USOO846.5366B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8.465,366 B2 Applewhite et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jun. 18, 2013 (54) BIASINGA MUSICAL PERFORMANCE 556; s 12 2. REuShida et al. INPUT TO A PART 4,295.406 A 10, 1981 Smith D262,017 S 1 1/1981 Frakes, Jr. (75) Inventors: Douglas Robert Applewhite, Waltham, D265,821 S 8, 1982 OR cal. MA (US); Christopher Joseph Foster, (Continued) Belmont, MA (US); Joshua Forrest Stoddard, Arlington, MA (US); Sylvain FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Dubrofsky, Somerville, MA (US) AT 468071 T 6, 2010 AU 200194329 10, 2001 (73) Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., (Continued) Cambridge, MA (US) OTHER PUBLICATIONS (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this “Karaoke Revolution.” In Wikipedia. Online Encyclopedia. patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Wikipedia, Retrieved from the Internet: <URL: http://en.wikipedia. U.S.C. 154(b) by 448 days. org/wiki/Karaoke Revolution>, 5 pages (retrieved on Aug. 3, 2010). (21) Appl. No.: 12/474,811 (Continued) (22) Filed: May 29, 2009 Primary Examiner – Matthew W Such 9 Assistant Examiner — Robert Carpenter (65) Prior Publication Data (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. US 2010/0304863 A1 Dec. 2, 2010 (51) Int. Cl (57) ABSTRACT A6 F /24 (2006.01) Described are methods, systems, and apparatuses, including A63F 3/00 (2006.01) computer program products, for biasing a musical perfor GIOH L/36 (2006.01) mance input of a player of a rhythm-action game to a part in (52) U.S. Cl the game. In one aspect this is accomplished by providing, by USPG 463/36: 463/43: 847610 a game platform, a history of a degree of matching between a (58) Field fo - - - - - ificati- - - - - -s - - - - - - h s s prior music performance input data and a prior music data ise." SS tota 37: 84/477 R 610, 619 associated with a first part in a musical composition. Then, on S licati - - - - - file? i t s hhi t s a display, a plurality of target music data, each associated with ee appl1cauon Ille Ior complete searcn n1Story. a respective part in the musical composition, is displayed, (56) References Cited with one of the plurality being associated with the first part. Music performance input data is received by the game plat U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS form via an input device. Such as a microphone, and, based on the history, the received music performance input is assigned 3.430,530 A 3, 1963 Fletcher D211,666 S 7/1968 MacGillavry to the target music data of the plurality that is associated with 3,897,711 A 8/1975 Elledge the first part. D245,038 S 7, 1977 Ebata et al. 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