Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control... – Control of information signal processing channel
Reexamination Certificate
1996-03-05
2001-09-11
Hindi, Nabil (Department: 2651)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
Control of information signal processing channel
C369S032010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288991
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage media which store data in a predetermined format, to identifying data in the storage media, to storing the data in a predetermined format on the storage media, to reproducing the data stored on the storage media, to managing information using the storage media, and to utilizing the data stored on the storage media.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With a major technological advantage over other storage media in dynamic range, SN ratio, capacity, and portability, compact disks (CD) have been widely used as storage media for storing music data (audio data). Music software is, in most cases, stored on music CD (CD-DA) for sale.
The data format stored in the music CD is regulated by one of the international standards. Although there are a few international standards, they are based on the same data format. That is, the contents of the stored audio data, normally referred to as the TOC (table of contents), are written to the read-in area (the innermost track). The program area is provided outside the TOC to store audio data, etc. The program area is physically divided by tracks, and the TOC data refer to the total performance time, total number of the music pieces, and the performance time of each music piece, etc. Audio data of two channels (L and R) is written to each track in frame units. Data of one frame consists of a frame synchronization signal, a sub-code, audio data, a parity bit, etc.
The sub-code area consists of 8 bits, that is, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W. The P and Q bits of the area store the control data for the program functions such as detecting the start of each music piece, indicating the performance time, and playing music in a predetermined order. Although the audio data cannot be directly read from the music CD, the TOC data and the sub-code area data can be successfully read.
Normally, the music CDs only store the control data for use in reading audio data to play only music. Therefore, the music CDs are commonly used to only play the stored music and do not serve sufficiently when the user wants to learn the stored music because the user has to be provided with a memo of the words. The user also has to obtain from magazines or other information sources the information about the music stored on the music CD.
It seems to be indispensable for the music CDs to be designed to remove this inconvenience, further to allow the user to listen to the specified portion of the performance of the music, or to repeatedly listen to the specified portion of the performance.
The problems with the music CDs are also those with other CDs such as CD-Gs and the storage media providing various formats of data.
On the other hand, CDs are used as read-only memory (CD-ROM). Since the CD-ROM also has the above described advantage, it is widely utilized as the storage media for storing programs and data. Therefore, a CD-ROM drive (CD playback device) is incorporated into a desk-top personal computer as a standard component these days. With an increasing popularity of multimedia, a number of computers are originally equipped with sound sources.
The computers equipped with sound sources and CD playback devices are normally designed to play back music CDs. The music CDs are very popular music media used by people of all ages and cover various categories and a large number of music pieces in each category. Therefore, adding a function of multimedia as an element of amusement to the popularly used music CDs will ensure the strong upturn of the popularity and sales of the music CDs, thereby greatly contributing to enlarging the music market. The users have expected the functions to be easily added to the existing functions.
The above explanation has concentrated on the CDs because they are very popular storage media at present. If storage media other than the CDs, such as mini-disks (MDs), become popular in the market, then the similar request will be issued to the MDs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The first object of the present invention is to provide storage media which store audio data as user-oriented high-amusement media.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for playing back a storage medium extended in its usage format by providing added information about the contents of the storage medium when playing back the storage medium containing data in a certain format.
The third object of the present invention is to provide a data storage method on added information storage media assigned added information for the data stored on the data storage media such as a music CD, and information necessary to synchronously reproduce data from the data storage media and reproduce the added information, and to extend the use of the data storage media by synchronizing the reproduction of the added information and data stored on the added information storage media.
The storage media according to the present invention store added information corresponding to music CDs as a database. The storage media include CD-ROMs, MDs, magnetic disks, and optical magnetic disks. Reading the added information in the storage media allows the user to be provided with various information about the music CDs.
The usage of the storage media is to store data on one of the first and second storage media or the third storage medium, to read the data stored on the first and second storage media, and to read the data stored on the third storage medium. For example, if the first and second storage media are the same type, then the data on one storage medium is stored on the third storage medium of a different type, the data stored on the other storage medium is read, and the data stored on the third storage medium is read.
Thus, the data stored on the storage media can be used in an extended usage format to provide the user with another element of amusement. As a result, the storage media can be provided for the user as attractive amusement.
According to the automatic storage medium identifying method of the present invention, predetermined information is read from the storage medium, the read information is compared with predetermined storage medium data identification information, and the storage medium data is identified according to the comparison result.
The automatic storage medium identifying device according to the present invention consists of a reading unit for reading predetermined information from a storage medium; a comparing unit for comparing the predetermined information read by the reading unit with the storage medium identification information stored on the predetermined storage unit; and an identifying unit for identifying the difference in contents of the stored data according to the comparison result.
The automatic storage medium identifying device according to the present invention consists of a first reading unit for reading predetermined information stored in a predetermined data format on the storage medium; a second reading unit for reading identification information from a storage unit storing storage medium identification information; and an identifying unit for comparing the predetermined information read from the storage medium by the first reading unit with the storage medium identification information read by the second reading unit to identify a storage medium storing different data.
In the above described automatic storage medium identifying device, the predetermined data format stored on a storage medium should be sound data. When the storage medium is a music CD, the first reading unit reads the table-of-contents (TOC) data in the read-in area of the music CD. The identifying unit obtains from the TOC data read by the first reading unit at least the total performance time, total number of music pieces, and performance time of each music piece. Then, it sequentially compares the data with the identification information read from the storage medium by the second reading unit, and identifies the storage medium.
According to the automatic music CD identifying method of
Emori Yukikazu
Kajiyama Ryo
Sakazume Hitoshi
Tsutsui Seiji
Fujitsu Limited
Hindi Nabil
Staas & Halsey , LLP
LandOfFree
Storage medium playback method and device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Storage medium playback method and device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Storage medium playback method and device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2465795