Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-05
2003-10-21
Pitts, Harold I. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
Conductive
C235S493000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634562
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus, a recording medium adapter apparatus, and a recording and reproducing method for conducting data processing in order to record or reproduce data on a recording medium instead of another recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art data recording medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,182. The prior art data recording medium is formed so as to have an external shape of a floppy disk
100
shown in
FIG. 10
or a cassette tape which is not illustrated. The prior art data recording medium can be inserted into or ejected from an existing recording and reproducing apparatus. Like a floppy disk (FD) type card adapter
111
shown in
FIG. 11
, the prior art data recording medium includes therein a write and read device
114
serving as an interface for exchanging data with recording and reproducing means of the recording and reproducing apparatus, a semiconductor memory or memory card
119
, a processor
115
for controlling exchange of data between the memory and the interface, and a battery
117
and/or a power generation unit as power supply.
If the recording and reproducing apparatus does not operate such prior art recording medium for several minutes, then the processor
115
of the recording medium is adapted to come into a power saving mode in order to suppress the consumption of power supplied from the battery
117
in the recording medium. Once the processor
115
comes into the power saving mode, however, the processor
115
cannot exit the power saving mode so long as a main switch
113
of the recording medium is not reset. The recording medium is formed so that resetting will be conducted in this case by ejecting the recording medium from the recording and reproducing apparatus and inserting the recording medium into the recording and reproducing apparatus again. Since there is no space to mount a battery
117
having a sufficient capacity because of the above described configuration of the recording medium, it is an important problem to suppress the power consumption. In some applications, however, it causes a problem in durability and inconvenience in use to pull out and insert the recording medium frequently in order to exit the power saving mode. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it takes a long time for reuse once the recording medium is reset.
The structure of the FD type card adapter serving as a concrete recording medium and how to turn on and off the main switch will hereafter be described.
FIG. 10
shows the floppy disk (FD)
100
.
FIG. 11
shows the FD type card adapter
111
for a floppy disk drive (FDD). When the floppy disk (FD)
100
is inserted into the FDD, an opening and shutting lever
102
of the FDD moves leftward and downward as represented by a dotted line in
FIG. 10
, and thereby a shutter
101
is elastically moved to its opening position as illustrated. When the floppy disk (FD)
100
is ejected from the FDD, the opening and shutting lever
102
of the FDD moves upward and rightward as represented by the dotted line, and thereby the shutter
101
is elastically moved to its closing position.
If the FD type card adapter
111
as shown in
FIG. 11
is inserted into the FDD, then the above described opening and shutting lever
102
of the FDD moves leftward and downward in the same way, and thereby a shutter window
120
is elastically moved to its opening position as illustrated. Accordingly, an actuator
112
is rotationally moved in the counterclockwise direction from a position indicated by a solid line to a position indicated by a dotted line. As a result, a contact of a switch
113
is opened (turned on). If the FD type card adapter
111
is ejected from the FDD, then the above described opening and shutting lever
102
moves upward and rightward in the same way, and thereby the shutter window
120
is elastically moved to its closing position. Accordingly, the actuator
112
is rotationally moved in the clockwise direction from the position indicated by the dotted line to the position indicated by the dotted line. As a result, the contact of the switch
113
is closed (turned off). While the FD type card adapter
111
is inserted in the FDD, the opening and shutting lever
102
continues to elastically press the actuator
112
to the position indicated the dotted line. This results in a disadvantage that it is impossible to reset the processor
115
by turning on and off the switch
113
unless the FD type card adapter
111
is ejected from the FDD and inserted into the FDD again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the points heretofore described, the present invention has been made. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus, a recording medium adapter apparatus, and a recording and reproducing method allowing exit from the power saving mode without conducting the reset using ejection and re-insertion of the recording medium.
In order to solve the above described problems, a recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes: recording and reproducing means for conducting data writing or reading on a predetermined recording medium; detection means for detecting that a recording medium adapter for conducting data writing or reading on another recording medium different from the recording medium by using the recording and reproducing means has been inserted; and communication means for conducting communication of control data of predetermined data, in order to effect control related to operation of the recording and reproducing means between the recording medium adapter and the recording and reproducing apparatus, when insertion of the recording medium adapter has been detected by the detection means.
Furthermore, a recording medium adapter apparatus of the present invention includes: detection means for detecting that the recording medium adapter apparatus has been inserted into a recording and reproducing apparatus for conducting data writing or reading on a predetermined recording medium by using recording and reproducing means; data processing means for conducting processing to conduct data writing or reading on another recording medium different from the recording medium by using the recording and reproducing means; and communication means for conducting communication of control data of predetermined data, in order to effect control related to operation of the recording and reproducing means between the recording and reproducing apparatus and the recording medium adapter apparatus, when insertion of the recording medium adapter apparatus into the recording and reproducing apparatus has been detected by the detection means.
Furthermore, a recording and reproducing method of the present invention includes the steps of: detecting that a recording medium adapter has been inserted into a recording and reproducing apparatus for conducting data writing or reading on a predetermined recording medium; conducting communication of control data of predetermined data, in order to effect control related to recording and reproducing operation between the recording and reproducing apparatus and the recording medium adapter, when insertion of the recording medium adapter into the recording and reproducing apparatus has been detected; and conducting data processing to effect data writing or reading on another recording medium different from the recording medium.
According to the recording and reproducing apparatus, the recording medium adapter apparatus, and the recording and reproducing method of the present invention, operations described below are conducted.
First of all, the recording and reproducing apparatus ascertains the existence of a recording medium by using the detection means. If the recording medium is not inserted, then waiting is conducted. If the recording medium is inserted, then the kind of the recording medium is ascertained. The recording and reproducing apparatus conducts trial reproduction. Detection using a swi
Kumagai Atsuhiro
Noro Masahiko
Sakama Mitsunori
Maioli Jay H.
Pitts Harold I.
Sony Corporation
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