Yamaha Corporation

Shinji Koezuka

Yutaka Hasegawa

Masaya Okura

Nobuo Tsunashima

Kosei Terada

Hiroyuki Iwase

Shinya Sakurada

Kazunobu Kondo

Youji Semba

Yasuo Kageyama

Mitsuru Fukui

Provided is an information-providing system whereby a variety of information can be provided using a sound to a portable terminal device used by a user. The information-providing system includes a sound output device outputting, as a sound wave, identifying information modulated into a sound signal, an identifying-information resolution server, connected to an information-communication network, for identifying, based on the identifying information, address information for accessing a content server connected to an information-communication network; and a portable terminal device including a sound receiving section for receiving the sound wave outputted by the sound-emitting device, a demodulating section for demodulating the identifying information from the received sound wave, a resolution section for sending the demodulated identifying information to the identifying-information resolution server and acquiring the address information, and an accessing section for accessing the content server using the acquired address information.

Information-providing system, portable terminal device, server, and program

A wireless access point superimposes establishment information used for establishing a wireless communication channel between a communication terminal and the own device on a sound signal, and emits a sound wave corresponding to the sound signal to a speaker. The communication terminal acquires the sound signal representing the sound wave detected by a microphone, and extracts the establishment information from the acquired sound signal. The communication terminal transmits the extracted establishment information to the wireless access point to establish the wireless communication channel between the communication terminal and the wireless access point, and conducts a communication through the established wireless communication channel.

Communication terminal, wireless device, provider server, and wireless communication system

A method is designed for evaluating contents provided in the form of a plurality of works from a server apparatus having a storage unit that stores a frequency of evaluation counted for each work, and a communication unit that communicates with a terminal apparatus where the evaluation of works is conducted. The method is carried out by the steps of receiving a request for a list of works to be evaluated from the terminal apparatus, determining an order of the works in the list according to the frequency of evaluation for each work, transmitting the list of the works arranged in the determined order to the terminal apparatus, thereby prompting the evaluation of the works in the list, and receiving a result of the evaluation from the terminal apparatus and updating the frequency of the evaluation for each work according to the result of the evaluation. Alternatively, the order of works to be presented to the terminal apparatus for the evaluation is determined according to a random number, thereby randomizing the order of the works.

Contents rating method

A method is designed for validating an entrance to an event site. The method is carried out by the steps of accessing to a ticket issue server through a network by a portable terminal device to request an issue of ticket data, accepting a request of the ticket data at the ticket issue server and transmitting the ticket data in place of a physical ticket to the portable terminal device in response to the request, and receiving the ticket data by the portable terminal device to reproduce the ticket data in a visible or audible form at the event site for validating of the entrance to the event site.

Method of validating entrance to event site

A music work filed for application through on-line transmission or the like is subjected to viewing/listening by audiences through plural kinds of media. The audiences make access to an internet homepage on an internet serverof the holder of the audition through a PC (personal computer)orand performs trial-listening of the music work. The audiences also view and/or listen to a live performance in a performance hall. Alternatively, the audiences may view and/or listen to a video performance of television broadcast. Evaluation data based on the results of viewing/listening is input on the internet homepage by the audiences through a PCor a portable communication terminal deviceon evaluation items conforming to the characteristics of the media. A music work is selected based on the above evaluation.

Method, system and recording medium for viewing/listening evaluation of musical performance

According to a time-scale modification method or apparatus, wave segments each having a prescribed cutting length are sequentially cut from original digital signal waves stored in a waveform memory and are then spliced together by way of cross-fading, so it is possible to realize time-scale modification (i.e., compression or expansion with respect to time) in accordance with a designated time-scale modification factor. Herein, time-scale modification parameters such as a cross-fade duration, a search start time and a search end time are produced in response to the designated time-scale modification factor. In addition, a cutting start position is used for cutting a next wave segment following a present wave segment. The cutting start time is determined within a period of time between the search start time and search end time in such a way that it is placed to provide a best similarity between the wave segments having prescribed portions which are connected with each other by way of cross-fading. Specifically, a back-end portion of the present wave segment and a top portion of the next wave segment are smoothly connected together by way of the cross-fading, wherein they have the same cross-fade duration. The cross-fade duration is controlled to be longer as the time-scale modification factor becomes greater or smaller than &ldquo;1&rdquo;. The cross-fading is actualized by a window function having different cross-fade coefficients, which are varied over a lapse of time and by which data of the prescribed portions of the wave segments are multiplied and mixed together.

Time-scale modification method and apparatus for digital signals

A server apparatus is provided for conducting an evaluation of a music piece with an external terminal apparatus. In the apparatus, a communication unit is used to exchange information with the external terminal apparatus. A first transmitting section transmits first prompt information to the external terminal apparatus through the communication unit, the first prompt information being effective to prompt a first evaluation of a music piece. A second transmitting section transmits inquiry information to the external terminal apparatus through the communication unit, the inquiry information inquiring whether or not to proceed with a second evaluation of the music piece. A receiving section receives request information from the external terminal apparatus in response to the inquiry information through the communication unit, the request information requesting the second evaluation. A third transmitting section transmits second prompt information to the external terminal apparatus in response to the request information through the communication unit, the second prompt information being effective to prompt the second evaluation of the music piece.

Server for use in rating of music contents

A time-axis compression/expansion system compresses or expands a multichannel signal at a specified compression/expansion rate. Waveform segments are sequentially cut out from each channel signal. A cutting starting point of a leading end portion of a waveform segment following each preceding waveform segment of the cut out waveform segments is determined commonly between the channel signals, based on two portions of a waveform of a synthesized signal formed by synthesizing the channel signals within a range of predetermined search parameters of the waveform of the synthesized signal. The two portions correspond to a time period over which cross-fading is to be carried out and are most similar to each other. The preceding waveform segment and the following waveform segment cut from each channel signal are spliced together by cross-fading a trailing end portion of the preceding waveform segment and the leading end portion of the following waveform segment.

Time-axis compression/expansion method and apparatus for multichannel signals

Supplied text data set is classified into any one of a plurality of categories in accordance with the substance of the supplied text data set, and a musical composition data set is selected or generated which corresponds to the category of the text data. Content information contains first position information indicative of a stored position, such as an URL, of the supplied text data set, and second position information indicative of a stored position, such as an URL, of the selected or generated musical composition data set. One set of the content may include a plurality of text data sets and a plurality of musical composition data sets, and these text data sets and musical composition data sets may be reproduced in sequence.

Apparatus and method for creating content comprising a combination of text data and music data

Sampled sound data is compressed with a vector quantizing technique and then transmitted via a communication line. Received sound data is decoded, compressed with an ADPCM technique, and then stored into a memory. In response to a request for reproduction, the ADPCM sound data is read out, decoded, and then sounded. As another example, in a karaoke device, sample sound data is supplied after being compressed with the vector quantizing technique, in addition to MIDI-form music performance data. A music sound is reproduced on the basis of the MIDI-form music performance data, and at the same time a sound is reproduced by decoding the vector-quantized sound data. As another example, in a karaoke device, data obtained by compressing sampled sound data with the vector quantizing technique is mixed with data obtained by compressing sampled data with the ADPCM technique, and in reproduction, a predetermined decoding process is executed after identifying with which of technique is compressed data to be reproduced. As still another example, in a game device, sampled sound data, of human voice, effect sound, etc. are prestored after being compressed with the vector quantizing technique, so that in accordance with progression of a game, the data are read out and decoded for reproductive sounding.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Shinji Koezuka