Patents by Inventor Mamoru Kimpara

Mamoru Kimpara 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: 5310962
    Abstract: An acoustic control apparatus which can be applied to an electronic musical instrument controls the acoustics of a musical tone to be generated in response to variation of an image. In order to detect the variation of an image, the acoustic control apparatus extracts a predetermined image element from image information to be given thereto. This image element can be identified as movement of an image, color of image or an outline of image. The color of an image can be detected by detecting hue and/or number of colors in the image. In addition, in response to periodicity in variation of this image element, a performance tempo of musical tone can be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimpara, Takeshi Adachi
  • Patent number: 5233521
    Abstract: An automatic performance apparatus includes a memory for storing performance data which is generated by an external unit such as an electronic musical instrument having a keyboard. The apparatus includes a measuring unit for measuring the elapsed time of a progressive tune, and a ratio computing unit for computing a time ratio between the measured elapsed time and the total time required to read out all the performance data. This time ratio is displayed to the user. Further, a jump control unit employs the time ratio to determine a jump amount in a fast-forward and fast-rewind mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Kimpara
  • Patent number: 5177311
    Abstract: The musical tone control apparatus includes at least a sensor for detecting a movement of a player and a control circuit for controlling a tone element of a musical tone to be generated based on the detected movement of the player. The sensor may be equipped within a stick or mounted at predetermined portion of the player. As the movement of the player, the sensor can detect a swinging angle of a player's arm, an acceleration applied thereto or a distance between a player's hand and a predetermined object such as a wall. As the tone element of the musical tone, the control circuit controls a tone color, a tone pitch or a tone volume of the musical tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Suzuki, Mamoru Kimpara, Masao Sakama, Akira Nakada, Masahiko Obata
  • Patent number: 5159140
    Abstract: An acoustic control apparatus which can be applied to an electronic musical instrument controls the acoustics of a musical tone to be generated in response to variation of an image. In order to detect the variation of an image, the acoustic control apparatus extracts a predetermined image element from image information to be given thereto. This image element can be identified as movement of image, color of an image or an outline of image. The color of image can be detected by detecting hue and/or number of colors in the image. In addition, in response to periodicity in variation of this image element, a performance tempo of musical tone can be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimpara, Takeshi Adachi
  • Patent number: 5127301
    Abstract: The wear for controlling a musical tone consists of a wear worn by a player, a main body and at least one detector for detecting a certain movement of the player. The main body is mounted at a player's waist, and the detector is mounted at a player's joint by use of a mounting member such as a plane fastener. Hence, the mounting position of the detector can be freely adjusted. The main body and the detector are connected by use of wires which may be sewed in the wear. In addition, the detector may constitute a supporter which can be freely mounted at the player's joint. When the detector detects the movement of the player, such as a bending angle of the player's joint, a tone pitch, a tone volume or a tone color of the musical tone to be generated is controlled based on the detected movement of the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Suzuki, Mamoru Kimpara, Masao Sakama, Akira Nakada
  • Patent number: 5005459
    Abstract: A musical tone visualizing apparatus includes at least an image memory for storing plural images relating to players and/or musical instruments of an orchestra, a display unit for displaying the images on a display screen thereof and a display control circuit for controlling the display unit so that displayed images can be varied in response to an inputted musical tone signal or inputted performance information outputted from an electronic musical instrument, for example. Hence, it is possible to move the players and musical instruments in response to performance of the electronic musical instrument, and it is also possible to selectively enlarge one display image of the player and musical instrument whose tone volume is the largest. Thus, the displayed images can be automatically varied in response to the performance of the electronic musical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Adachi, Kotaro Mizuno, Shigeru Yamada, Hideo Suzuki, Mamoru Kimpara
  • Patent number: 5001959
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a performance operating member, a sound source unit, an assignment information memory, a control information register and a determining unit. The sound source unit generates a plurality of rhythm tones. The assignment information memory stores assignment information representing a type of rhythm tone assigned to the performance operating member. The control information register registers the assignment information in the assignment information memory in response to a manual operation of a performer. The determining unit determines a rhythm tone to be assigned to the performance operating member in accordance with a number of operation times of the performance operating member in relation to an operation of the control information register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1991
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Kimpara
  • Patent number: 4932303
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a performance operating member, a performance operation detection unit, a self vibration detection data forming unit, a tone generation control unit, and a tone signal generator. The performance operation detection unit forms performance operation detection data corresponding to an operation amount of the performance operating member. When the performance operation detection data of the performance operating member is obtained, the self vibration detection data forming unit forms self vibration detection data determined by a performance operation mounted based on previous performance operation detection data obtained by a previous performance operation of the performance operating member and by a first lapse time interval from when previous performance operation detection data were obtained until a present time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Kimpara
  • Patent number: 4924745
    Abstract: An automatic performance recording apparatus for storing performance data for an automatic performance in a performance data memory means such as a RAM is disclosed. In order to allow easy and appropriate recording and correction of performance data, according to this invention, a specific recording mode for starting recording in synchronism with generation of first key-on data indicating generation of a musical tone is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimpara, Tetsuji Ichiki
  • Patent number: 4862784
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument providing a key area dividing unit and a tone area changing unit divides the whole key area of a keyboard into melody key area and accompaniment key area when a diving mode is designated by a player. A tone area of tone pitch information which is generated from each key area can be arbitrarily determined or changed by a manual operation of player. In addition, several kinds of tone colors are respectively assigned to plural tone color switches so that the player can select any one of the tone colors by operating one of plural tone color switches. Based on the selected tone color and tone pitch information, a musical tone signal can be generated in each key area of keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1989
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Kimpara