Patents by Inventor Kazumi Totaka

Kazumi Totaka 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: 9199169
    Abstract: When a music performance game starts, the user selects a part to be assigned to himself/herself. When the selection of the assigned part is completed, an ensemble starts. When the ensemble starts, the user can participate in the ensemble by performing an input operation corresponding to the assigned part. During the ensemble, history data representing the user's musical performances in chronological order is generated and stored in an external main memory. When the ensemble ends, the user can play again, changing assigned parts. At this time, as for the part currently selected by the user, the instrument is played based on the user's input, while the history data representing the user's current musical performances in chronological order is generated. Of the other parts, as for the parts that the user has selected earlier, the instruments are played automatically based on the history data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Okamura, Kazumi Totaka, Junya Osada
  • Patent number: 7781663
    Abstract: A musical piece correction apparatus corrects a sounding timing (note-on timings) of a sound constituting apart of a musical piece. First, the musical piece correction apparatus reads, from storage means, music performance data indicating sounding timings in the musical piece. Next, the musical piece correction apparatus sets a plurality of reference timings (grids) in a performance period of the musical piece, and sets, for each reference timing, a reference period (area) including said each reference timing. At this point, from among sounding timings included in the reference period, a nearest sounding timing to said each reference timing is selected, and the selected sounding timing is corrected so as to coincide with said each reference timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Yuichiro Okamura
  • Patent number: 7781664
    Abstract: The game apparatus stores music data which indicates at least a pitch of each of sounds which form a melody of a predetermined piece of music and an output timing to output each of the sounds. The game apparatus sequentially detects, among the sounds included in the music data, a target sound which is a sound an output timing of which comes after start of playing by the music data. In the case where a first input is performed when or after the output timing of the target sound comes, the game apparatus outputs the target sound. On the other hand, in the case where a second or later input is performed after the output timing of the target sound comes, the game apparatus determines a pitch of an ad-lib sound, and outputs the ad-lib sound at the determined pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Junya Osada
  • Patent number: 7690993
    Abstract: A game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU generates a game Background Music (BGM) corresponding to a proceeding situation of a game, and etc. The CPU selects data, from a main memory conductor, according to the proceeding of the game, and etc., and generates BGM data regarding one or more track data included in the conductor data. When generating the BGM data, rhythm data, within a rhythm group designated by the track data, is selected in predetermined order or at random, and phrase data, within the same designated phrase group, is selected at random. Then, the BGM data is generated from the selected rhythm data and the phrase data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Mitsuhiro Hikino
  • Publication number: 20090312106
    Abstract: When a music performance game starts, the user selects a part to be assigned to himself/herself. When the selection of the assigned part is completed, an ensemble starts. When the ensemble starts, the user can participate in the ensemble by performing an input operation corresponding to the assigned part. During the ensemble, history data representing the user's musical performances in chronological order is generated and stored in an external main memory. When the ensemble ends, the user can play again, changing assigned parts. At this time, as for the part currently selected by the user, the instrument is played based on the user's input, while the history data representing the user's current musical performances in chronological order is generated. Of the other parts, as for the parts that the user has selected earlier, the instruments are played automatically based on the history data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Yuichiro OKAMURA, Kazumi Totaka, Junya Osada
  • Publication number: 20090199698
    Abstract: A musical piece correction apparatus corrects a sounding timing (note-on timings) of a sound constituting apart of a musical piece. First, the musical piece correction apparatus reads, from storage means, music performance data indicating sounding timings in the musical piece. Next, the musical piece correction apparatus sets a plurality of reference timings (grids) in a performance period of the musical piece, and sets, for each reference timing, a reference period (area) including said each reference timing. At this point, from among sounding timings included in the reference period, a nearest sounding timing to said each reference timing is selected, and the selected sounding timing is corrected so as to coincide with said each reference timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Yuichiro Okamura
  • Publication number: 20090090234
    Abstract: The game apparatus stores music data which indicates at least a pitch of each of sounds which form a melody of a predetermined piece of music and an output timing to output each of the sounds. The game apparatus sequentially detects, among the sounds included in the music data, a target sound which is a sound an output timing of which comes after start of playing by the music data. In the case where a first input is performed when or after the output timing of the target sound comes, the game apparatus outputs the target sound. On the other hand, in the case where a second or later input is performed after the output timing of the target sound comes, the game apparatus determines a pitch of an ad-lib sound, and outputs the ad-lib sound at the determined pitch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Applicant: Nintendo Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Junya Osada
  • Patent number: 6908386
    Abstract: Character data including an image generation program, image data, a sound program, and sound data, which are previously determined for each of characters used in a game, is stored in a game device 10. A controller 12 having a built-in tilt sensor 12c is connected to the game device, and operated by a player performing a tilt operation. The image generation program and the sound program concurrently process the image data and the sound data, respectively, using the same tilt data output from the tilt sensor. As a result, an image and sound of the character are concurrently changed in accordance with the tilt operation of the controller. Thus, it is possible to provide the game device enhancing the realism and the staging effects of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Suzuki, Kazumi Totaka, Yoji Inagaki
  • Publication number: 20040214638
    Abstract: A game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU generates a game BGM corresponding to a proceeding situation of a game, and etc. The CPU selects from a main memory conductor data according to the proceeding of the game, and etc., and generates BGM data regarding one or more track data included in the conductor data. In a case of generating the BGM data, rhythm data within a rhythm group designated by the track data is selected in predetermined order or at random, and phrase data within the same designated phrase group is selected at random. Then, the BGM data is generated from the selected rhythm data and the phrase data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazumi Totaka, Mitsuhiro Hikino
  • Publication number: 20030216179
    Abstract: Character data including an image generation program, image data, a sound program, and sound data, which are previously determined for each of characters used in a game, is stored in a game device 10. A controller 12 having a built-in tilt sensor 12c is connected to the game device, and operated by a player performing a tilt operation. The image generation program and the sound program concurrently process the image data and the sound data, respectively, using the same tilt data output from the tilt sensor. As a result, an image and sound of the character are concurrently changed in accordance with the tilt operation of the controller. Thus, it is possible to provide the game device enhancing the realism and the staging effects of the game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Inventors: Toshiaki Suzuki, Kazumi Totaka, Yoji Inagaki