Subject: [linux-audio-dev] control curve patent
From: Paul Barton-Davis (pbd_AT_Op.Net)
Date: Thu Nov 30 2000 - 18:13:00 EET
macromedia's patent: US5204969 (1993, but continues a patent from 1989)
Abstract:
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A hardware and software system and method for a personal computer
such as the Macintosh allows recording, editing, and playback of
sound. The system includes a sound editor which displays sound
waveforms, and permits the user to mix together several
simultaneously displayed waveforms, and to change the pitch and
amplitude of one part of each waveform by means of a novel screen
display.
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Claim:
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We claim:
1. A device for editing sounds comprising:
a memory for storing a sound waveform;
a display for visually displaying the stored waveform;
an editor for editing the appearance of a predetermined portion of the
visually displayed waveform by manipulation of said visually displayed
waveform; and
means for changing the sound waveform stored in the means for storing
in accordance with changes made in the visually displayed waveform by
the editor;
wherein the memory stores a digital representation of the waveform,
and the display displays an analog representation of the waveform; and
wherein the display comprises a display displaying the amplitude of
the waveform along a first associated axis and time along a second
associated axis;
wherein the editor comprises:
means for displaying a sound characteristics control line adjacent to
the displayed waveform; and
means for displacing at least one segment of the sound characteristics
control line adjacent to the portion of the displayed waveform;
wherein the editor comprises mean for altering a specified
characteristic of a portion of the stored waveform corresponding to
the portion of the displayed waveform adjacent to the displaced line
segment.
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thats a pretty broad patent if you ask me. does anyone have any actual
prior art that could be used to invalidate this ? i don't have the
financial motive to use bountyquest for this ...
BTW if you're into the absurd patent stuff: US6081262 (macromedia got
a patent for a system "to create multimedia presentations" *this
year*).
--p
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