Patents by Inventor Eiichiro Aoki

Eiichiro Aoki has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9390948
    Abstract: A tape attaching apparatus includes: a chamber having an airtight space formed therein; a rubber sheet that partitions the airtight space into first and second airtight spaces and has an upper sheet on which a wafer is placed; a tape frame that holds a tape above the rubber sheet; and first and second supply/exhaust tubes that switch pressurization and depressurization of the first and second airtight spaces. In pressurizing the second airtight space and expanding the rubber sheet to lift the wafer to be attached to the tape, after bringing the first and second airtight spaces into a vacuum state, the wafer is attached to the tape while an amount of pressurization of the second airtight space is controlled to change an expansion rate of the rubber sheet from a low speed to a high speed stepwisely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: NEC ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichiro Taga, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20160079098
    Abstract: A tape attaching apparatus includes: a chamber having an airtight space formed therein; a rubber sheet that partitions the airtight space into first and second airtight spaces and has an upper sheet on which a wafer is placed; a tape frame that holds a tape above the rubber sheet; and first and second supply/exhaust tubes that switch pressurization and depressurization of the first and second airtight spaces. In pressurizing the second airtight space and expanding the rubber sheet to lift the wafer to be attached to the tape, after bringing the first and second airtight spaces into a vacuum state, the wafer is attached to the tape while an amount of pressurization of the second airtight space is controlled to change an expansion rate of the rubber sheet from a low speed to a high speed stepwisely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Yoichiro Taga, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20120312468
    Abstract: A tape attaching apparatus includes: a chamber having an airtight space formed therein; a rubber sheet that partitions the airtight space into first and second airtight spaces and has an upper sheet on which a wafer is placed; a tape frame that holds a tape above the rubber sheet; and first and second supply/exhaust tubes that switch pressurization and depressurization of the first and second airtight spaces. In pressurizing the second airtight space and expanding the rubber sheet to lift the wafer to be attached to the tape, after bringing the first and second airtight spaces into a vacuum state, the wafer is attached to the tape while an amount of pressurization of the second airtight space is controlled to change an expansion rate of the rubber sheet from a low speed to a high speed stepwisely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Inventors: Yoichiro Taga, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 7592531
    Abstract: Processor devices functioning as tone-generation-related processing elements, such as a keyboard, tone generator and speaker, are connected to a star-type network. Desired processing elements are logically connected (e.g., a keyboard is logically connected to the input side of the tone generator and a speaker is connected to the output side of the tone generator) in an internal network, so that a tone generation system can be built. Each processor device possesses a content file, and each of the processor devices has a table storing, for each of the processor devices, information indicating whether the content file possessed thereby can be supplied. If a particular one of the processor devices does not possess a content file to be used, the particular processor device extracts, from the table, another processor device capable of supplying the content file to be used and receives the content file from the extracted processor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Shuzo Karakawa, Hiroyuki Oba, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20070214945
    Abstract: Processor devices functioning as tone-generation-related processing elements, such as a keyboard, tone generator and speaker, are connected to a star-type network. Desired processing elements are logically connected (e.g., a keyboard is logically connected to the input side of the tone generator and a speaker is connected to the output side of the tone generator) in an internal network, so that a tone generation system can be built. Each processor device possesses a content file, and each of the processor devices has a table storing, for each of the processor devices, information indicating whether the content file possessed thereby can be supplied. If a particular one of the processor devices does not possess a content file to be used, the particular processor device extracts, from the table, another processor device capable of supplying the content file to be used and receives the content file from the extracted processor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Shuzo Karakawa, Hiroyuki Oba, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6791021
    Abstract: For both an automatic chord correction and an automatic composition, it is required to correct a part of a series of given chords in order to have a musically natural connection between adjacent chords. A series of chords “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f” (each letter means one kind of chords) for a music is selected by a user. If two chords “c” and “d” among the series of chords “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f” are changed into different ones, according to the user's preference or to make them more appropriate to the motif melody, the chord “b” adjacent to the changed “c” is automatically corrected into “b*” so that both chord connections from “a” to “b*” and from “b*” to the changed “c” can be more musically natural.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6756533
    Abstract: An automatic music composing apparatus is provided, which is capable of generating music with a high degree of completion in synchronization with images and in a time that matches the length of images. The automatic music composing apparatus automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images. A number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images is calculated. Bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars is acquired. The musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data is generated. The generated musical composition is outputted according to each of the sections of the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6576828
    Abstract: Automatic composition apparatus and method are provided which are capable of modifying a rhythm pattern to provide a wide variety of rhythm patterns only through simple setting, and a storage medium that accomplishes this function is provided. Characteristics of a rhythm pattern of a piece of music to be composed are established. Characteristic data that match the established characteristics are retrieved from a rhythm pattern database rhythm pattern database comprising a plurality of rhythm patterns and characteristic data indicating characteristics of each of the rhythm patterns. One of the rhythm patterns is selected, that corresponds to the retrieved characteristic data. Accordingly, different rhythm patterns having the same characteristics can be easily obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Toshio Sugiura
  • Patent number: 6486390
    Abstract: A rhythm pattern is provided to be subjected to forward syncopation processing. The time position of an un-syncopated note in the rhythm pattern is shifted forward to render advanced beating of the note to make a forward-syncopated rhythm pattern. The notes in the modified rhythm pattern are given respective note pitches to establish a melody, wherein the skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given skeleton pitches, and the non-skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given non-skeleton pitches. The advanced beating of a note makes a skeleton note which plays an important role in syncopation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignees: Yamaha Corporation, Optnix Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Toshio Sugiura
  • Patent number: 6486387
    Abstract: In a fingering information analyzer, tone pitch information indicative of each tone pitch of a series of musical notes supplied from a flexible disc or a performance information memory is analyzed to produce fingering information indicative of a performance finger for each of the musical notes. The fingering information is mixed with the tone pitch information and memorized in a fingering memory. When the fingering information is reproduced, a performance finger for each of the musical notes is determined in accordance with a changing direction or variation width of the tone pitch information continual in time series and a changing condition of white and black keys based on the tone pitch information. The tone pitch information and fingering information memorized in the fingering memory is read out in accordance with progression of a musical tune and adapted for performance of the keys on a keyboard and for indication of the performance finger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Munekawa, Motoichi Tamura, Takeo Shibukawa, Eiichiro Aoki, Akira Nakada, Tokuji Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 6472591
    Abstract: In a portable communication terminal apparatus, a transmitter and receiver conducts either of a transmission and receipt of a message. A tone generator generates a sequence of tones to sound a music melody of a song in association with either of the transmission and the receipt of the message. A music composer is provided for inputting a motif melody comprised of a rhythm and a pitch and for composing the music melody of the song based on the inputted motif melody. The music composer may automatically input either of the rhythm and the pitch of the motif melody. A display device displays the inputted the motif melody in a sequence of beat points for editing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Shigehiko Mizuno, Shigeki Akahori
  • Publication number: 20020134219
    Abstract: An automatic music composing apparatus is provided, which is capable of generating music with a high degree of completion in synchronization with images and in a time that matches the length of images. The automatic music composing apparatus automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images. A number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images is calculated. Bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars is acquired. The musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data is generated. The generated musical composition is outputted according to each of the sections of the images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6417437
    Abstract: In accordance with a rhythm of a main melody, a auxiliary-melody or counter-melody creating rhythm pattern is supplied which indicates timing of respective hit points of a plurality of tones in the auxiliary or counter melody. Predetermined important hit points and unimportant hit points in the supplied rhythm pattern are discriminated from each other. Any one of component notes of chords, specified by a previously-supplied chord progression, is allocated to each of the thus-discriminated important hit points, while any one of scale notes, corresponding to previously-supplied scale information, is allocated to each of the unimportant hit points. Thus, an auxiliary or counter melody is created on the basis of the notes allocated to the individual hit pints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6395970
    Abstract: An automatic music composing apparatus comprises: a memory that stores a plurality of chord-progression data in a specific key; an input device that inputs motif melody data; a selector that selects at least one chord-progression data from the memory; a detector that detects a key of the input motif melody data; a transposer that transposes the selected chord-progression data into the detected key in accordance with relation between the detected key and the specific key; and a melody data generator that generates a melody in the detected key in accordance with the input motif melody data and the transposed chord-progression data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6392134
    Abstract: Given melody notes are classified into particular notes and other notes than the particular notes in accordance with a predetermined criterion. Additional notes are decided with respect to the classified particular notes and the other notes in accordance with different criteria set for the classified particular notes and the other notes, to generate an auxiliary melody with the additional notes. For example, for each of the particular notes, an additional note is decided which has a predetermined musical interval from the particular note, so as to generate a plurality of additional notes with more emphasis on good sounding with the particular notes. For each of the other melody notes than the particular notes, an additional note is decided which has a musical interval determined on the basis of a flow of at least one of the main melody and the auxiliary melody, so as to generate additional notes with more emphasis on note-to-note connections of a generated auxiliary melody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6384310
    Abstract: Through an operation by a user, a setting is made, for each partial musical section in a music piece, as to whether or not music piece data should be generated. In accordance with the setting, a discrimination is made between a data-generating musical section where music piece data should be generated and a non-data-generating musical section where music piece data should not be generated. In automatically composing a music piece on the basis of given musical conditions, music piece data based on the given musical conditions is generated only for the data-generating musical section, and generation of music piece data based on the given musical conditions is inhibited for the non-data-generating musical section. With this arrangement, music piece data for each partial musical section in an already-composed or existing music piece can be re-created with greatly increased ease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Yoshiko Fukushima
  • Publication number: 20020029685
    Abstract: For both an automatic chord correction and an automatic composition, it is required to correct a part of a series of given chords in order to have a musically natural connection between adjacent chords. A series of chords “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f” (each letter means one kind of chords) for a music is selected by a user. If two chords “c” and “d” among the series of chords “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f” are changed into different ones, according to the user's preference or to make them more appropriate to the motif melody, the chord “b” adjacent to the changed “c” is automatically corrected into “b*” so that both chord connections from “a” to “b*” and from “b*” to the changed “c” can be more musically natural.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20020017188
    Abstract: In accordance with a rhythm of a main melody, a auxiliary-melody or counter-melody creating rhythm pattern is supplied which indicates timing of respective hit points of a plurality of tones in the auxiliary or counter melody. Predetermined important hit points and unimportant hit points in the supplied rhythm pattern are discriminated from each other. Any one of component notes of chords, specified by a previously-supplied chord progression, is allocated to each of the thus-discriminated important hit points, while any one of scale notes, corresponding to previously-supplied scale information, is allocated to each of the unimportant hit points. Thus, an auxiliary or counter melody is created on the basis of the notes allocated to the individual hit pints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20020011145
    Abstract: A plurality of melody motifs are provided to be incorporated in a melody to be created. The melody motifs are allotted and located at a plurality of positions along the length of a melody to be created. The length of a melody may be divided into plurality of melody blocks, and each of the melody motifs may be allotted to each of the melody blocks. Each of the located melody motifs is developed to make a melody fraction for the remaining positions in the length of a melody. The located melody motifs and the developed melody fractions in combination constitute the melody to be created. Musical characters for the respective melody blocks may be designated so that the development of the melody motif is conducted also with reference to the designated characters. A melody block may consist of a plurality of musical sentences, and the melody motif for this melody block is located at one of the sentences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: RE40543
    Abstract: For each section forming a music piece, music template information is supplied which includes at least information indicative of a pitch variation tendency in the section. A plurality of already-composed music pieces are preferably analyzed to store a plurality of pieces of such music template information so that any users can select from the stored pieces of music template information. For a music piece to be composed, the user enters information indicative of a tendency relating to the number of notes, such as syllable information of desired words or scat words, in each section of the music piece. On the basis of one of the pieces of music template information supplied and the user-entered information indicative of the number-of-notes tendency (syllable information), the length and pitch of notes in each section can be determined, which permits automatic generation of music piece data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Toshio Sugiura