Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-26
2004-05-18
Hudspeth, David (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738212
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technical art of an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and an information recording medium in which a program for information processing is recorded capable of being read by a computer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technical art of an information processing apparatus and method for processing the information as giving and receiving the information between a plurality of recording mediums, and an information recording medium in which a processing information program for performing the foregoing information processing is recorded capable of being read.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for example, an information processing apparatus such as a navigation equipment or the like to facilitate the movement of a vehicle is configured so that it performs the information processing such as a navigation processing or the like, which is predetermined for each type of this information processing apparatus by using information such as map information, which is recorded in a recording medium such as an optical disk or the like.
In the above described navigation equipment or the like, a read-only optical disk has been normally used as its recording medium. However, due to multi-function of these navigation equipments or the like in recent years, it has been often required that a user write the information which he/she desires on the optical disk. For example, he/she desires to write the music information or the like he/she desires to listen to, which is not related to the navigation processing, on the optical disk in addition to some information necessary for the navigation processing.
Alternatively, according to the conventional optical disk, after moving a pick up for detecting to a position on the optical disk where the desired information is recorded, it takes a certain time until detecting is started. Therefore, it has been required that a recording medium permits higher speed detecting of the desired information to quickly acquire the information while the vehicle is moving at high speed.
Consequently, in recent years, as a recording medium included in a navigation equipment, the study of the usage of a hard disk, which has large capacity storage capable of writing the information and retrieving the information at high speed, is becoming actively.
In this case, there are generally a lot of cases where the hard disks not less than two are connected to one navigation equipment or the like and the navigation processing or the like is performed while mutually identifying these hard disks to give and receive the information.
As the above described information which the user desires to record on the recording medium, concretely, for example, which is associated with the execution of the navigation processing, a position of a particular point where the user often visits, a passage to this particular point or a status of waiting at traffic lights (i.e., switching timing) on a road which the user frequently uses, are considered.
On the other hand, as the information which has been recorded originally in the recording medium other than the above described information which the user desires to record, for example, road information indicating the arrangement of roads, a name of an intersection on a road or map information or the like including one-way traffic information or the like are considered. However, it can be perceived that particularly, the road information, the name of the intersection or the like among these information are scheduled to be updated in accordance with new road improvement or the like.
As a method for updating these information, various methods can be considered. However, generally, it is a simple and reliable method that a navigation equipment is configured capable of being connected to a plurality of recording mediums, the necessary navigation processing or the like is used by the use of one recording medium, in which the original map information or the like is recorded, among these plural recording mediums, a connection portion to connect other recording medium is made an empty status (namely, a status that other recording medium is not connected), a new recording medium, in which the map information or the like after being updated is recorded, is loaded in the present empty connection portion upon updating the map information or the like, and after the loading, the map information or the like after being updated is used to perform the necessary navigation processing.
If this point is applied to a navigation equipment to use a hard disk as the recording medium, the navigation system is configured capable of connecting a plurality of hard disks with being replaceable. Then, the normal navigation processing or the like is performed by the use of one recording medium, in which the original map information or the like is recorded, among these plural recording mediums, and a new hard disk, in which the map information or the like after being updated is recorded, is loaded in the present empty connection portion upon updating the map information or the like.
In this case, after loading the present new hard disk, since the hard disk, in which the map information before updating is recorded, has no meaning to record the map information, it is desirable that this map information before updating is deleted and this hard disk is newly released as an empty area which is capable of being freely used (i.e., capable of recording and reproducing the information freely).
As another method, it is considered that a navigation equipment is configured capable of connecting a plurality of recording mediums and one recording medium, in which the original map information or the like has been recorded, among these plural recording mediums, is replaced with a new recording medium, in which the map information or the like after updating is recorded, so that the updating is performed.
Then, if this point is applied to a navigation equipment to use a hard disk as the recording medium, the navigation system is configured capable of connecting a plurality of hard disks with being replaceable, so that one recording medium, in which the original map information or the like is recorded, among these plural recording mediums is entirely replaced with a new hard disk, in which the map information or the like after being updated is recorded.
However, in order to make a hard disk, in which the map information or the like before updating is recorded, an empty area capable of being freely used as described above, if a conventional method is used, it becomes necessary that the user himself or herself operates the hard disk to release the entirety thereof.
In this case, since the conventional hard disk has some gigabytes of a recording capacity, if the entirety of the hard disk is released, it is needed to initialize the entirety thereof. Therefore, this involves a problem such that it takes an unnecessary time and unnecessary labor.
Further, as a result, this problem will be related to a problem such that convenience as a navigation equipment is deteriorated.
In addition, as described above, in the case of recording the information, which is made by the user from the point of the quick retrieval or the like, is recorded in a hard disk, in which the map information or the like is recorded, together with the present map information, there has been a problem such that the information made by the user is lost as well as the hard disk is replaced.
Further, in the case that the amount of the information made by the user is large, there has been a problem such that labor to copy the information in a new hard disk to be updated upon replacing the hard disk becomes large.
Furthermore, as a result, these problems will be related to a problem such that the navigation processing by the use of the map information after being updated is not capable of being started.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above problem
Hudspeth David
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Pioneer Corporation
Tzeng Fred F.
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