Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-15
2003-08-05
Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2697)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
C369S047300, C369S053240, C369S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06603718
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dubbing apparatus and a dubbing method. More particularly, the invention relates to a dubbing apparatus and a dubbing method designed for copyright protection using functions to manage program data to be dubbed.
In recent years, CD players for playing back CDs (compact discs; registered trademark) have come into general use. Concurrently gaining widespread acceptance are disc media such as Mini-disc (MD; registered trademark) to and from which audio data are recorded and reproduced, as well as recording and reproducing apparatuses for handling such disc media. Today, audio systems combining an MD recorder/player addressing the MD with a CD player are receiving widespread use.
The MD recorder/player, CD player, and systems combining these devices manage audio data in units of so-called programs. In this specification, a program refers to a group of data recorded and managed as a data unit on the disc. Illustratively, one piece of music (generally known as a track) represents one program of audio data. In the description that follows, the words “programs” and “tracks” will be used interchangeably.
Audio systems of the above-described type are generally capable of what is known as dubbing recording, i.e., a procedure for recording audio data reproduced by a CD player onto an MD in an MD recorder/player. Some systems are designed to offer so-called high-speed dubbing so as to shorten the time of dubbing recording.
In high-speed dubbing mode, the CD player controls its disc drive control portion and its reproduced signal processing portion in such a manner as to reproduce data from a CD at a predetermined multiple-fold speed, i.e., a speed multiplying the standard speed by a predetermined value. On the side of the MD recorder/player, its recording circuit portion is controlled to operate in keeping with the multiple-fold playback speed for the CD in question so as to receive audio data from the CD player for recording onto an MD.
Illustratively, for equipment combining a CD player (reproducing apparatus) integrally with an MD recorder/player (recording apparatus), it is easy to control the two devices concurrently at the predetermined multiple-fold speed for high-speed dubbing. If the recording apparatus is physically separated from the recording apparatus, the two may still be connected via a control cable or the like for interactive communication therebetween, whereby operation of the two devices is readily controlled in synchronism for high-speed dubbing.
The act of dubbing involves duplicating copyrighted materials such as pieces of music and is thus regarded by those concerned as detrimental to copyright holders' benefits. From their point of view, dubbing is an act that should be discouraged and if possible prohibited.
The fact is that there is widespread practice of dubbing at speeds higher than the standard speed. That means there have been trends toward greater numbers of pieces of music (tracks) dubbed per unit time at higher speeds than at the standard speed.
Suppose that a user copies one CD or one of the pieces of music (tracks) on the CD onto MDs which are so numerous that they exceed the reasonably expected range of personal use, and that the user sells the multiplied MDs containing the same contents to third parties. This is a violation of copyrights.
In that case, if the user employs a high-speed dubbing function to copy pieces of music (tracks) to MDs at a higher speed, the MDs will be prepared more efficiently than if the copying is done at the standard speed. That is, the high-speed dubbing function can encourage the infringement of copyrights.
Under such circumstances, a standard called HCMS (High-speed Copy Management System) has been proposed. HCMS stipulates that when digital sound sources such as a CD are recorded at high speed to media such as MDs, any one track (piece of music) once dubbed at high speed is to be inhibited from being dubbed again at high speed for at least 74 minutes starting from the time the track in question began to be dubbed at high speed. The high-speed dubbing inhibited time is set for 74 minutes because the maximum playback time of a CD is nominally 74 minutes. In other words, high-speed dubbing is suppressed during the period of time required normally to play back an entire CD. This measure is designed to keep the efficiency of dubbing per track substantially the same as in standard-speed dubbing.
HCMS-compatible apparatuses are structured to ensure that any one track, once dubbed at high speed, will not be dubbed again at high speed within 74 minutes of the point in time at which the track in question began to be dubbed. One such HCMS-compatible apparatus proposed by this applicant is incorporated by reference in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/520,116 filed on Mar. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,022.
FIGS. 1A
,
1
B and
1
C are explanatory views showing how data reproduced from a CD are recorded to an MD at high speed.
FIG. 1A
indicates a remaining recordable time of the MD, i.e., the recordable capacity of the MD expressed in temporal terms.
FIG. 1B
depicts typical recorded contents of a CD which is a source of recording. In this example, at least seven tracks Tr
1
through Tr
7
, etc., are shown recorded on the CD.
It is assumed that the CD in
FIG. 1B
is played back in ascending order of track numbers starting from track Tr
1
and that the reproduced data are recorded at high speed to the MD shown in FIG.
1
A.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1A
, the remaining recordable time of the MD corresponds to the total playback time of tracks Tr
1
through Tr
5
plus the time it takes to reproduce data halfway through the next track Tr
6
on the CD.
When the recording is allowed to proceed until the recordable time of the MD is exhausted, each of the tracks Tr
1
through Tr
5
among those in
FIG. 1B
is fully recorded from start position to end position whereas the track Tr
6
is recorded only up to a halfway position.
As a result, under HCMS provisions, the tracks Tr
1
through Tr
6
are subject to HCMS management as shown in the lower part of FIG.
1
B. That is, the tracks Tr
1
through Tr
5
each fully accommodated by the MD are inhibited from getting dubbed again at high speed for at least 74 minutes from the time each track began to be recorded. The track Tr
6
, a part of which has been recorded, is also subject to HCMS management. As shown schematically in
FIG. 1C
, the track Tr
6
applicable to HCMS management is inhibited from getting recorded onto a newly loaded MD at high speed for the next 74 minutes.
When, according to HCMS requirements, the partially recorded track Tr
6
is also subject to HCMS management as shown in
FIG. 1B
, some inconveniences are bound to result as will be described below with reference to
FIG. 2A through 2C
and
3
A through
3
C.
FIG. 2A
shows part of the same recorded contents of the CD as those shown in FIG.
1
B.
FIG. 2B
schematically depicts MD-
1
, i.e., part of the same MD shown in FIG.
1
A.
Suppose that the data reproduced from the CD are recorded at high speed to MD-
1
as in the case of FIG.
1
A. In that case, the recordable capacity of MD-
1
is exhausted and the recording comes to an end when the track Tr
6
has been partially recorded.
Suppose now that the user wants to record the unrecorded portion of the CD shown in
FIG. 2A
to another MD within a relatively short time following the just-ended recording operation. Frequently such eventualities can occur in which the contents of one CD are desired to be recorded to a plurality of MDs.
In the situation depicted in
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, for example, the partially recorded track Tr
6
is an extra on MD-
1
, i.e., a portion not really necessary on that particular MD from the user's point of view. Usually the user wants to record the track Tr
6
in its entirety from the start position to a new MD at high speed.
However, having been partially recorded to MD-
1
, the track Tr
6
is now inhibited from getting recorded again soon afterwards at high speed under
Dorvil Richemond
Ortiz-Criado Jorge L.
Sony Corporation
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