US4665790A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pitch identification device
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1985-10-09
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Granted: 1987-05-19
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Expires: 2005-10-09
Abstract
Abstract A transducer receives notes from a musical instrument and converts them into a A.C. signals. The signals are passed to a frequency voltage converter which outputs a D.C. voltage representative of the played note. This voltage is converted to a voltage range indicative of the highest octave of interest and is then divided by a D.C. voltage representing true pitch. This division is then representative of the number of cents between the played note and the true pitch.
Inventors
- 👤 Stanley Rothschild
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:15
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10G; G10G7/00; G10G7/02; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S84/00; Y10S84/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
A device for determining the pitch of a sound, comprising: means for outputting a D.C. voltage representing said pitch of said sound; means for providing individual D.C. voltages representative, respectively, of true tone pitches; means for dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said sound pitch by one of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch; means for determining whether the result of said division is within a predetermined range and causing said providing means to provide another of said D.C. voltages representative of another true pitch if said result of said division is outside of said predetermined range; and means for displaying the result of said division.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
108 words
A device for determining the pitch of a sound, comprising: means for outputting a D.C. voltage representing said pitch of said sound; means for providing individual D.C. voltages representative, respectively, of true tone pitches; means for dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said sound pitch by one of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch; means for determining whether the result of said division is within a predetermined range and causing said providing means to provide another of said D.C. voltages representative of another true pitch if said result of said division is outside of said predetermined range; and means for displaying the result of said division.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 further including means for increasing the voltage of said D.C. voltage representing the pitch of said sound to a voltage range representing a highest octave of interest.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
75 words
A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said increasing means comprises a gain controllable amplifier receiving said D.C. voltage representative of the pitch of said sound and having an output, a counter for incrementally increasing the gain of said gain controllable amplifier, and means for determining whether the output of said amplifier is within said predetermined range and increasing the count in said counter if said output is not within said predetermined range.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said gain controllable amplifier has a gain G defined as follows: G=2 N , where N=0 to 7.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for providing D.C. voltage representative of true tone pitches comprises a gain controllable amplifier having an input receiving a D.C. voltage representative of one true pitch, and means for incrementally increasing the gain of said gain controllable amplifier in response to the output of said determining means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said gain controllable amplifier has a gain G defined as follows: G=2 K/12 , where K=0 to 11.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said count in said counter represents a pitch, and display means for displaying the pitch represented by said count.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
113 words
A method for determining the pitch of a sound comprising: outputting a D.C. voltage representing said pitch; producing individual D.C. voltages representative, respectively, of true tone pitches; dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said sound pitch by one of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch; determining whether the result of said division is within a predetermined range and dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said pitch by another of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch if said result of said division is outside of said predetermined range; repeating said determining step until the result of said division is within said predetermined range; and displaying the result of said division.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
113 words
A method for determining the pitch of a sound comprising: outputting a D.C. voltage representing said pitch; producing individual D.C. voltages representative, respectively, of true tone pitches; dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said sound pitch by one of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch; determining whether the result of said division is within a predetermined range and dividing said D.C. voltage representative of said pitch by another of said D.C. voltages representative of a true pitch if said result of said division is outside of said predetermined range; repeating said determining step until the result of said division is within said predetermined range; and displaying the result of said division.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as set forth in claim 8 including the step of increasing the voltage of said D.C. voltage representing the pitch of said sound to a voltage range representing the highest octave of interest.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the step of increasing comprises incrementally increasing the count of a counter and incrementally increasing the gain of a gain controllable amplifier in response to the count of said counter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of providing individual D.C. voltages comprises providing a D.C. voltage representative of one true tone pitch, and incrementally amplifying said one D.C. voltage to produce said other D.C. voltages representative of true tone pitches.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-05-18 | 1990-11-17 | 1991-05-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-05-18 | 1994-11-17 | 1995-05-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-05-18 | 1998-11-17 | 1999-05-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |