(19)
(11) EP 1 696 417 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
17.01.2007 Bulletin 2007/03

(43) Date of publication A2:
30.08.2006 Bulletin 2006/35

(21) Application number: 06012366.8

(22) Date of filing: 16.02.2000
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
G10H 1/00(2006.01)
H04K 1/00(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

(30) Priority: 16.02.1999 US 120717 P

(62) Application number of the earlier application in accordance with Art. 76 EPC:
00911842.3 / 1155402

(71) Applicant: Listen.Com, Inc.
San Francisco, CA 94103 (US)

(72) Inventor:
  • Bratton, Timothy
    Los Altos CA 94022 (US)

(74) Representative: McLeish, Nicholas Alistair Maxwell 
Boult Wade Tennant Verulam Gardens 70 Gray's Inn Road
London WC1X 8BT
London WC1X 8BT (GB)

   


(54) Audio synthesis using digital sampling of coded waveforms


(57) Method and system for audio synthesis of a digital data file representing an assembly of information-bearing sounds in digital form. One or more spaced apart data segments are designated as key blocks and are removed from the original data file. The remainder of the data file is encrypted or otherwise encoded and communicated to a selected recipient on a first channel. Locations, sizes and separation distances of key blocks from each other within the original data file and a selected portion of the encoding or encryption key are placed in a data supplement. The removed segments and data supplement (optional) are communicated to the selected recipient on a second channel and/or at another time. The original data file is recovered by using the data supplement information, or using already available information, decoding or decrypting the encoded or encrypted data file and replacing the removed segments within the data file remainder. Neither the remainder data file nor the removed segments plus data supplement is sufficient, by itself, to allow reproduction of the original data file. Each of the reminder data file and the removed segments plus data supplement can be distributed separately and subsequently combined when authorization or license to reproduce the sounds has been obtained.







Search report