute) detector etc., for detecting said one audio information and said another audio information from the information record medium and also detecting a time period required for one beat of the detected another audio information; an accumulating device such as a ring buffer memory etc., for accumulating said one audio information detected from the information record medium to thereby continue reproducing and outputting said one audio information through the accumulating device; and a controlling device such as a sub CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc., for controlling the detecting device to detect said another audio information and the time period required for one beat, within a time duration that the accumulated one audio information is being reproduced and outputted through the accumulating device.
According to the audio information reproducing apparatus of the prese
Amemiya Naomi
Chiba Kensuke
Eguchi Hiroyasu
Funada Takeaki
Inoshita Gen
Pioneer Corporation
Tran Thang V.
Vuong Bach
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