TikTok mum or dad firm ByteDance (and its associates) are prolific inventors.
Bloomberg Regulation reported in March that the corporate has over 900 lively patents within the US alone with 600 pending. And based on Insights Gate, ByteDance had over 9,000 patents globally as of October 2023, 7,553 of that are lively.
MBW has reported extensively on the corporate’s music-related patents so far. In August 2022, for instance, we broke the information that TikTok owned a patent within the US for a music service; a yr later, TikTok launched its premium music streaming platform, now often called TikTok Music.
In March, we ran two reviews investigating ByteDance and its mysterious affiliate Lemon Inc.’s analysis into AI music.
Right now we will reveal one in every of ByteDance’s newest patent functions in the US – which seems to explain an digital gadget that may play music.
The applying, filed within the US in December 2023 and noticed by MBW, is titled: “Methodology and gadget for music play”.
The submitting appears to be a continuation of an software initially filed in 2022 in China for a similar invention.
That software can be at present pending. The pending US model was printed in April.
Within the abstract part of the doc, which you’ll learn in full right here, ByteDance explains: “Customers might play music by digital units” however “the music play mode of the standard music apps [offer a] lack of flexibility, and due to this fact the play impact is unhappy” [sic].
ByteDance explains that “the primary facet” of its invention is a “technique for music play” comprising a “goal software for enjoying music” and an “interface” that features an “operation management for enhancing a play impact of the music by at the least one processing, the processing getting used for representing music content material in a far more than sound”.
The second facet of the invention describes “an equipment for music play”, which options an “interface together with an operation management for enhancing a play impact of the music” and “for representing music content material in a far more than sound.”
ByteDance describes the third facet of the invention as an “digital gadget comprising at the least one processor and reminiscence.”
The doc describes a tool and software that characteristic a flashing gentle supply, a flashing display, and vibration capabilities which are all impacted by adjustments in music playback.
ByteDance explains that “attributes” such vibration, in addition to flashing frequency, brightness, and colour of the sunshine supply and display “might relate to the beat level within the music, a change level of a voice within the music, and a change level of an instrument sound within the music.”
“Attributes corresponding to flashing frequency, brightness, and colour of the sunshine supply might relate to the music, for instance, the attributes might relate to the beat level within the music, a change level of a voice within the music, and a change level of an instrument sound within the music.”
Bytedance patent submitting
The corporate provides within the submitting: “The change level of the voice and/or the instrument sound might embody a quantity change level, a timbre change level, and a tone change level.”
These options, together with flashing lights and vibration that correspond to the music, “might be fastened, or randomly set, or pre-set by a corresponding operation management”.
ByteDance says within the submitting that the vibration characteristic is “carried out based on the vibration depth”, for instance, “the bigger the time interval, the smaller the vibration depth.”
In the meantime, “the smaller the time interval, the larger the vibration depth.” (This feels like the best way a Ps or X Field controller vibrates throughout gameplay.)
“On this method, the vibration impact could also be extra versatile and the expertise of having fun with the music could also be enhanced for the person,” the submitting says.
The picture (Determine 3) under reveals an interface that features the title of a observe, lyrics, and an space for controlling the playback which seems to characteristic obtain, like, search, and share buttons.
Determine 4, in the meantime, reveals extra capabilities, together with a sleep timer, ‘stealth settings’, a ‘favourites’ button and an “Thrilling” mode button, which the submitting explains “can improve the play impact of the music” with flashing lights, a flashing display and vibration, for instance.
A wise gadget manufactured by ByteDance that may play music isn’t that far-fetched an idea.
In 2020, the corporate launched the educational-focused Dali good lamp with a contact display in China for folks to attach with their youngsters remotely through a cell app.
The diagram of ByteDance’s proposed invention above additionally seems to point out a ‘Music for Kids’ part. Music-enabled good units for kids are large enterprise proper now.
Simply final week, Mark Zuckerberg and his spouse’s funding fund joined a $22 million funding spherical for youths audio platform Yoto.
As we talked about at first of this text, ByteDance subsidiary TikTok additionally has a US patent, which you’ll learn right here, for a “Methodology of enabling digital music content material to be downloaded to and used on a conveyable wi-fi computing gadget”. TikTok additionally runs a Premium music service (and Spotify rival) in Indonesia, Brazil Australia, Mexico and Singapore.
Might ByteDance be planning to launch an iPod-like gadget loaded with TikTok Music that may show lyrics and a light-weight present that performs in sync with the music?
Who is aware of. Watch this area…Music Enterprise Worldwide
