Patents Examined by David Warren
  • Patent number: 10008194
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for providing interactive striking objects (e.g., drumsticks) and performing actions in response to striking motions of the striking objects are disclosed. In some embodiments, the systems and methods provide an interactive drumstick, which includes a lighting display located at a tip portion of the interactive drumstick, a motion detector contained at least partially within the drumstick, a processor and memory contained at least partially within the drumstick, and an interactive system stored within the memory of the drumstick. The interactive system includes a striking motion module that determines striking motions of the drumstick with respect to a virtual percussion instrument based on accessing information measured by the motion detector, and a display module that causes the lighting display to present a certain type of illumination based on the striking motions determined by the striking motion module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Muzik Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Hardi, Eric Gregory White
  • Patent number: 10002598
    Abstract: Presented is a method for controlling an electronic stringed instrument. Embodiments of electrical stringed instruments according to the present invention can be actual stringed instruments or virtual representations of stringed instruments. The methods provide a way in which to teach and play electronic stringed instruments which allow a novice musician to focus on a small portion of playing of a stringed instrument while maintaining overall musicality and ability to play the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Berggram Development Oy
    Inventor: Jussi Bergman
  • Patent number: 10002596
    Abstract: A method is provided including separating a first file into a first plurality of instrument tracks and a second file into a second plurality of instrument tracks, wherein each instrument track of each of the first plurality and second plurality corresponds to a type of instrument; selecting a first instrument track from the first plurality of instrument tracks and a second instrument track from the second plurality of instrument tracks based at least on the type of instrument corresponding to the first instrument track and the second instrument track; fading out other instrument tracks from the first plurality of instrument tracks; performing a crossfade between the first instrument track and the second instrument track; and fading in other instrument tracks from the second plurality of instrument tracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Miikka Tapani Vilermo, Arto Juhani Lehtiniemi, Lasse Juhani Laaksonen, Mikko Tapio Tammi
  • Patent number: 10002597
    Abstract: A musical instrument for electronically producing music from audio segments. The musical instrument comprises: an apparatus having a first surface; a plurality of selectable elements disposed in a substantially circular geometry on the first surface; and at least one memory storing the plurality of audio segments, each of the plurality of audio segments being associated with a respective selectable element in the plurality of selectable elements, wherein, in response to detecting selection of a subset of the plurality of selectable elements, the system is configured to generate music using audio segments in the plurality of audio segments that are associated with the selected subset of the plurality of selectable elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Brown University
    Inventors: Peter Bussigel, Joseph Rovan
  • Patent number: 10002542
    Abstract: A method of playing a musical keyboard comprises four main steps. The first step involves providing a guide comprising multiple columns aligned with keys on the musical keyboard. The columns are further divided into rows defining multiple blocks containing color codes and numbers. The numbers are arranged in arithmetic progression in each color code extending across a single row. The second step involves playing a first key on the musical keyboard based on a selected color code represented in each predetermined row. The third step involves playing the subsequent keys on the musical keyboard as per the arithmetic progression of numbers in the subsequent rows. The fourth step involves shifting to a subsequent row of the sheet, to start playing a selected key and the subsequent keys on the musical keyboard based on the next color code and corresponding numbers represented in the subsequent rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Inventor: Steven Jenkins
  • Patent number: 9988237
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for smart elevator car destination management according to probabilistic destination determination. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for smart elevator car destination management according to probabilistic destination determination includes predicting a set of passengers requesting use of an elevator car in a bank of elevator cars in a building and determining a probability for each of the passengers that each passenger will select as a destination a particular floor in the building. The method also includes grouping ones of the passengers in the set according to a common floor determined to be probable for the grouped ones of the passengers. Finally, the method includes displaying in connection with the bank of elevator cars an assignment of the grouped ones of the passengers to one of the elevator cars in the bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Juan Gabriel Rodriguez Arguedas, Edgar Adolfo Zamora Duran, Roxana Monge Nunez, Franz Friedrich Liebinger Portela
  • Patent number: 9990909
    Abstract: A cymbal having a plurality of openings where at least a portion of the material removed from the plurality of openings is maintained on the cymbal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: RTOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gabriel Azaceta
  • Patent number: 9984669
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reed for an electronic musical instrument and an electronic musical instrument in which determination of lip position is not susceptible to the influence of noise and the like. In one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic musical instrument is provided with a reed and a plurality of sensor electrodes in the reed, arranged next to one another from a tip side of the reed towards a base side of the reed, each of the sensor electrodes having a center portion projecting towards the tip side of the reed. The lip position of the performer is determined in accordance with the output from the plurality of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro Toyama, Kazutaka Kasuga, Ryutaro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9984668
    Abstract: A method in accord with certain implementations involves, at an audio input, receiving a time domain audio signals; at one or more digital signal processors: converting the time domain audio signal to a frequency domain representation containing at least a fundamental frequency component, modifying the frequency domain representation to produce a modified frequency spectrum, converting the modified frequency spectrum to a modified time domain audio signal; and outputting the modified input signals as an output signal. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Inventor: Jerry A. Miller
  • Patent number: 9978350
    Abstract: An electronic percussion instrument for suppressing sound source noise is described. The instrument includes a percussion pad, a metal plate disposed below the percussion pad, at least one damping element disposed in a ring-like manner below the metal plate, a resonance conductive member disposed below the damping element, a sensor disposed at a central region below the resonance conductive member, and a noise suppressing mechanism disposed at a peripheral annular region below the resonance conductive member. The noise suppressing mechanism includes, in an order from top to bottom, a foam ring and a metal ring. The metal ring has a plurality of cushioning elements thereon. Accordingly, the instrument can effectively suppress or otherwise eliminate interference on and noise sensed by the sensor caused by vibration of a casing when the percussion pad is percussed. This can greatly improve the sound effect and performance of the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: SOUND & LIGHT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chih Hong Lin
  • Patent number: 9978347
    Abstract: The invention provides an integral spring-hidden capo comprising a U-shaped capo skeleton, wherein a capo skeleton rotating shaft hole is arranged at an end at an opening of the U-shaped capo skeleton, the capo skeleton rotating shaft hole is equipped with an integral push-pull handle component, one end of a power unit is located above the capo skeleton rotating shaft hole of the U-shaped capo skeleton, and the other end of the power unit is hidden inside the integral push-pull handle component. The invention has the following beneficial effects: the capo can be stably and portably operated by two fingers, and has high integrity and a simple process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: SHENZHEN MUZITECH TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jian Liang
  • Patent number: 9978349
    Abstract: A clamp is attachable to a rim or rim region of a drum, and is suited for resiliently retaining an ancillary drumstick such that a terminal end of the ancillary drumstick is positioned above a skin of the drum, and advantageously spaced apart from the skin by a selected distance, allowing a single drumstick strike to the ancillary drumstick by another drumstick held by the drummer to create multiple hits by the clamped ancillary drumstick in response to a drum strike by the hand-held drum stick.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Inventors: Peter Asarisi, Anthony Orchard
  • Patent number: 9972293
    Abstract: The Kit Lift is a method of and a portable, modular, light weight apparatus for elevating a drum set and drummer for performances by only supporting the essential elements of the drum set, including the kick drum front support arms, the kick drum pedal(s), hi-hat stand feet and hi-hat pedal, without increasing the stage footprint requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Inventor: Kent Edward Keller
  • Patent number: 9966052
    Abstract: A keyboard with adjustable touch for a musical instrument, each key being a lever divided into front and rear arms, front arm forms on its upper part an operation surface and its lower part interacts with a centering guide, and the rear arm comprises, on its upper part, a counterweight and its lower part interacts with a stop each key comprises a key magnet (KM) mounted on the rear side, facing another magnet (SM) that is mounted on a regulation device which is affixed to the musical instrument chassis, the magnets (KM and SM) are substantially placed face to face, opposed by their equivalent polar faces, the relative position they have to each other is set by the regulation device and generating the effect on the keyboard touch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Inventor: Rodrigo Vázquez Díaz
  • Patent number: 9959853
    Abstract: A recording method acquires, from a first musical instrument which outputs playing data which represents playing information, playing data of playing by the first musical instrument; generates a first waveform signal according to the played sounds of the first musical instrument which correspond to the playing data; generates a second waveform signal according to a sound including a sound emitted from the first musical instrument and other sounds; generates a third waveform signal wherein the first waveform signal is subtracted from the second waveform signal; generates audio data from the third waveform signal; and records the audio data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Haruki Uehara
  • Patent number: 9957131
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to calculating a current associated with a motor of an elevator based on an output of a speed regulator, and controlling the elevator based on the current. Embodiments are directed to examining a feeder current obtained via a converter current sensor of a regenerative drive during a peak power condition, and regulating a speed of an elevator based on the feeder current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Ismail Agirman, Edward Piedra
  • Patent number: 9959851
    Abstract: A system and method eliminates the drag associated with CPU drag on experienced by combine audio streams from multiple sources. The embodiments receive audio signals from two separate audio sources and apply a MIDI based timing signature to the audio signals. The audio signals are synchronized according to the MTC signature signal and combined, when synchronized, at a summing module for output as a combined audio stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Inventor: Jose Mario Fernandez
  • Patent number: 9959849
    Abstract: A drum, including: a shell; at least one head; and a vibration damping portion including at least one of (a) an outer-surface facing surface which is disposed in substantially parallel with and is closely opposed to an outer surface of an outer peripheral portion of the at least one head without contacting the outer surface and (b) an inner-surface facing surface which is disposed in substantially parallel with and is closely opposed to an inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the at least one head without contacting the inner surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Banri Abe, Ryuji Hashimoto, Keita Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 9947306
    Abstract: An electric acoustic apparatus includes a supply unit that supplies sound-generation information including timing information representing a start of a sound-generation, a storage storing sound control pattern data representing a pattern of over-time change of a parameter defining a behavior of a sound, a reproducer that reproduces the sound control pattern data, and a sound signal generator that generates a sound signal representing a sound according to the sound-generation information and changes the behavior of the sound based on the reproduced sound control pattern data. The reproducer controls a reproduction behavior of the sound control pattern data according to the sound-generation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Ohta
  • Patent number: 9947307
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic percussion instrument that is capable of simulating a playing technique for an acoustic percussion instrument. A tubular body part is opened on an axial end surface, and a head is attached to the axial end surface to be struck on the front surface. A capacitance sensor includes an electrode that generates a capacitance with respect to a detected conductor, such as a human body, positioned on the front surface side of the head. Because the capacitance sensor detects a change of a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the electrode and the detected conductor, whether the detected conductor approaches (contacts) the head or presses the head can be determined. As a result, the playing technique for the acoustic percussion instrument is simulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Takasaki, Norihiro Yoshikuni, Takeshi Osada, Yutaka Morita