Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2002-02-05
Dinh, Tan (Department: 2651)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06345017
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a playback apparatus which allows one of a variety of playback modes to be selected in a playback operation of a disc-shaped recording medium containing recorded main data and recorded sub-data.
As a recording apparatus and/or a playback apparatus for recording and/or play back data such as music respectively, there has been known a recording apparatus and/or a playback apparatus which uses a magnetic optical disc or a magnetic tape for recording an audio signal as a digital signal as recording media.
In addition, in a recording and playback system using a magnetic optical disc known as a mini disc (a trademark), the user is capable of not only recording and playing back musical data such as a song as a program but also the title of the disc (or the name of the disc), the names of a song (or the name of a track) and the name of an artist for the program or musical data recorded on the disc as character information. Thus, in a playback operation, information such as the title of a disc, the name of a song or the name of an artist can be displayed on a display unit provided on the playback apparatus.
It should be noted that the term ‘program’ used in this specification is a unit of typically audio data such as songs recorded on a disc as main data. Typically, audio data of a song is treated as a program. In addition, the word ‘track’ is used with the same meaning as the term ‘program’.
As for the mini-disc system, the patent applicant earlier proposed a configuration wherein a recording area for recording sub-data associated with audio data recorded as main data is provided separately from a recording area for recording the main data, and sub-data such as still-picture data and character data can be recorded into the separately provided recording area. It should be noted that, in this specification, the term ‘characters’ include symbols and notations.
Also in the conventional mini-disk system, for example, character information such as the name of a disc and the name of a track can be recorded. In this case, however, these pieces of character information are recorded for each program in a U-TOC (User Table of Contents). It should be noted, however, that the size of the U-TOC itself is not that big. Thus, to the bitter end, only characters of no more than a title or the like can be recorded as described above.
In the case of the proposed configuration, on the other hand, a recording area for sub-data is provided. Thus, not only can character data be accommodated therein, but an operation to record data such as a still picture as a data file can also be implemented with ease provided that the still-picture data does not require an area with such a large storage size.
As a possible way to utilize sub-data such as a picture or character information in a mini-disc system with a configuration allowing sub-data to be recorded in addition to audio data which is recorded as main data as described above, for example, for a period of time to play back a program recorded as main data, timing to play back a data file containing a piece of sub-data or a plurality of pieces of sub-data is prescribed in advance so that the data file can be played back and output in synchronization with the operation to play back the program.
To put it concretely, let us assume for example that a piece of music with a performance length of 2 minutes is stored as main data on a disc along with still-picture files containing 2 pictures, namely, Pictures #1 and #2 respectively which are stored as sub-data associated with the piece of music. For a period of time to play back this main data, the timing to play back Pictures #1 and #2 in synchronization with the main data is prescribed in advance. According to the prescribed synchronous playback timing, during the former half of the period of time to play back the audio data of the program (that is, the piece of music), the still-picture file of Picture #1 is played back in synchronization with the operation to play back the program to output a display. During the latter half of the period of time to play back the audio data of the program, on the other hand, the still-picture file of Picture #2 is played back in synchronization with the operation to play back the program to output a display.
It should be noted that sub-data such as a still-picture file played back in synchronization with the operation to play back a program as described above is actually output to, for example, a display panel provided on the mini-disc recording and playback apparatus or an external monitor unit to be displayed thereon.
With a configuration allowing such a synchronous playback operation to be carried out, the user is capable of enjoying the playback apparatus by not only listening to main data which is played back as audio data but also watching a still picture and character information displayed along with the progress of the reproduced piece of music.
Considering the actual use of a recording and playback apparatus adopting a configuration capable of playing back and outputting not only audio data but also a character-information file and a picture file recorded as sub-data associated with the audio data as described above, it is desirable to utilize the characteristics of the configuration as effectively as possible in the user-amusement aspect and the functional aspect of the recording and playback apparatus.
Let amusement for the user be taken into consideration for example. In this case, rather than always playing back and outputting audio data recorded as main data along with a character-information file and a picture file recorded as sub-data, the following alternative configuration is desirable. In this alternative configuration, for example, the user is allowed to select the type of data to be played back.
That is to say, for instance, only audio data is played back as is the case with the conventional system, or only a character-information file and a picture file which are recorded as sub-data can be played back. This alternative configuration is desirable in that the user is allowed to select one among a variety of ways to play back and output data.
In addition, the following improvement in the functional aspect is also conceivable.
The mini-disc recording and playback apparatus is provided with a buffer memory used for temporarily holding audio data read out from a disc. The buffer memory is placed on a data playback path between the disc and a playback-output system. In this configuration, by setting the transfer speed of audio data transferred from the disc to the buffer memory at a value higher than the transfer speed of audio data transferred from the buffer memory to the playback-output system, audio data will get accumulated in the buffer memory. In actuality, when the buffer memory becomes full of audio data or when the amount of audio data accumulated in the buffer memory exceeds a predetermined value, the operation to transfer audio data from the disc to the buffer memory is temporarily halted. Thus, audio data is played back from the disc intermittently. With such a buffer memory, a continuous operation to transfer audio data from the buffer memory to the playback/output system is assured to improve a vibration-proof characteristic of the mini-disc recording and playback apparatus which is one of the natural design objectives of the apparatus.
Assuming that an intermittent playback operation cited above is an operation to read out main data and sub-data from an actual disc with the sub-data read out in synchronization with the main data as described earlier, in the present patent application, the following configuration is proposed.
During a period in which an operation to transfer audio data from the disc to the buffer memory is paused in an intermittent playback of audio data described above, an access to a sub-data area on the disc is made to read out a necessary sub-data file from the disc and play back and output sub-data contained in the file. In such a playback operati
Dinh Tan
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Polito Bruno
Sony Corporation
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