Topic: New Patents recently granted to Yamaha Corporation dealing with keyboards...🎹

[keynote]

Here are some recent patents applied for and granted to Yamaha that have to do with keyboards in some fashion.

The Abstract information regarding the filings for the patents is difficult to decipher, but any suggestions or interpretations are always welcome and appreciated.

Sound signal generation device, keyboard instrument, and sound signal generation method
Patent number: 11222618
Abstract: A sound signal generation device according to one embodiment includes a memory storing instructions, and a processor that implements the instructions and execute a plurality of tasks, including a signal generation task that generates a sound signal based on first operation data corresponding to an operation to a key, and an attenuation control task that controls an attenuation velocity of the sound signal to one of a first velocity or a second velocity that is faster than the first velocity, based on the first operation data, and second operation data corresponding to an operation to a pedal, wherein the attenuation control task varies a value of the second velocity based on an operation velocity of the key included in the first operation data to control the attenuation velocity of the sound signal to the second velocity.
Type: Grant
Filed: February 25, 2020
Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
Inventor: Michiko Tanoue

Electronic keyboard
Patent number: D930066
Type: Grant
Filed: June 29, 2020
Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
Inventor: Toshihide Suzuki

Toshihide Suzuki desinged the MX49 and MX61 (2012). Perhaps he is now in charge of designing the Genos2 or Montage2?

Lamp with keyboard
Patent number: D930739
Type: Grant
Filed: May 8, 2017
Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
Inventor: Piotr Tomasz Stolarski

Perhaps this Lamp will be used in conjunction with keyboard(s) in order to see better in dim-lit venues?

Sound signal generation device, sound signal generation method and non-transitory computer readable medium storing sound signal generation program
Patent number: 10978031
Abstract: A sound signal generation device comprises a first signal generation instructor and a second signal generation instructor. The first signal generation instructor provides an instruction for generating a key depression sound signal corresponding to a key depression at the time of the key depression based on key operation information corresponding to an operation of each key of a keyboard. The second signal generation instructor provides an instruction for generating a key release sound signal according to a manner of a key release at the time of the key release based on the key operation information.
Type: Grant
Filed: October 2, 2019
Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
Inventor: Masahiko Hasebe

I'm not too sure what to make of this one, but do you think it could be a new method of Seamless Sound Transition/Switching for the Genos2 and other Yamaha keyboards? The Montage currently has seamless sound switching implemented through software, but it only allows a total of "8" sounds, making it rather limiting in nature. Could this be a new way of implementing Seamless Sound Switching/Transition on future Yamaha keyboards that provides a much better solution than what's currently on the Montage?

All the best,
Mike

[soundphase]

Thank you. Interesting.

For me, the "sound signal  generation devices" are core algorithms.
Difficult to know precisely when and why they are used as the features seem quite generic.

But my english is not enough good to correctly understand what is written.

[mixermixer]

Lamp with keyboard isn't something new, they did this with the PSR9000pro. Sound switching, maybe both voice and style? I know in T2 there was bad transition of sounds when still playing the key note.

[mikf]

A surprising number of patents are applied for by corporations, not so much because they plan to implement soon, but as a 'just in case' to prevent future blocking by competitor patents. Or even to have something to 'trade' in case there might be competitor patents you find it difficult to get round.
The idea of patents that are groundbreaking and gather massive royalty payments or big lawsuits are actually much rarer than people think. Big corporations do patent negotiation with competitors all the time. 
 Its a strategic thing, and I have pushed patents through many times for these reasons rather than something startling we were about to do. So you can never read too much into these patents as a likely keyboard design feature you may see from Yamaha soon. it might be.. it might not be.
Mike

[pjd]

D930739 is a design patent. Yamaha's design patents usually cover the industrial design of a specific product. Without too much effort, one can find the design patents for Montage, MODX, etc.

D930066 is the design patent covering the industrial design of the current YC stage organ series. There are views for all three models (61, 73, 88).

Mostly, Yamaha's design patents are intended to prevent a (low-cost) competitor from ripping off the overall visual design of Yamaha products. Yamaha put a lot of time, money and effort into industrial design and, in some cases, have won industry awards.

Toshihide Suzuki is chief designer in Yamaha Design Laboratory, which has responsibility for industrial product design.

-- pj

P.S. Thanks for posting these, BTW. 

[pjd]

11222618 is a method to improve damper pedal emulation, i.e., to have a digital piano respond in a more life-like way to damper pedal gestures. I can't get too excited about this one. BTW, Yamaha has a zillion patents on their piano-action keybed designs.

10978031 is kind of cool. It describes a keybed where each key has different touch zones and possibly, a display device of some sort. The tone generator responds to finger gestures, i.e., perhaps applying an articulation. (Think "Roli")

As Mike sez, you may never see this stuff in an actual product. Yamaha has many patents covering combined audio/MIDI auto-accompaniment and we ain't seen any of that. [Yet?] 

-- pj

[keynote]

Thanks for all your comments and insights. It seems Yamaha may be slow-walking the release of both the Montage2 & Genos2 since we aren't seeing any concrete evidence of any new blockbuster patent technologies that could signal a possible timeline for the release of a new Genos2 and/or Montage2. I remember back in the day Yamaha was granted a patent for the Revo Drum technology approximately a year or so (if my memory serves me correctly) before the Genos was released to the public.

Since nothing of the sort has been revealed from any new patent applications from Yamaha, that I can tell, it could either mean the Genos2 won't be the torpedo ship-destroying gangbuster we anticipate or it might be we're looking at another 3 or 4 years before the Genos2 and/or Montage2 rolls off the assembly line? Yamaha waited two whole years after the Korg Pa4X was released to finally release the Genos. Yamaha Corporation of America's new President Tom Sumner was instructed by his Japanese mentor that slow-walking various product releases is more practical from a business standpoint and that this philosophy would be the new business model going forward. Boy was he not kidding! >> Five years and no Genos2. Six years and no Montage2.   It seems Korg is also going that route since Korg waited SEVEN years to release the Pa5X.

The good news is that the Genos is basically still at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to actual sound quality/authenticity (in most categories) but not so much regarding technology. New technology i.e. Seamless Sound Switching (for Arrangers), USB3/HDMI, S.Art3, VH3, Audio Style Backing - Ketron Event, etc., are a big factor in consumer-driven sales. So if Yamaha does wait for another 3 or 4 more years (or 6 or 7 more years) before releasing the Genos2 and/or Montage2 at least will be in good hands sound-wise as long as our Genos' keep working okay and power on okay. But with the Genos having a less-than-stellar build quality, in my opinion, (Made in China), no offense to any Chinese members, but China has/had a reputation, that still lingers, of making inferior products including electronics. China has improved substantially over the years and I think if the Genos2 and Montage2 are made in China we can probably expect top-notch build quality because of that improvement over time i.e. 5/6 years, etc. since Genos/Montage was released. PS: I think the current Montage is made in Japan but I'm not positive.

All the best,
Mike

[pjd]

Yamaha have chosen to be an international manufacturer of electronic musical instruments.

They do not manufacturer instruments off-shore in a willy-nilly manner, i.e., out-sourcing to any old Joe Blow operation. Instruments are usually made in a Yamaha owned/controlled factory such as Tianjin Yamaha Electronic Musical Instruments, Inc.

These factories (most likely) use printed circuit board (PCB) assembly equipment which is designed and made by Yamaha itself. Yamaha sells PCB assembly equipment as one of its "side" businesses. I suspect they qualify incoming components because ultimately Yamaha bears financial responsibility for warranty service.

So, I do not regard Yamaha's Chinese manufactured products as any less than its domestic (Japanese) made instruments, or Indian made instruments, for that matter.

Montage is made in Japan, MODX in China, Reface in China and PSS in India. I don't detect any difference or degradation in quality between Genos, MODX, Reface or PSS -- owning and playing all of these myself.

You may not like the Genos design choices made by Yamaha regarding use of certain materials or whatever, but that cannot be ascribed to Chinese manufacturing per se. Those design choices are made explicitly by Yamaha Japan.

I doubt if Yamaha's corporate culture let's very much fall outside its control.

My two cents -- pj

[Amwilburn]

Very cool, thanks!

From the original post, I also found in 2021 Michiko Tanoue also seems to have developed a new type of key sensor?

https://www.sumobrain.com/patents/wipo/Displacement-sensor-electronic-musical-instrument/WO2021193389A1.html

I don't know patent jargon though; that could be for a digital piano or even hybrid acoustic /digital key.

[Lee Batchelor]

I agree with PJ. You can ask China to build top of the line products if you're willing to pay for it. Like everyone else, they have a tiered system from cheap garbage up to the best. It's the customer (Yamaha in this case) who dictates the level of quality they want.

My thoughts are, Yamaha said, "Give us the best internal components money can by. As for the case and buttons, we don't care. Do what you want." They did.

[keynote]

My thoughts are, Yamaha said, "Give us the best internal components' money can buy. As for the case and buttons, we don't care. Do what you want." They did.

LOL!! That's one way of looking at it, Lee. The reason Yamaha and other companies/corporations make their products in China is of course they save tons of money on the labor end of things and on many of the components. China is catching up to the quality you find in German/Japanese/USA made products, since it is in China's vested interest to do so if they want a strong booming economy, which of course benefits the overall population of China. In other words, if China or any other country continued to sell sub-par products, that country or countries would be at or near the bottom of the totem pole in overall sales volume because most people want great to outstanding quality in the products they purchase and at a reasonable price if possible. BTW, I have nothing against China or the Chinese people. I bought a Genos, didn't I?  Hopefully, the Genos2 will raise the bar in terms of overall build quality, especially since it will cost an arm and a leg, perhaps both.