Method and apparatus for facilitating group musical interaction over a network
US6353174B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 10, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 10, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Described are a system and method for achieving near real-time musical collaboration by a group of users using computers connected by a network. Each computer system plays a stream of musical data to each user. The musical data stream played to each user corresponds to the musical collaboration produced by the users. The playing of the musical data streams is staggered such that each user is located at a different time in the musical collaboration than every other user. This staggering separates any two users by a temporal offset that exceeds the maximum time required to transmit musical data from one user to another user over the network. Each user is allowed to modify the portion of the musical data stream that is currently being played to that user. Such musical data modifications are transmitted to other users over the network to become incorporated into the musical data streams played to those other users. Because the musical data streams are staggered by a temporal offset that exceeds the maximum latency of the network, those other users to receive the musical data modifications with sufficient time to incorporate them into the locally played musical data streams.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.