Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Address formation – Address mapping
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-15
2003-02-18
Kim, Matthew (Department: 2186)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Address formation
Address mapping
C711S154000, C711S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523105
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to recording medium control device and method suitably used for carrying out high-speed and flexible control of write and read with respect to various recording medium pieces.
BACKGROUND ART
The present Assignee has proposed a device which can provide various information by transferring information such as sounds, images, characters, and programs from an information providing device (information transfer device) to a recording device or a recording/reproducing device having a semiconductor memory or the like enclosed therein, in the Japanese Publication of Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 6-131371, No. Hei 6-215010, and No. Hei 6-301601.
FIG. 1
is a view showing appearance of a conventional information recording/reproducing device proposed in the above-mentioned publications. This information recording/reproducing device
200
A has a connection terminal
201
for connection with an information providing device, not shown, and is capable of copying information from the information providing device through the connection terminal
201
to a recording medium provided in the information recording/reproducing device
200
A. Although the type of the recording medium is not particularly limited, it is convenient to use a semiconductor memory which enables high-speed copying and which is randomly accessible and excellent in portability.
This information recording/reproducing device
200
A is provided with a display unit
202
for displaying characters and images, and a function selecting section
203
constituted by pushbutton switches. Since this information recording/reproducing device
200
A displays the contents of information recorded in the recording medium onto the display unit
202
, the user can selectively reproduce desired information by using the function selecting section
203
.
The contents of information provided from the information providing device includes text information, audio information, video information, and computer programs, and is not particularly limited. Reproduction of a program means execution of the program. However, in this case, the user may input information at the time of execution, if necessary. In the case where reproduction signals are text information or video signals, the signals can be displayed on the display unit
202
constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display device. In addition, in the case of audio information, the information can be outputted to an earphone
204
. Although not shown, a speaker may be provided in place of or in addition to the earphone
204
, or an output terminal for reproduction signals may be provided to enable connection with an external display device or speaker.
FIG. 2
is a view showing appearance of another conventional information recording/reproducing device proposed in the above-mentioned publications. An information recording/reproducing device
200
B shown in
FIG. 2
is constituted by splitting the information recording/reproducing device
200
A of
FIG. 1
into an information recording device
210
and an information reproducing device
220
. In this information recording/reproducing device
200
B, information from the information recording device
210
can be transmitted and reproduced on the side of the information reproducing device
220
, by inserting the information recording device
210
into an insertion/ejection port
221
of the information reproducing device
220
.
For reproduction, data and control signals must be transmitted between the information recording device
210
and the information reproducing device
220
. Therefore, a connection terminal
212
for connection with the information reproducing device
220
is provided on the information recording device
210
, and a connection terminal corresponding to this connection terminal
212
is provided on the information reproducing device
220
, so that these two connection terminals are connected with each other in the state where the information recording device
210
is mounted in the information reproducing device
220
.
The information recording device
210
has two connection terminals, that is, a connection terminal
211
for connection with the information providing device and the connection terminal
212
for connection with the information reproducing device. However, a single terminal may be used in a switching manner.
The information recording device
210
can be constituted only by a recording medium. By using only the recording medium, a portable information recording device of small size and light weight is provided. In this case, control of reading from the recording medium and writing to the recording medium is carried out on the side of the information reproducing device
200
or the information providing device.
FIG. 3
is a view showing appearance of a conventional information providing device proposed in the above-mentioned publication. This information providing device
230
has a display unit
231
for displaying the contents and price of available information, and an output selecting section
232
for the user to select desired information. By inserting the information recording device
210
shown in
FIG. 2
into an insertion/ejection port
233
of the information providing device
230
, and then operating the output selecting section
232
to select desired information with reference to information displayed on the display unit
231
, the user can copy the desired information to the information recording device
210
. Also, the user can copy information by connecting a connection terminal provided on the information providing device
230
to the connection terminal
201
of the information recording/reproducing device
200
A shown in FIG.
1
.
The information providing device
230
has a recording medium storing therein information to be provided, and an information copy control section (not shown) for writing read-out information to the information recording device
210
and the information recording/reproducing device
200
A. There may also be provided a structure in which the information providing device
230
and an information providing center, not shown, are connected to each other via a wire or a wireless communication section to provide information desired by the user through the communication section. By providing such structure, the recording medium need not be provided in the information providing device
230
. Even in the case where the recording medium is provided in the information providing device
230
, by updating the information stored in the recording medium through the communication section, the latest information can be provided while the communication cost is restrained.
FIG. 4
is a view showing appearance of another conventional information providing device proposed in the above-mentioned publications. This information providing device
240
has an insertion port
241
and an ejection port
242
for the information recording device
210
which are arranged away from each other at a certain distance. This information providing device
240
has a moving section, not shown, for transporting the information recording device
210
inserted from the insertion port
241
, and after copying information to be provided to the inserted information recording device
210
, the information providing device
240
ejects the information recording device
210
from the ejection port
242
. A person H who wishes to obtain information can receive copied information while walking in a direction of A in FIG.
4
. This information providing device
240
can quickly provide information to a number of people.
As a recording medium used in the case where the information recording/reproducing device needs to have portability, it is desired to use a non-volatile memory which does not require backup of information by a battery. That is, it is convenient to use the non-volatile memory since erasure of recorded information can be prevented. As such non-volatile memory, for example, an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), described in Iwata, e
Anderson Matthew D.
Kim Matthew
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Sony Corporation
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