Pulse or digital communications – Bandwidth reduction or expansion – Television or motion video signal
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-12
2004-10-12
Diep, Nhon (Department: 2613)
Pulse or digital communications
Bandwidth reduction or expansion
Television or motion video signal
C375S240100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06804300
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-371565 filed Dec. 27, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a television audiovisual, recording and reproducing apparatus using a personal computer, a method of supplying power to a PCMCIA card, and a PCMCIA card.
Recently, there have been devised some personal computers which are also provided with a function of receiving television broadcasting to enable to record and reproduce television programs. This function is implemented by a desk top type personal computer which is previously equipped with a board having functions of receiving, recording and reproducing television broadcast programs. For note type personal computers, however, this function has not been brought into practical use.
A note type personal computer generally has a PCMCIA slot as an expansion slot in which a PCMCIA card can be inserted to provide a variety of extended functions. The PCMCIA cards have been standardized in conformity to Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) and Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) as PCMCIA card standard. The standardization defines the capacity of power supplied from a personal computer to a PCMCIA card; a procedure for detecting a PCMCIA card when it is inserted into a personal computer; a power supply sequence; and the like. The standards, though defining a maximum capacity for power supplied to a PCMCIA card, does not contemplate any method of supplying power exceeding this maximum capacity.
Also, conventional PCMCIA cards include a PCMCIA card which is a version of PCMCIA Type II PCMCIA card additionally provided with an expansion unit. The conventional extended type PCMCIA card is integrally formed in a case, including a Type II card unit and the expansion unit. Since the extended type PCMCIA cards are designed in different sizes in accordance with their respective functions, their cases must be manufactured to fit for the respective sizes.
As mentioned above, a desk top personal computer equipped with the television broadcasting receiving, recording and reproducing functions is configured to achieve the object by previously mounting a board which provides predetermined functions, so that it is difficult to add the television broadcasting receiving, recording and reproducing function to a currently possessed personal computer at a later time. Particularly, for a small personal computer such as a note type personal computer which does not have a space for adding a board, it is impossible to add the television broadcasting receiving, recording and reproducing functions at a later time.
In the standardization for the PCMCIA cards for use in the note type personal computer, while the standards define the maximum capacity for a power supply to a PCMCIA card, they do not contemplate at all a method of supplying power exceeding this maximum capacity, as mentioned above. When the power supply capacity of a PCMCIA card exceeds the maximum capacity defined by the standards, an external power source must be used to supply the PCMCIA card with additional power. However, the PCMCIA card and an interface IC in a personal computer, which accepts the PCMCIA card, can be damaged unless the power supply from the personal computer is compatible with a power supply condition from the external power source.
Also, the extended type PCMCIA card, which is a version of the PCMCIA Type II PCMCIA card provided with an expansion unit, is integrally formed in a case, including the Type II card unit and the expansion unit. While the extended type PCMCIA cards are designed in different sizes in accordance with their respective functions, the cases integrally formed as before cannot be shared by all extended type PCMCIA cards, so that the entire cases must be newly manufactured, thereby resulting in a problem of an increased cost.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a television audiovisual, recording and reproducing apparatus using a note type personal computer, which is capable of readily accepting television broadcasting receiving, recording and reproducing functions at a later time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a PCMCIA card power supply method for use with a PCMCIA card which requires a power capacity exceeding a maximum capacity of a power supply from a personal computer to the PCMCIA card, which is capable of supplying the PCMCIA card with power external to the personal computer in a procedure which is compatible with a procedure of detecting an inserted PCMCIA card and a power supply sequence, performed when the PCMCIA card is inserted into the personal computer, as defined by the standards.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an extended type PCMCIA card, comprised of a PCMCIA Type II PCMCIA card and an expansion unit attached thereto, which is capable of sharing a case for a portion corresponding to the PCMCIA Type II, even with a different size, to reduce the cost.
A television audiovisual apparatus using a personal computer according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an audio/video I/O interface including a television tuner in the personal computer, wherein audio/video signal input through the audio/video I/O interface are compressed in accordance with the MPEG2 specifications for storage in a large capacity storage device, or decompressed in accordance with the MPGE2 specifications for display.
The foregoing configuration allows a television receiving function to be added even to a note type personal computer, allowing the user to view a television program.
A television audiovisual apparatus using a personal computer according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises an audio/video I/O interface including a television tuner, and a PCMCIA card inserted in an expansion slot provided in the personal computer, wherein audio/video signals are compressed in accordance with the MPEG2 specifications in the audio/video I/O interface or in the PCMCIA card and transmitted to the personal computer for storage in a large capacity storage device of the personal computer, or decompressed in accordance with the MPEG2 specifications in the personal computer for display.
By connecting the audio/video I/O interface to the personal computer through the PCMCIA card to receive television broadcasting with the audio/video I/O interface and transmit the received television broadcasting to the personal computer through the PCMCIA card, a television receiving function can be added even to a note type personal computer at a later time, allowing the user to readily view a television program.
A television audiovisual apparatus using a personal computer according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises an audio/video I/O interface including a television tuner, and a PCMCIA card inserted into an expansion slot provided in the personal computer, wherein audio/video signals are transmitted from the audio/video I/O interface to the personal computer through the PCMCIA card, and compressed in accordance with the MPEG specifications in the personal computer for storage in a large capacity storage device.
When the television broadcasting is received by the audio/video I/O interface, transmitted to the personal computer through the PCMCIA card, and compressed in the personal computer for storage in the large capacity storage device as described above, the television receiving function can also be added to a note type personal computer so that the user can readily view a television program.
A television audiovisual apparatus using a personal computer according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprises an audio/video I/O interface including a television tuner coupled to the personal computer through a bus connector, wherein an audio/video signals are compressed in accordance wit
Hoshino Kiyoshi
Inoue Kanji
Kamio Hiroyuki
Kaseno Osamu
Kusumoto Tatsuji
Diep Nhon
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
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