Patents Examined by Jeffrey Donels
  • Patent number: 10657936
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a display, a memory, and at least one processor. The memory is configured to store a plurality of song data items. Each of the plurality of song data items includes a plurality of event data items and the plurality of song data items does not include size information of each of the plurality of event data items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomomi Konishi
  • Patent number: 10657943
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for calibrating a musical device. In some embodiments, a method for calibrating a musical device includes: energizing an actuator to actuate a key using a force corresponding to a first intensity level; obtaining, from a sensor, a first sensor signal representing motion information of the key corresponding to application of the force; and calibrating the musical device based on the first sensor signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SUNLAND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Bin Yan
  • Patent number: 10657942
    Abstract: A method for transferring data between a storage and playback device and a server containing at least one audio file having information for producing a tempo that is sensible to at least one user as the at least one user performs a repetitive motion activity, the storage and playback device being capable of storing and playing the information in the audio file, the method comprising, at the data storage and playback device, or at a combination of the server and the data storage and playback device: receiving a request to substantially match at least one audio file based on its beats per minute for outputting on the storage and payback device; identifying a metadata tempo tag for each designated audio file, each tempo tag indicating the tempo of the audio file; and causing to be delivered to, or providing to, the storage and playback device the audio file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Pacing Technologies LLC
    Inventor: William D. Turner
  • Patent number: 10657938
    Abstract: A method for customizing appliance alert tunes includes downloading a user selected alert tune from a server to an appliance over a network. The user selected alert tune is a plurality of synthesized notes. The method also includes saving the user selected alert tune in a memory of the appliance and playing the user selected alert tune on a sound emitter of the appliance in response to an activation condition for the user selected alert tune.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Dean Suel, II, Ryan Michael Hartlage
  • Patent number: 10650794
    Abstract: A timing control method includes generating a timing designation signal according to one of a first generation mode for generating the timing designation signal which designates, based on a detection result of a first event in a performance of a music piece, a timing of a second event in the performance, and a second generation mode for generating the timing designation signal without using the detection result, and outputting a command signal for commanding an execution of the second event according to one of a first output mode for outputting the command signal in accordance with the timing designated by the timing designation signal, and a second output mode for outputting the command signal in accordance with a timing determined based on the music piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Maezawa
  • Patent number: 10643593
    Abstract: Sequence predictors may be used to predict one or more entries in a musical sequence. The predicted entries in the musical sequence enable a virtual musician to continue playing a musical score based on the predicted entries when the occurrence of latency causes a first computing system hosting a first virtual musician to not receive entries or timing information for entries being performed in the musical sequence by a second computing system hosting a second virtual musician. The sequence predictors may be generated using a machine learning model generation system that uses historical performances of musical scores to generate the sequence predictor. Alternatively, or in addition, earlier portions of a musical score may be used to train the model generation system to obtain a prediction model that can predict later portions of the musical score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Electronic Arts Inc.
    Inventors: John Kolen, Harold Henry Chaput, Navid Aghdaie, Kazi Atif-Uz Zaman, Kenneth Alan Moss
  • Patent number: 10636402
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for calibrating a musical device. In some embodiments, a method for calibrating a musical device includes: determining a first time corresponding to a first instruction that instructs a driving device to actuate a first component of a musical device using a first force; receiving first sensor data relating to motion information of the first component; determining a second time based on the first sensor data; determining, by a hardware processor, a first time deviation based on the first time and the second time; and calibrating the musical device based on the first time deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SUNLAND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaolu Liu, Zhengjun Yan, Bin Yan, Zhihong Deng, Shaolin Yang
  • Patent number: 10636399
    Abstract: A control method includes receiving a detection result relating to a first event in a performance; changing a following degree in a middle of the performance to which a second event in the performance follows the first event; and determining an operating mode of the second event based on the following degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Maezawa
  • Patent number: 10636400
    Abstract: A method for producing and streaming music generated from biofeedback. The method employs machine-readable language instructions that alter received signals from a wearable biofeedback device, generating musical tones to be played on a portable electronic device and/or shared with others. The varying musical tones that are produced by the method can be modulated by the user to reach a targeted state of emotion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Inventors: Joseph William Patitucci, Jonathan Shapiro
  • Patent number: 10629179
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes: a memory that stores a machine-learning trained acoustic model mimicking voice of a singer and at least one processor. When a vocoder mode is on, prescribed lyric data and pitch data corresponding to a user operation of an operation element of the musical instrument are inputted to the trained acoustic model, and inferred singing voice data that infers a singing voice of the singer is synthesized on the basis of acoustic feature data output by the trained acoustic model and on the basis of instrument sound waveform data that are synthesized in accordance with the pitch data corresponding to the user operation of the operation element. When the vocoder mode is off, the inferred singing voice data is synthesized based on the acoustic feature data without using the sound waveform data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Danjyo, Fumiaki Ota, Masaru Setoguchi, Atsushi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10629177
    Abstract: Provided is a sound signal processing method including a step of acquiring a unit time length in an input sound signal, a step of calculating a tone feature amount from the input sound signal, a step of calculating an index indicating validity of time lengths in a case where the time lengths are assumed the time lengths of one beat and one measure using the unit time length as a reference in the input sound signal with respect to the tone feature amount, and a step of estimating the time lengths of one beat and one measure using the unit time length as a reference based on the index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Maezawa
  • Patent number: 10621960
    Abstract: A percussive instrument is provided. The percussive instrument includes a drum body and a plurality of tonal elements extending over a bottom surface of the drum body. The tonal elements may be struck or plucked to produce sound. The drum body includes a base and a peripheral wall extending upwardly from the base and has an open end opposite the base through which sound may be projected. The drum body may be filled with liquid to produce cymatic effects when the instrument is played and to provide an additional medium through which sound waves emitted from the tonal elements may pass over or through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Inventor: Brooks Hubbert
  • Patent number: 10621963
    Abstract: The invention pertains to devices utilized by artists that produce musical sounds and aesthetic lights, including lights that correspond to the sounds. More specifically, the invention pertains to a modular system comprising modules of a play device, such as a smart phone, a fingerboard comprising a keyboard and lights corresponding to the keys and a docking station for mounting and joining the play device and fingerboard together. Using music and light control application software loaded on the play device and the keys of the fingerboard, the play device and fingerboard exchange and communicate sound and light information and instructions with each other. The play device plays sounds and the fingerboard displays lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Inventor: Harvey Starr
  • Patent number: 10614727
    Abstract: A content reproduction system includes a content reproduction device that reproduces a content in a movable room, an input device that accepts operation by a user responsive to the content, and a sensor that detects a disturbance acting to disturb the operation. The content reproduction device provides assistance to the user in response to a result of the detection by the sensor during reproduction of the content while associating the assistance with the operation accepted by the input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Asahi, Yuji Takahashi, Kenichi Shiba, Jun Usui, Kouki Hayafuchi, Kenichi Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10611602
    Abstract: A movable car mounted governor assembly for an elevator car is provided. The assembly includes a chassis releasably mounted to an upright of an elevator car and a governor operationally mounted to the chassis. The chassis is configured to move from a first position to a second position relative the upright, wherein in the first position the chassis is fixedly secured to the upright and in the second position the chassis is not fixedly secured to the upright.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Agustin Jimenez-Gonzalez, Juan Jose Fernandez, Antonio de Miguel Urquijo
  • Patent number: 10614785
    Abstract: A method for creating mash-ups of musical and/or other inputs includes parsing each input into a sequence of elements, which can be of equal length, beat-matching the inputs to make corresponding elements of equal beat length, and combining the elements to form a mash-up. Embodiments align the inputs before combination. The inputs can each include a plurality of tracks. Improved chaotic mapping can be used to substitute elements between tracks of the inputs. The elements, singly or in groups, can be modified before substitution. In other embodiments elements from the input tracks are introduced into a mash-up template whereby different combinations of corresponding elements are included in each mash-up frame. The tracks can be successively introduced into the mash-up and/or successively eliminated in a final Coda section of the mash-up. The combinations can be according to a recognizable pattern, which can be repeated, or determined by improved chaotic mapping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Inventor: Diana Dabby
  • Patent number: 10604378
    Abstract: An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator system includes: a plurality of elevator cars; a plurality of elevator machines, respectively associated with the elevator cars to selectively cause movement of the associated elevator car, at least some of the elevator machines respectively operating in a first mode including consuming power and in a second mode including generating power; a power source having a power output threshold and a power intake threshold; and at least one controller that is configured to determine when the power source is providing power for the elevator system, and dynamically adjust how the plurality of machines move the elevator cars to maximize a number of the plurality cars being used to move passengers while keeping power consumption by the elevator system below the power output threshold and keeping power generation by the elevator system below the power intake threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Bennie J. Murah, Tarique Faruki
  • Patent number: 10597255
    Abstract: A method and system for providing destination dispatch in an elevator control system, includes identifying a user, retrieving a user profile associated with the user, receiving a destination request associated with the user, analyzing the user profile and the destination request, determining a plurality of assignments, identifying a preferred assignment of the plurality of assignments, and prompting the user to opt-out of the preferred assignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Ashley Chapman, Bradley Armand Scoville, Eric C. Peterson, Paul A. Simcik
  • Patent number: 10597254
    Abstract: A method for automating maintenance of a conveyance system includes performing automated maintenance tasks on the conveyance system; storing results of the automated maintenance tasks in a maintenance database; and providing maintenance tasks to the mobile device, each maintenance task including a maintenance task identifier and a maintenance task status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Sally Day Mahoney, Sandeep Sudi, Frank Higgins, Yosef Haimes, Mick Maurer, Tony Black, Leslie C. Watterson
  • Patent number: 10600399
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a piano system are provided. In some embodiments, the methods include receiving a plurality of key signals related to a first performance of a piece of music, wherein each of the plurality of key signals corresponds to motion of at least one key of a piano during the first performance; generating first performance information based on the plurality of key signals; receiving musical data related to a second performance of the piece of music; receiving musical data related to a second performance of the piece of music, generating second performance information based on the musical data; and providing content for presentation on a display device based on the first performance information and the second performance information. The methods can also include receiving at least one pedal signal corresponding to motion of a pedal of the piano during the first performance, and generating first performance information based on the pedal signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: SUNLAND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaolu Liu, Yangyi Teng