- Rockin’ Patent: US Patent No. 7,680,788
- Filed: 8 August 2003
- In the name of: Concert Technology Corp
- Title: Music Search Engine
- What’s claimed: ”A method for encoding music for searching, the method comprising the steps of: generating a database of a plurality of songs; assigning an index value for each note of at least a portion of each of a plurality of songs in the song database; generating a difference sequence by calculating a difference of the index values between successive notes of each of the plurality of songs; inputting a sequence of notes; assigning an index value for each note of at least a portion of the input sequence; generating an input difference argument by calculating a difference of the index values between every two successive notes of at least a portion of the input sequence; and searching the database to find the song with the difference sequence exactly matching the difference argument; comparing hit number of exact matches between the difference argument and the difference sequences of the songs in the database to a predetermined threshold number; and performing a near search when the hit number is smaller than the predetermined threshold number.”
- Why this patent rocks: This patent involves a music search engine that can find songs. Users have the option to search by music (notes), song attributes, or song patterns. The engine is used typically with a MIDI instrument or a keyboard/mouse to enter notes but also can be used by singing or humming a melody into a voice instrument (microphone). The method can identify the closest match for songs even when the note sequence contains mistakes or is in the wrong key.
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The information above is for general interest and information only and does not constitute legal advice.
