U.S. patent application number 09/973426 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-21 for recording/reproduction apparatus capable of exchanging information with storage apparatus mounted on recording medium assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to SONY CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Hamamoto, Kenji, Nakajima, Yasuhisa, Sugiyama, Nobukazu, Ueda, Takao.
Application Number | 20020021886 09/973426 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26390535 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020021886 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nakajima, Yasuhisa ; et
al. |
February 21, 2002 |
Recording/reproduction apparatus capable of exchanging information
with storage apparatus mounted on recording medium assembly
Abstract
To read out an index to data recorded in a recording medium such
as a cassette without mounting the recording medium on a
reproduction apparatus to reproduce the data. When a cassette is
inserted into a compartment in a VTR, a switch in the VTR is pushed
by the case of the cassette, detecting the insertion of the
cassette into the compartment. At that time, a signal indicating
the insertion of the cassette into the compartment is supplied to a
microcomputer from the switch. Notified by the signal, the
microcomputer issues a command to a reader/writer, requesting the
reader/writer to read out information on data from a memory card
mounted on the cassette for recording the data through an antenna.
With the cassette located outside the compartment, on the other
hand, the microcomputer issues a command to a reader/writer,
requesting the reader/writer to read out the information from the
memory card through another antenna.
Inventors: |
Nakajima, Yasuhisa;
(Kanagawa, JP) ; Ueda, Takao; (Tokyo, JP) ;
Hamamoto, Kenji; (Tokyo, JP) ; Sugiyama,
Nobukazu; (Tokyo, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG, LLP
10TH FLOOR
745 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10151
US
|
Assignee: |
SONY CORPORATION
|
Family ID: |
26390535 |
Appl. No.: |
09/973426 |
Filed: |
October 9, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09973426 |
Oct 9, 2001 |
|
|
|
08993993 |
Dec 18, 1997 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
386/212 ;
348/E5.099; 360/132; 386/218; 386/E5.043; G9B/15.003; G9B/15.009;
G9B/15.02; G9B/23.064; G9B/27.019; G9B/27.02; G9B/27.021;
G9B/27.051; G9B/33.025 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 27/107 20130101;
G11B 33/10 20130101; H04N 21/4325 20130101; G11B 2220/2525
20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101; G11B 2220/2562 20130101; H04N
21/4334 20130101; G11B 2220/90 20130101; H04N 21/4314 20130101;
G11B 2220/2529 20130101; H04N 21/443 20130101; G11B 27/11 20130101;
G11B 2220/2545 20130101; G11B 2220/657 20130101; H04N 21/4312
20130101; H04N 5/782 20130101; G11B 2220/655 20130101; G11B 2220/65
20130101; H04N 5/85 20130101; G11B 23/08714 20130101; G11B 15/07
20130101; H04N 21/47214 20130101; G11B 15/023 20130101; G11B 15/17
20130101; G11B 2220/2512 20130101; G11B 2220/213 20130101; G11B
27/34 20130101; G11B 27/105 20130101; H04N 5/445 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
386/46 ;
360/132 |
International
Class: |
H04N 005/76; G11B
023/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 25, 1996 |
JP |
8-344863 |
Mar 5, 1997 |
JP |
9-050098 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A recording/reproduction apparatus for recording or reproducing
data into and from a recording-medium assembly having a storage
apparatus mounted thereon for storing predetermined information,
said recording/reproduction apparatus comprising: a plurality of
information transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and
receiving said information to and from said storage apparatus; a
switching means for switching said information
transmitting/receiving means from one to another; a reading means
for reading out said information stored in said storage apparatus
through one of said information transmitting/receiving means
selected by said switching means; and an information supplying
means for supplying update information for updating said
information stored in said storage apparatus through one of said
information transmitting/receiving means selected by said switching
means.
2. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein
said information is information on data recorded in said
recording-medium assembly.
3. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 further
having a medium accommodating means for accommodating said
recording-medium assembly wherein said switching means switches
said information transmitting/receiving means from one to another
in accordance with whether or not said recording-medium assembly
exists in said medium accommodating means.
4. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 3 wherein
one of said information transmitting g/receiving means is used for
exchanging said information between said storage apparatus and said
reading means when said recording-medium assembly exists inside
said medium accommodating means while another one of said
information transmitting/receiving means is used for exchanging
said information between said storage apparatus and said reading
means when said recording-medium assembly exists outside said
medium accommodating means.
5. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 further
having a power supplying means for supplying power to said storage
apparatus.
6. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein
said information is preset information.
7. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein
said information includes identification data for identifying said
data recorded in said recording medium assembly.
8. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 wherein
said storage apparatus comprises: a storage means for storing said
information; a power inputting means for inputting power from a
power supplying means; an information providing means for providing
said information stored in said storage means to said reading means
through one of said information transmitting/receiving means; and
an information updating means for updating said information stored
in said storage means with said update information supplied by said
information supplying means through one of said information
transmitting/receiving means.
9. A recording/reproduction method for recording or reproducing
data into and from a recording-medium assembly having a storage
apparatus for storing predetermined information mounted thereon,
said method comprising the steps of: selecting one of a plurality
of information transmitting/receiving means for use in an operation
to read out or write said information from or into said storage
apparatus through a selected one of said information
transmitting/receiving means; and reading out said information from
said storage apparatus through said selected information
transmitting/receiving means and updating said information stored
in said storage apparatus through said selected information
transmitting/receiving means.
10. An input/output apparatus for reading out and writing
information on data from and into a storage apparatus mounted on a
recording-medium assembly for recording said data, said
input/output apparatus comprising: an information
transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving said
information to and from said storage apparatus; an information
reading means for reading out said information received through
said information transmitting/receiving means and stored in the
storage apparatus; and an information outputting means for
outputting said information read out by said information reading
means.
11. An input/output apparatus according to claim 10 comprising an
information updating means for updating said information received
through said information transmitting/receiving means and stored in
said storage apparatus.
12. An input/output apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said
information transmitting/receiving means transmits said information
to said storage apparatus intermittently at a predetermined
period.
13. An input/output apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said
information transmitting/receiving means shortens said period at
which said information is transmitted to said storage apparatus
when information is received from said storage apparatus.
14. An input/output method for reading out and writing information
on data from and into a storage apparatus mounted on a
recording-medium assembly for recording said data, said method
comprising the steps of: reading out said information from said
storage apparatus; and outputting said information read out from
said storage apparatus.
15. A storage apparatus for storing information as well as
transmitting and receiving information to and from an external
apparatus, said storage apparatus comprising: a storage means for
storing said information; a power inputting means for inputting
power supplied by said external apparatus; an information supplying
means for providing said information stored in said storage means
to said external apparatus; and an information updating means for
updating said information stored in said storage means with said
information received from said external apparatus.
16. A storage apparatus according to claim 15 wherein: said storage
apparatus is attached to a recording medium assembly for recording
data; said storage apparatus is used for storing information to be
added to said data recorded in said recording-medium assembly
and/or to be used for updating said data.
17. An information processing apparatus for reproducing data
recorded in a recording-medium assembly from said recording-medium
assembly on which a storage apparatus for storing predetermined
information is mounted and for processing said reproduced data,
said information processing apparatus comprising: a data
reproducing means for reproducing data from said recording-medium
assembly; an information receiving means for receiving information
stored in said storage apparatus from said storage apparatus; and
an information adding/updating means for adding information
received by said information receiving means to said data
reproduced by said data reproducing means and/or using said
information for updating said data.
18. An information processing method for reproducing data recorded
in a recording-medium assembly from said recording-medium assembly
on which a storage apparatus for storing predetermined information
is mounted and for processing said reproduced data, said
information processing method comprising: a data reproducing step
of reproducing data from said recording-medium assembly; an
information receiving step of receiving information stored in said
storage apparatus from said storage apparatus; and an information
adding/updating step of adding information received at said
information receiving setp to said data reproduced at said data
reproducing step and/or using said information for updating said
data.
19. An information transmitting apparatus for transmitting data and
predetermined information to a recording/reproduction apparatus for
recording or reproducing said data into and from a recording-medium
assembly, on which a storage apparatus for storing said
predetermined information is mounted, said information transmitting
apparatus comprising: an information superposing means for
superposing said information to be stored in said storage apparatus
on said data to be recorded into said recording-medium assembly;
and an information transmitting means for transmitting said data
with said information superposed thereon by said information
superposing means.
20. An information transmitting apparatus according to claim 19
wherein said information is information on said data.
21. An information transmitting apparatus according to claim 19
wherein said storage apparatus comprises: a storage means for
storing said information; a power inputting means for inputting
power supplied by a predetermined external apparatus; an
information supplying means for providing said information stored
in said storage means to said external apparatus; and an
information updating means for updating said information stored in
said storage means with said information received from said
external apparatus.
22. An information transmitting apparatus according to claim 19
wherein said information superposing means inserts said information
into an interval of a vertical-synchronization signal of a
broadcasted signal conveying said data.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] In general, the present invention relates to a
recording/reproduction apparatus, a recording/reproduction method,
an input/output apparatus, an input/output method, a storage
apparatus, an information transmitting apparatus an information
processing apparatus and an information processing method. To be
more specific, the present invention relates to a
recording/reproduction apparatus, a recording/reproduction method,
an input/output apparatus, an input/output method, a storage
apparatus, an information transmitting apparatus, an information
processing apparatus and an information processing method that
allow an index to data stored in a recording medium to be obtained
with ease.
[0002] Cassette tapes and optical discs used in
recording/reproduction apparatuses such as a VTR (Video Tape
Recorder) and an optical-disc drive for recording and reproducing
images and sounds are normally organized and controlled by
utilizing index cards each used for recording an index to data
recorded in the cassette tape or the optical disc such as
information on the data including a recording date and a recording
time of the data. Usually, an index card is coated with paste on
the rear surface thereof which allows the index card to be stuck to
a cassette tape or a disc. The user writes down information on data
recorded in a cassette tape or a disk including a recording date
and a recording time on such an index card and then sticks the
index card on the cassette tape or the disc.
[0003] By the way, an electronic apparatus having a function known
as a tape navigation is available. Such an electronic apparatus is
used for rewinding a cassette tape to a start position when the
cassette tape is mounted on the main body of a
recording/reproduction apparatus or for positioning the head
employed in the recording/reproduction apparatus at the start
position of a disc when the disc is mounted on the main body of a
recording/reproduction apparatus. Then, a reproduction operation is
once carried out in order to display some of the contents of the
cassette tape or the disc.
[0004] As an alternative, a seal with a bar code of the serial
number of a cassette tape printed thereon is stuck to the cassette
tape. The seal can then be used for identifying the cassette tape.
As another alternative, an index to data recorded in each cassette
tape can be stored in a host/target apparatus. When the cassette
tape is mounted on the host/target apparatus, an index to data
recorded in the cassette tape is displayed.
[0005] In addition, for of cassette tapes and discs for use in a
rental business, rental data is controlled typically by using a
ledger or a PC. In this case, a bar code representing control
information such as the serial number of a cassette tape or a disc
is printed on a label such as a seal which is then stuck to the
cassette tape or the disc.
[0006] In the case of an index card, however, the user itself must
enter information on data recorded in the cassette tape or disc
such as a recording date and a recording time by either writing the
information with the hand or printing it, raising a problem of very
cumbersome work.
[0007] In addition, as time goes by after data has been recorded,
the user may forget the contents of the recording medium such as a
cassette tape. In this case, the user verifies the contents of the
cassette tape by playing back, rewinding or fast feeding the tape
and then enter information on data recorded in the cassette tape
including a recording date and a recording time, giving rise to a
problem of cumbersome work.
[0008] In spite of the fact that an electronic apparatus having a
function known as a tape navigation as described above is
available, the contents of a cassette tape or a disc can not be
known unless some of the contents are once reproduced after finding
the start position of the cassette tape by rewinding the cassette
tape or positioning the head employed in the apparatus at the start
position of the disc. There is also adopted a method whereby a seal
with a bar code of the serial number of a cassette tape printed
thereon is stuck to the cassette tape for identifying the cassette
tape, and an index to data recorded in each cassette tape is stored
in a host/target apparatus. In this case, however, the cassette
tape has to be mounted on the main body of the host/target
apparatus, raising a problem of cumbersome work.
[0009] In the case of cassette tapes and discs for use in a rental
business, there is encountered a problem that it is impossible to
obtain information such as the borrowing period and the number of
times data has been-reproduced from a borrowed cassette tape or a
disc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention are described with
reference to the following drawings wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
an embodiment implementing a non-contact-type memory card to which
the storage apparatus provided by the present invention is
applied;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
an embodiment implementing a non-contact-type-memory-card
reader/writer to which an input/output apparatus provided by the
present invention is applied;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a
non-contact-type memory card is mounted on a cassette;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment implementing
communication with a non-contact-type memory card;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a typical application of a
reader/writer to a television receiver;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a typical application of a
reader/writer to a personal computer;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical application of a
reader/writer to a remote commander;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a typical application of a
reader/writer to a printer;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a typical application of a
reader/writer with a plurality of antennas to a VTR;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration
of another embodiment implementing a non-contact-type memory card
to which the storage apparatus provided by the present invention is
applied;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a typical structure of data
stored in a memory card;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of a
card data area shown in FIG. 11;
[0023] FIG. 13 is a flowchart used for explaining a procedure of
processing to update information stored in the card data area;
[0024] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of a
timer-based-video-recording-reservation data area shown in FIG.
11;
[0025] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing based on information on a timer-based-video-recording
reservation stored in a memory card;
[0026] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of a
program-reproduction data area shown in FIG. 11;
[0027] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing to reproduce data in accordance with information on
reproduction of a program stored in a memory card;
[0028] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of an
event data area shown in FIG. 11;
[0029] FIG. 19 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing to update information stored in the event data area;
[0030] FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration
of an information transmitting apparatus provided by the present
invention;
[0031] FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration
of a VTR having a circuit for extracting the title of a
program;
[0032] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of
information for a business application stored in a memory card;
[0033] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of
preset information stored in a memory card; and
[0034] FIG. 24 shows a flowchart used for explaining a procedure of
processing to update preset information in a target apparatus in
accordance with preset information stored in a memory card.
[0035] FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of a memory card;
[0036] FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of a meory card and a reader/writer;
[0037] FIG. 27 shows a flowchart used for explaining the operation
of the memory card and the reader/writer shown in FIG. 26;
[0038] FIG. 28 is a diagram used for explaining the operation of
the memory card and the reader/writer shown in FIG. 26;
[0039] FIG. 29 is another diagram used for explaining the operation
of the memory card and the reader/writer shown in FIG. 26;
[0040] FIG. 30 is a further diagram used for explaining the
operation of the memory card and the reader/writer shown in FIG.
26;
[0041] FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of a reader/writer;
[0042] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an application of mounting a
memory card on a CD-ROM; and
[0043] FIG. 33 shows a flowchart used for explaining the operation
of the application shown in FIG. 32.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0044] Addressing the problems described above, it is thus an
object of the present invention to provide a recording/reproduction
apparatus, a recording/reproduction method, an input/output
apparatus, an input/output method, a storage apparatus and an
information transmitting apparatus that allow cassette tapes and
discs to be controlled with ease and allow various kinds of
information on cassette tapes and discs to be obtained.
[0045] In order to achieve the object described above, the present
invention provides a recording/reproduction apparatus characterized
by including:
[0046] a plurality of information transmitting/receiving means for
transmitting and receiving information to and from a storage
apparatus;
[0047] a switching means for switching the information
transmitting/receiving means from one to another;
[0048] a reading means for reading out information stored in the
storage apparatus through one of the information
transmitting/receiving means selected by the switching means;
and
[0049] an information supplying means for supplying update
information for updating the information stored in the storage
apparatus through one of the information transmitting/receiving
means selected by the switching means.
[0050] In addition, the present invention also provides a
recording/reproduction method characterized by including the steps
of:
[0051] selecting one of a plurality of information
transmitting/receiving means for use in an operation to read out or
write information from or into a storage apparatus through a
selected one of the information transmitting/receiving means;
and
[0052] reading out information from the storage apparatus through
the selected information transmitting/receiving means and updating
the information stored in the storage apparatus through the
selected information transmitting/receiving means;
[0053] On the top of that, the present invention also provides an
input/output apparatus characterized by including:
[0054] an information transmitting/receiving means for transmitting
and receiving information on data to and from a storage apparatus
mounted on a recording-medium assembly for recording the data;
[0055] an information reading means for reading out information
received through the information transmitting/receiving means and
stored in the storage apparatus; and
[0056] an information outputting means for outputting the
information read out by the information reading means.
[0057] Furthermore, the present invention also provides an
input/output method characterized by including the steps of:
[0058] transmitting and receiving information on data to and from a
storage apparatus mounted on a recording-medium assembly for
recording the data;
[0059] reading out information from the storage apparatus; and
[0060] outputting the information read out from the storage
apparatus.
[0061] In addition, the present invention also provides a storage
apparatus for storing information as well as transmitting and
receiving information to and from an external apparatus, the
storage apparatus characterized by including:
[0062] a storage means for storing the information;
[0063] a power inputting means for inputting power supplied by the
external apparatus;
[0064] an information providing means for providing the information
stored in the storage means to the external apparatus; and
[0065] an information updating means for updating the information
stored in the storage means with the information received from the
external apparatus.
[0066] On the top of that, the present invention also provides an
information processing apparatus characterized by including:
[0067] a data reproducing means for reproducing data from a
recording-medium assembly;
[0068] an information receiving means for receiving information
stored in a storage apparatus from the storage apparatus; and
[0069] an information adding/updating means for adding information
received by the information receiving means to the data reproduced
by the data reproducing means and/or using the information for
updating the data.
[0070] In addition, the present invention also provides an
information processing method characterized by including:
[0071] a data reproducing step of reproducing data from a
recording-medium assembly;
[0072] an information receiving step of receiving information
stored in a storage apparatus from the storage apparatus; and
[0073] an information adding/updating step of adding information
received at said information receiving setp to said data reproduced
at said data reproducing step and/or using said information for
updating said data.
[0074] On the top of that, the present invention also provides an
information transmitting apparatus characterized by including:
[0075] an information superposing means for superposing second
information to be stored in a storage apparatus on first
information to be recorded into a recording-medium assembly;
and
[0076] an information transmitting means for transmitting the first
information with the second information superposed thereon by the
information superposing means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0077] The present invention will become more apparent from a
careful study of the following detailed description of some
preferred embodiments with reference to accompanying diagrams
showing the embodiments. Before explaining the embodiments, it is
necessary to clarify relations associating means cited in the
claims in the present specification with the embodiments in the
following description by adding a phrase enclosed in parentheses
after each of the means. The phrase exemplifies the means by
specifying a component employed in an embodiment to implement the
means.
[0078] As described in claim 1, a recording/reproduction apparatus
for recording and reproducing data into and from a recording-medium
assembly having a storage apparatus mounted thereon for storing
predetermined information is characterized in that the
recording/reproduction apparatus comprises:
[0079] a plurality of information transmitting/receiving means
(implemented typically by antennas 22-1 and 22-2 shown in FIG. 9)
for transmitting and receiving the information to and from the
storage apparatus;
[0080] a switching means (implemented typically by a switch 94
shown in FIG. 9) for switching the information
transmitting/receiving means from one to another;
[0081] a reading means (implemented typically by a microcomputer 95
shown in FIG. 9) for reading out the information stored in the
storage apparatus through one of the information
transmitting/receiving means selected by the switching means;
and
[0082] an information supplying means (implemented typically by the
microcomputer 95 shown in FIG. 9) for supplying update information
for updating the information stored in the storage apparatus
through one of the information transmitting/receiving means
selected by the switching means.
[0083] As described in claim 3, the recordin g/reproduction
apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that the
recording/reproduction apparatus further has a medium accommodating
means (implemented typically by a compartment 93 shown in FIG. 9)
for accommodating the recording-medium assembly and the switching
means switches the information transmitting/receiving means from
one to another in accordance with whether or not the
recording-medium assembly exists in the medium accommodating
means.
[0084] As described in claim 5, the recording/reproduction
apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that the
recording/reproduction apparatus further has a power supplying
means (implemented typically by the antennas 22-1 and 22-2 shown in
FIG. 9) for supplying power to the storage apparatus.
[0085] As described in claim 8, the recording/reproduction
apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that the storage
apparatus comprises:
[0086] a storage means (implemented typically by an EEPROM unit 9
shown in FIG. 1) for storing the information;
[0087] a power inputting means (implemented-typically by an antenna
2 and a power-supply circuit 12 shown in FIG. 1 or an antenna 111
and a power-supply circuit 12 shown in FIG. 10) for inputting power
from a power supplying means;
[0088] an information providing means (implemented typically by the
antenna 2 and a microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for providing the
information stored in the storage means to the reading means
through one of the information transmitting/receiving means;
and
[0089] an information updating means (implemented typically by the
microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for updating the information
stored in the storage means with the update information supplied by
the information supplying means through one of the information
transmitting/receiving means.
[0090] As described in claim 10, an input/output apparatus is
characterized in that the apparatus comprises:
[0091] an information transmitting/receiving means (implemented
typically by an antenna 22 shown in FIG. 2) for
transmitting/receiving information to and from a storage apparatus
for storing information on data recorded in a recording-medium
assembly on which the storage apparatus is mounted;
[0092] an information reading means (implemented typically by a
microcomputer 27 shown in FIG. 2) for reading out the information
received through the information transmitting/receiving means and
stored in the storage apparatus; and
[0093] an information outputting means (implemented typically by a
display unit 71a shown in FIG. 7) for outputting the information
read out by the information reading means.
[0094] As described in claim 11, the input/output apparatus
described in claim 10 is characterized in that the apparatus
comprises an information updating means (implemented typically by
the microcomputer 27 shown in FIG. 2) for updating the information
received through the information transmitting/receiving means and
stored in the storage apparatus.
[0095] As described in claim 15, a storage apparatus for storing
information as well as transmitting and receiving information to
and from an external apparatus is characterized in that the
apparatus comprises:
[0096] a storage means (implemented typically by the EEPROM unit 9
shown in FIG. 1) for storing information;
[0097] a power inputting means (implemented typically by the
power-supply circuit 12 shown in FIG. 1) for inputting power
supplied by the external apparatus;
[0098] an information supplying means (implemented typically by the
antenna 2 and the microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for providing
the information stored in the storage means to the external
apparatus; and
[0099] an information updating means (implemented typically by the
microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for updating the information
stored in the storage means with the information received from the
external apparatus.
[0100] As described in claim 17, an information processing
apparatus is characterized by comprising:
[0101] a data reproducing means (implemented typically by a step
S81 of a flowchart shown in FIG. 33) for reproducing data from a
recording-medium assembly;
[0102] an information receiving means (implemented typically by a
step S84 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 33) for receiving
information stored in a storage apparatus from the storage
apparatus; and
[0103] an information adding/updating means (implemented typically
by a step S85 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 33) for adding
information received by said information receiving means to said
data reproduced by said data reproducing means and/or using said
information for updating said data.
[0104] As described in claim 19, an information transmitting
apparatus for transmitting data-and predetermined information to a
recording/reproduction apparatus for recording or reproducing the
data into and from a recording-medium assembly on which a storage
apparatus for storing the predetermined information is mounted is
characterized in that the information transmitting apparatus
comprises:
[0105] an information superposing means (implemented typically by a
multiplexing circuit 114 shown in FIG. 20) for superposing the
information to be stored in the storage apparatus on the data to be
recorded into the recording medium assembly; and
[0106] an information transmitting means (implemented typically by
a transmitting circuit 115 shown in FIG. 20) for transmitting the
data with the information superposed thereon by the information
superposing means.
[0107] As described in claim 21, an information storage apparatus
comprises:
[0108] a storage means (implemented typically by the EEPROM unit 9
shown in FIG. 1) for storing information;
[0109] a power inputting means (implemented typically by the
power-supply circuit 12 shown in FIG. 1) for inputting power
supplied by an external apparatus;
[0110] an information supplying means (implemented typically by the
antenna 2 and the microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for providing
the information stored in the storage means to the external
apparatus; and
[0111] an information updating means (implemented typically by the
microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1) for updating the information
stored in the storage means with the information received from the
external apparatus.
[0112] It should be noted that, while the means are exemplified by
showing typical implementations, the above description is not
intended to be construed in a limiting sense. That is to say, the
means are of course not limited to the typical implementations
given above.
[0113] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
a non-contact-type memory card 1 to which the storage apparatus
provided by the present invention is applied. For the sake of
description convenience, the non-contact-type memory card 1 is
referred to hereafter simply as a memory card. An antenna 2
employed in the memory card 1 receives an electric wave from a
non-contact-memory-card reader/writer 21 to be described alter. By
the same token, the non-contact-memory-card reader/writer 21 is
referred to hereafter simply as a reader/writer. The antenna 2
supplies a signal representing the electric wave received thereby
to a tuning circuit 3 and a power-supply circuit 12. The tuning
circuit 3 extracts only a signal with a carrier frequency for use
in communication between the memory card 1 and the reader/writer 21
from the signal supplied thereto by the antenna 2.
[0114] An amplifier circuit 4 amplifies a signal supplied thereto
by the tuning circuit 3 to a predetermined signal level, outputting
the amplified signal to a demodulation circuit 5. The demodulation
circuit 5 demodulates the amplified signal which was modulated at
the carrier frequency, producing data conveyed by the modulated
signal. A communication control circuit 6 carries out mode
switching so as to allow a signal to be supplied by the
demodulation circuit 5 to a microcomputer 7 or a signal to be
supplied by the microcomputer 7 to a modulation circuit 10. The
microcomputer 7 controls other components by executing a control
program stored in a ROM (Read-Only Memory) unit 8. The
microcomputer 7 also selects information, which needs to be stored
in memory, from data received from the demodulation circuit 5 by
way of the communication control circuit 6, supplying the
information to an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable
Read-only Memory) unit 9.
[0115] The EEPROM unit 9 stores the information supplied thereto by
the microcomputer 7. The modulation circuit 10 uses data supplied
thereto by the microcomputer 7 by way of the communication control
circuit 6 for modulating a signal having a carrier frequency. An
amplifier circuit 11 amplifies the carrier-frequency signal
modulated by the modulation circuit 10 to a level required in the
communication with the reader/writer 21. Finally, the antenna 2
transmits the carrier-frequency signal amplified by the amplifier
circuit 11 as an electric wave.
[0116] Next, the operation of the memory card 1 is explained. First
of all, a procedure of processing to receive an electric wave
transmitted by the reader/writer 21 and to store information
conveyed in the electric wave in the EEPROM unit 9 is explained. An
electric wave received by the antenna 2 from the reader/writer 21
is converted into an electric signal corresponding to the electric
wave which is then supplied to the tuning circuit 3. The tuning
circuit 3 extracts only a signal with a predetermined carrier
frequency from the electric signal supplied by the antenna 2,
supplying the extracted carrier-frequency signal to the amplifier
circuit 4. The amplifier circuit 4 amplifies the carrier-frequency
signal supplied thereto by the tuning circuit 3 to a predetermined
signal level, supplying the amplified signal to the demodulation
circuit 5.
[0117] The demodulation circuit 5 demodulates the amplified signal
supplied thereto by the amplifier circuit 4, supplying a
demodulated signal to the communication control circuit 6. The
communication control circuit 6, which has been switched to a
reception mode at that time, converts the demodulated signal
received from the demodulation circuit 5 into digital data to be
supplied to the microcomputer 7. The microcomputer 7 forms a
judgment as to whether or not the digital data supplied thereto by
the communication control circuit 6 is data to be stored in the
EEPROM unit 9 by the microcomputer 7. Depending on the outcome of
the judgment, the digital data may be supplied to the EEPROM unit 9
to be stored therein.
[0118] By the way, the electrical signal generated by the antenna 2
is also supplied to the power-supply circuit 12. The power-supply
circuit 12 fetches energy from the electrical signal supplied
thereto by electromagnetic coupling with a carrier transmitted from
the reader/writer 21, supplying power to components employed in the
memory card 1. In this way, power can be supplied by an external
source to the memory card 1.
[0119] The following is description of a case in which data (or a
command) received by the microcomputer 7 from the reader/writer 21
through the communication control circuit 6 is a request for
transmission of data stored in the EEPROM unit 9 to the
reader/writer 21. When the microcomputer 7 receives the data (or a
command) requesting transmission of data from the communication
control circuit 6, the data is read out from the EEPROM unit 9,
supplying the data to the communication control circuit 6. The
communication control circuit 6 switches the operating mode to a
transmission mode, supplying the data received from the
microcomputer 7 to the modulation circuit 10.
[0120] The modulation circuit 10 uses the data received from the
communication control circuit 6 to modulate a signal having a
carrier frequency, supplying a modulated signal to the amplifier
circuit 11. The amplifier circuit 11 amplifies the modulated signal
supplied thereto by the modulation circuit 10 to a level required
in the communication with the reader/writer 21. A signal amplified
by the amplifier circuit 11 is then supplied to the antenna 2.
[0121] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
a non-contact-type memory-card reader/writer to which the
input/output apparatus provided by the present invention is
applied. An antenna 22 shown in the figure transmits and receives a
signal to and from the memory card 1. The signal has a
predetermined carrier frequency which is required in the
communication between the reader/writer 21 and the memory card 1.
The reader/writer 21 also generates a magnetic field for supplying
power to the memory card 1.
[0122] A tuning circuit 23 extracts only a signal with a carrier
frequency for use in the communication between the memory card 1
and the reader/writer 21 from the signal supplied by the antenna
22. An amplifier circuit 24 amplifies a signal supplied thereto by
the tuning circuit 23 to a predetermined signal level, outputting
the amplified signal to a demodulation circuit 25. The demodulation
circuit 25 demodulates the amplified signal which was modulated at
the carrier frequency, producing data conveyed by the modulated
signal. A communication control circuit 26 carries out mode
switching so as to allow a signal to be supplied by the
demodulation circuit 25 to a microcomputer 27 or a signal to be
supplied by the microcomputer 27 to a modulation circuit 30. The
microcomputer 27 controls other components by executing a control
program stored in a ROM (Read-only Memory) unit 28. The
microcomputer 27 also selects information, which needs to be stored
in memory, from data received from the demodulation circuit 25 by
way of the communication control circuit 26, supplying the
information to a RAM (Random-Access Memory) unit 29.
[0123] The RAM unit 29 stores the information supplied thereto by
the microcomputer 27. The modulation circuit 30 uses data supplied
thereto by the microcomputer 27 by way of the communication control
circuit 26 for modulating a signal having a carrier frequency. An
amplifier circuit 31 amplifies the carrier-frequency signal
modulated by the modulation circuit 30 to a level required in the
communication with the memory card 1. Finally, the antenna 22
transmits the carrier-frequency signal amplified by the amplifier
circuit 31 as an electric wave.
[0124] Next, the operation of the reader/writer 21 is explained.
First of all, a procedure of processing to receive data transmitted
by the memory card 1 is explained. An electric wave received by the
antenna 22 from the memory card 1 is converted into an electric
signal corresponding to the electric wave which is then supplied to
the tuning circuit 23. The tuning circuit 23 extracts only a signal
with a predetermined carrier frequency from the electric signal
supplied by the antenna 22, supplying the extracted
carrier-frequency signal to the amplifier circuit 24. The amplifier
circuit 24 amplifies the carrier-frequency signal supplied thereto
by the tuning circuit 23 to a predetermined signal level, supplying
the amplified signal to the demodulation circuit 25.
[0125] The demodulation circuit 25 demodulates the amplified signal
supplied thereto by the amplifier circuit 24, supplying a
demodulated signal to the communication control circuit 26. The
communication control circuit 26 switches the operating mode to a
reception mode, converting the demodulated signal received from the
demodulation circuit 25 into digital data to be supplied to the
microcomputer 27. The microcomputer 27 stores the digital data in
the RAM unit 29 prior to transmission to an external circuit not
shown in the figure through a communication line 32.
[0126] The following is description of a case in which a
data-transmission request is issued to request that predetermined
data be transmitted from the reader/writer 21 to the memory card 1.
In this case, if necessary, the data to be transmitted to the
memory card 1 is received from the external circuit by the
microcomputer 27 by way of the communication line 32. The
microcomputer 27 supplies the data transmitted thereto from the
external circuit by way of the communication line 32 or data
already stored in the RAM unit 29 to the communication control
circuit 26.
[0127] The communication control circuit 26 converts the data
supplied thereto by the microcomputer 27 into an analog signal,
supplying the analog signal to the modulation circuit 30. The
modulation circuit 30 uses the analog signal received from the
communication control circuit 26 to modulate a signal having a
carrier frequency, supplying a modulated signal to the amplifier
circuit 31. The amplifier circuit 31 amplifies the modulated signal
supplied thereto by the modulation circuit 30 to a level required
in the communication with the memory card 1. A signal amplified by
the amplifier circuit 31 is then supplied to the antenna 22 for
transmission to the memory card 1.
[0128] The signal transmitted through the antenna 22 is received by
the antenna 2 employed in the memory card 1 to be finally stored in
the EEPROM unit 9 as described above.
[0129] As described above, data can be exchanged between the memory
card 1 and the reader/writer 21.
[0130] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a memory card 1
shown in FIG. 1 is mounted in each of dents 101 and 102 provided on
an case of a cassette 100.
[0131] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which, even if a
cassette 100 having a memory card 1 mounted therein is not set in a
VTR 41, by merely bringing the cassette 100 to a location in close
proximity to the VTR 41, communication between the VTR 41 and the
cassette 100 can be established, allowing data stored in the memory
card 1 to-be displayed on a screen of a television receiver 42
connected to the VTR 41.
[0132] In this example, the VTR 41 is provided with a reader/writer
21 shown in FIG. 2. The reader/writer 21 is installed on the VTR 41
so that the antenna 22 of the reader/writer 21 is directed to the
outside of the VTR 41. In this way, communication can be
established between the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100
and the reader/writer 21 installed on VTR 41, allowing the
reader/writer 21 to read out data stored in the memory card 1. The
data read out from the memory card 1 is then supplied to the
television receiver 42 to be displayed on a screen thereof.
[0133] In this example, the television receiver 42 displays data
stored in the memory card 1. Thus, if a request is received by the
television receiver 42 from the VTR 41 when the television receiver
42 is in a stand-by state, the power supply is turned on and the
television receiver 42 is switched to a mode to receive a
video/audio signal from the VTR 41 and to display an image supplied
by the VTR 41.
[0134] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which
communication can be established between a cassette 100 and a
television receiver 51. In this example, the television receiver 51
is provided with a reader/writer 21 shown in FIG. 2. The
reader/writer 21 is installed on the television receiver 51 so that
the antenna 22 of the reader/writer 21 is directed to the outside
of the television receiver 51. In this way, communication can be
established between the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100
and the reader/writer 21 installed on television receiver 51,
allowing the reader/writer 21 to read out data stored in the memory
card 1. The data read out from the memory card 1 is then supplied
to the television receiver 51 to be displayed on a screen thereof.
Conversely, predetermined data can be transmitted to the memory
card 1 to be stored therein.
[0135] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a reader/writer
21 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to a personal computer 61, referred
to hereafter simply as a PC 61, allowing the PC 61 to read out and
to write data from and to a memory card 1 mounted on a cassette
100. In this example, the reader/writer 21 is controlled by the PC
61 which issues instructions to the PC 61 to read out and to write
data from and to the memory card 1.
[0136] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a reader/writer
21 shown in FIG. 2 is provided on a remote commander or a display
apparatus 71. As shown in the figure, the remote commander or the
display apparatus 71 is provided with a display unit 71a which is
capable of displaying information such as characters and a graphic,
allowing data read out from a memory card 1 to be displayed
thereon. An operation unit 71b is operated to transmit data to the
memory card 1 to be stored therein.
[0137] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a reader/writer
21 shown in FIG. 2 is provided on a printer 81. In this case, the
printer 81 is capable of communicating with a memory card 1 mounted
on a cassette 100, reading out data stored in the memory card 1 and
printing the data on a predetermined piece of paper. The paper can
then be stuck to the cassette as an index card. In addition, by
operating an operation unit 81a, data can be entered and
transmitted to the memory card 1 to be stored therein.
[0138] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a typical internal
configuration of the VTR 41 shown in FIG. 4. In this example, the
reader/writer 21 has a plurality of antennas 22-1 and 22-2. A
microcomputer 95 controls the reader/writer 21 through a
communication line 32, exchanges data with the reader/writer 21,
reads out data stored in a memory card 1 mounted on a cassette 100
and transmits data to the memory card 1 to be stored therein.
[0139] A compartment 93 forms a space for accommodating a cassette
100. A switch 94 is used for detecting whether or not a cassette
100 has been inserted into the compartment 93. The antenna 22-2 for
communicating with a memory card 1 mounted on a cassette 100
existing outside the VTR 41 is designed to provide extremely strong
directivity to an electric wave radiated thereby, that is,
directivity that does not have an effect on internal components of
the VTR 41. To put it concretely, a metallic plate 92-2 is provided
on the back surface of the antenna 22-2 to prevent an electric wave
radiated by the antenna 22-2 from being directed to the inside of
the VTR 41.
[0140] By the same token, a metallic plate 92-1 is provided on the
back surface of the antenna 22-1 to prevent an electric wave
radiated by the antenna 22-1 from being directed to the inside of
the VTR 41.
[0141] Normally, with a cassette 100 inserted into the compartment
93 in the VTR 41, the antenna 22-1 provided on the compartment 93
allows communication to be established with a memory card 1 mounted
on the cassette 100.
[0142] As described above, communication is established with a
memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100 inserted into the
compartment 93 under a condition that imposes a limitation on the
intensity of an electric field based on safety standards conforming
to an electric-wave law or the like, hence, limiting a distance
reachable by a radiated electric wave. With a cassette 100 not
inserted into the compartment 93, the strength of an electric wave
radiated by the antenna 92-1 is not enough for reaching the
cassette 100. As a result, in the case of a cassette 100 existing
outside the VTR 41, communication with a memory card 1 mounted on
the cassette 100 can not be established with a high degree of
reliability.
[0143] In order to solve the problem described above, the antenna
22-2 is further provided typically on the front surface of the VTR
41 shown in FIG. 9 in addition to the antenna 22-1. As a result,
even in the case of a cassette 100 existing outside the VTR 41, the
reader/writer 21 is capable of communicating with a memory card 1
mounted on the cassette 100 through the antenna 22-2 with a high
degree of reliability.
[0144] As described above, the switch 94 is used for forming a
judgment as to whether a cassette 100 exists in the inside or the
outside of the VTR 41. To put it in detail, when a cassette 100 is
inserted into the compartment 93, the switch 94 is pushed by the
case of the cassette 100, detecting the insertion of the cassette
100 into the compartment 93. At that time, a signal indicating the
insertion of the cassette 100 into the compartment 93 is supplied
to the microcomputer 95 from the switch 94. In this way, the
microcomputer 95 is capable of forming a judgment as to whether a
cassette 100 exists in the inside or the outside of the VTR 41.
[0145] Informed by the signal from the switch 94 that a cassette
100 has been inserted into the compartment 93, the microcomputer 95
operates the antenna 22-1 to establish communication with the
cassette 100 inserted into the compartment 93 through the antenna
22-1.
[0146] When it is necessary to update data stored in a memory card
1 mounted on the cassette 100 inserted into the compartment 93, the
data stored in the memory card 1 is updated in a batch operation
when the cassette 100 is ejected from the VTR 41. This is because
communication between a reader/writer 21 installed in the VTR 41
and the .memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100 is carried out
by using a carrier in the short to intermediate wavelength band. By
updating the data stored in the memory card 1 in a batch operation
when the cassette 100 is ejected from the VTR 41, the magnitude of
an effect of the carrier on video and audio processing circuits in
the VTR 41 can be reduced to a minimum.
[0147] In addition, in order to lengthen the reachable distance of
communication, the memory card 1 can be provided with an antenna
111 for supplying power thereto besides the antenna 2 for
communication as shown in Fig. 10. This is because the antenna for
communication requires a pass band to a certain degree in order to
assure a predetermined transmission speed, making it impossible to
increase the Q of the communication antenna where the Q is defined
as a ratio of the center frequency of a tuning circuit to the
effective band width. As a result, the level of a carrier received
by the communication antenna for delivering power becomes lower as
the distance increases, making it no longer possible to assure
enough power for the communication. On the other hand, an antenna
for supplying power can have a Q high enough for fetching a high
carrier level, hence, being capable of delivering required power
even for a long communication distance. As a result, the
communication distance can be lengthened.
[0148] In the memory card 1 shown in FIG. 10, a carrier received by
the antenna 111 is supplied to a tuning circuit 112. Unlike the
tuning circuit 3 for communication purposes, however, the tuning
circuit 112 is designed to give a Q as high as possible so that the
power extracted thereby can be increased to a maximum. As a result,
the reception level of the carrier can be raised, improving the
efficiency of the power conversion.
[0149] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a typical structure of data
stored in the memory unit of the memory card 1, that is, the EEPROM
unit 9. As shown in the figure, the storage area of the memory card
1 comprises a card data area, a video-recording-reservation data
area, a program-reproduction data area and an event data area. The
card data area is used for storing intrinsic information of the
cassette 100.
[0150] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of the
card data area of the memory card. As shown in the figure, the card
data area is used for recording, among other data, the following
information:
[0151] 1. CAT (Category): category information indicating the
application of the cassette 10.
[0152] 2. EVT (Number of Events): the number of events stored in
the event data area.
[0153] 3. MB1 (Number of Memory Banks): information on the storage
capacity of the memory unit.
[0154] 4. T/F (Tens of Frame, the ten digit of a frame number):
part of information on the current position in the cassette
100.
[0155] 5. U/F (Units of Frame, the least significant digit of the
frame number): part of the information on the current position in
the cassette 100.
[0156] 6. T/S (Tens of Second, the ten digit of the number of
seconds): part of the information on the current position in the
cassette 100.
[0157] 7. U/S (Units of Second, the least significant digit of the
number of seconds): part of the information on the current position
in the cassette 100.
[0158] 8. T/M (Tens of Minute, the ten digit of the number of
minutes): part of the information on the current position in the
cassette 100.
[0159] 9. U/M (Units of Minute, the least significant digit of the
number of minutes): part of the information on the current position
in the cassette 100.
[0160] 10. T/H (Tens of Hour, the ten digit of the number of
hours): part of the information on the current position in the
cassette 100.
[0161] 11. U/H (units of Hour, the least significant digit of the
number of hours): part of the information on the current position
in the cassette 100.
[0162] The category information indicates the type of the
application such as a consumer application, a business application
or another application. Depending upon the category information,
the entire memory structure and data allocation can be changed. The
following is description given on the assumption that data is
stored in the memory for category information indicating a consumer
application, that is, description of a structure of allocation of
memory for a consumer application.
[0163] As information on the current position, data representing a
halt position of the cassette 100 is stored. For example, data
representing the time that has lapsed since the start of an
operation to reproduce data is stored in terms of hours, minutes,
seconds and frames. Accordingly, when a cassette 100 is mounted on
the VTR 41 after being taken off once from the VTR 41, the current
position of the cassette 100 can be displayed instantaneously. As a
result, the operatability of the VTR 41 can be improved.
[0164] When an operation such as reproduction of information from a
cassette 100 is carried out by using another VTR provided with no
reader/writer 21, for example, the current position will be changed
without updating the information on the current position stored in
the memory card. In case comparison of the information on the
current position stored in the memory card 1 with information on
the current position detected by another means indicates a
difference between the two, an attempt will be made to store the
detected information on the halted-position into the memory card 1.
In this way, the information on the current position stored in the
memory card 1 can be updated with information on the current
position representing the actual position.
[0165] The current position of the cassette can be detected by
adopting the following method. For example, data is reproduced from
the cassette 100 and the current position can be found from the
rotational speed of a reel motor. As an alternative, the current
position can be recognized by reproducing information on the
current position written at specific positions. In particular, in
the case of a video apparatus, positional counter information
inserted into the intervals of a vertical-synchronization signal
can be used.
[0166] The following is description of a procedure of processing
which is carried out by the microcomputer 95 in case information on
the current position of a cassette 100 stored in the card data area
of the memory card 1 does not agree with the actual halted position
with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 13. As shown in the
figure, the flowchart begins with a step Si at which the
microcomputer 95 issues a command to the reader/writer 21 by way of
a communication line 32, requesting the reader/writer 21 to read
out information on the current position stored in the card data
area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100.
[0167] In accordance with the command received from the
microcomputer 95, the reader/writer 21 reads out information on the
current position stored in the card data area of the memory card 1
mounted on the cassette 100 through the antenna 22-1. The flow of
processing then goes on to a step S2 to form a judgment as to
whether or not the information on the current position has all been
read out by a microcomputer 27 employed in the reader/writer 21. If
the information on the current position has not all been read out,
the flow of processing returns to the step S1 to repeat the pieces
of processing carried out at the steps S1 and S2 till the
information on the current position is all read out. If the
information on the current position has all been read out, on the
other hand, the flow of processing proceeds to a step S3. At that
time, the information on the current position read out from the
memory card 1 is supplied to the microcomputer 95 by way of the
communication line 32.
[0168] At the step S3, an operation such as reproduction of data is
carried out under the control of the microcomputer 95. From the
rotational speed of the reel motor, the microcomputer 95 infers the
current halted position of the cassette 100. The flow of processing
then continues to a step S4 at which the inferred value of the
current position is compared with the information on the current
position stored in the memory card 1 and supplied to the
microcomputer 95 by the reader/writer 21.
[0169] Then, the flow of processing goes on to a step S5 to form a
judgment as to whether or not the inferred value of the current
position agrees with the information on the current position stored
in the memory card 1 or whether or not the difference between the
two is within a predetermined range of errors. If the inferred
value of the current position does not agree with the information
on the current position stored in the memory card 1, the actual
current position is judged to have been changed in a reproduction
operation or the like carried out by another VTR without updating
the information on the current position stored in the memory card 1
mounted on the cassette 100. In this case, the flow of processing
proceeds to a step S6 at which the information on the current
position inferred at the step S3 is written into a predetermined
buffer memory. The flow of processing then continues to a step S7
at which the presently inferred current position is finally
regarded as valid data representing the actual current position
and-the information on the current position stored in the memory
card 1 is updated with the inferred value of the present position
written in the buffer memory to complete the processing. If the
outcome of the judgment formed at the step S5 indicates that the
inferred value of the current position agrees with the information
on the current position stored in the memory card 1, on the other
hand, the information on the current position stored in the memory
card 1 is regarded as correct information. In this case, the
processing is completed without updating the information on the
current position stored in the memory card 1.
[0170] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of the
video-recording-reservation data area shown in FIG. 11. The
video-recording-reservation data area is used for storing
information on a timer-based video-recording reservation. The
microcomputer 95 employed in the VTR 41 reads in the information on
a timer-based video-recording reservation through the reader/writer
21, comparing the information with the present time and the date of
today. If the information on a timer-based video-recording
reservation is found valid, the microcomputer 95 sets the
information in a timer circuit not shown in the figure, putting the
VTR 41 in a video-recording reservation state. This function is
simpler than the ordinary video-recording-reservation function
which is executed by the user by operating the VTR 41 or a remote
commander. This function is yet convenient for repeatedly recording
an event such as a regular daily program.
[0171] As shown in FIG. 14, the video-recording-reservation data
area is used for storing data required for making a timer-based
video-recording reservation including:
[0172] 1. Recording speed (SR=1 indicating an SP (Short Play) or
SR=0 indicating an LP (Long Play))
[0173] 2. Day of the week (Day)
[0174] 3. Information on protection (RP) indicating whether or not
a write operation is inhibited (RP=0 indicating record protection
or RP=1 indicating no record protection)
[0175] 4. Timer control flag (TCF) indicating the frequency of
control such as one-time control, daily control or weekly control.
For example, TCF=00 indicates weekly control, TCF=01 indicates
one-time control and TCF=11 indicates daily control.
[0176] 5. Video-recording time and date
[0177] 5.1 T/BM (Tens of Start Minute) representing the ten digit
of the minute portion of the video-recording-start time.
[0178] 5.2 U/BM (Units of Start Minute) representing the least
significant digit of the minute portion of the video-recording
start time.
[0179] 5.3 T/BH (Tens of Start Hour) representing the ten digit of
the hour portion of the video-recording start time.
[0180] 5.4 U/BH (Units of Start Hour) representing the least
significant digit of the hour portion of the video-recordin g start
time.
[0181] 5.5 T/EM (Tens of End Minute) representing the ten digit of
the minute portion of the video-recording end time.
[0182] 5.6 U/EM (Units of End Minute) representing the least
significant digit of the minute portion of the video-recording end
time.
[0183] 5.7 T/EH (Tens of End Hour) representing the ten digit of
the hour portion of the video-recording end time.
[0184] 5.8 U/EH (Units of End Hour) representing the least
significant digit of the hour portion of the video-recordin g end
time.
[0185] 5.9 T/D (Tens of Day) representing the ten digit of the day
portion of the video-recording date.
[0186] 5.10 U/D (Units of Day) representing the least significant
digit of the day portion of the video-recording date.
[0187] 5.11 T/M (Tens of Month) representing the ten digit of the
month portion of the video-recording date. TM=1 indicating the
months of October to December.
[0188] 5.12 U/M (Units of Month) representing the least significant
digit of the month portion of the video-recording data. U/M=0 to 9
indicating the months of January to September respectively.
[0189] 5.13 T/Y (Tens of Year) representing the ten digit of the
year portion of the video-recording date.
[0190] 5.14 U/Y (Units of Year) representing the least significant
digit of the year portion of the video-recording date.
[0191] 6. Broadcasting station ID (ID=Station ID/Position)
[0192] 7. SEL (Input Select) representing input switching
information of the VTR 41
[0193] 8. CHR (Station ID1 to ID5)
[0194] The above pieces of information are converted into data with
a format for the video-recording-reservation function of the VTR
41.
[0195] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing carried out by the microcomputer 95 to execute the
video-recording-reservation function based on information on a
video-recording reservation stored in the video-recording
reservation data area of a memory card 1 mounted on a cassette 100.
As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins with a step S11 at
which the microcomputer 95 reads in data stored in the
video-recording reservation data area of the memory card 1 mounted
on the cassette 100. To put it in detail, the microcomputer 95
issues a command to the reader/writer 21 through the communication
line 32, requesting the reader/writer 21 to read out the
information on a timer-based video-recording reservation stored the
video-recording-reservation data area of the memory card 1 mounted
on the cassette 100.
[0196] In accordance with the command received from the
microcomputer 95, the reader/writer 21 reads out the information on
a timer-based video-recording reservation, that is,
video-recording-reservation data, from the
video-recording-reservation data area of the memory card 1 through
the antenna 22-1. The flow of processing then goes on to a step S12
to form a judgment as to whether or not the video-recording
reservation data, that is, program data, has all been read out by a
microcomputer 27 employed in the reader/writer 21. If the
video-recording-reservation data has not all been read out, the
flow of processing returns to the step S11 to repeat the pieces of
processing carried out at the steps S11 and S12 till the
video-recording-reservation data is all read out. If the
video-recording-reservation data has all been read out, on the
other hand, the flow of processing proceeds to a step S13.
[0197] At the step S13, the video-recording-reservation data read
out by the microcomputer 27 is checked to form a judgment as to
whether the data is valid or invalid. To put it in detail, the data
is checked, for example, to form a judgment as to whether or not
the broadcasting start time of a program reserved for video
recording is a time after the present time or, if the broadcasting
start time of a program reserved for video recording is a time
after the present time, the start time is within 24 hours after the
present time. If the outcome of the judgment indicates that the
video-recording-reservation data is valid, the flow of processing
proceeds to a step S14 at which the video-recording reservation
data is transformed into video-recording-reservation data with a
format that can be processed by the microcomputer 95 employed in
the VTR 41.
[0198] The flow of processing then continues to a step S15 at which
the VTR 41 enters a state to wait for the reserved video recording,
terminating the processing. If the outcome of the judgment formed
at the step S13 indicates that the video-recording-reservation data
is invalid, on the other hand, the processing is terminated.
[0199] Since a video-recording reservation can be made in
accordance with video-recording-reservation data recorded in
advance in the video-recording-reservation data area of a memory
card 1 mounted on a cassette 100 as described above, in order to
record a program broadcasted at a predetermined time every week,
for example, the user needs only to set the cassette 100, which has
a memory card 1 with the video-recording-reservation data of the
program stored therein, in the VTR 41. In this way, the program can
be recorded.
[0200] In addition, by mounting a purchased memory card 1, on which
video-recording-reservation data of a program has been recorded in
advance, on a cassette, the user is capable of making a
video-recording reservation of the program without the need to
enter video-recording-reservation data of the program.
[0201] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of a
program-reproduction data area of the memory card 1 shown in FIG.
11. The program-reproduction data area is used for recording data
for an automatic reproduction. An RPT (Repeat Play) field shown in
the figure is a two-bit field used for recording data representing
a reproduction mode such as a one-time reproduction operation, a
two-time reproduction operation and a repeated reproduction
operation. A TAG (operation bit) field is a six-bit field used for
recording data regarding the operation specification of an area in
which a program is recorded. Examples of the operation
specification are a normal reproduction operation and a slow
reproduction operation. A POS (Program Relative Position) field is
an eight-bit field used for recording relative-position data
indicating a reproduction position of the cassette 100 from which a
reproduction operation is to be started.
[0202] The microcomputer 95 employed in the VTR 41 reads out data
recorded in the program-reproduction data area of the memory card 1
mounted on the cassette 100, using the data for controlling other
elements in an automatic reproduction operation.
[0203] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart representing the procedure of
processing carried out by the microcomputer 95 in an automatic
reproduction operation. As shown in the figure, the flowchart
begins with a step S21 at which data recorded in the
program-reproduction data area of the memory card 1 mounted on the
cassette 100 is read out. That is to say, the microcomputer 95
issues a command to the reader/writer 21 by way of the
communication line 32, requesting the reader/writer 21 to read out
the data recorded in the program-reproduction data area of the
memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100.
[0204] In accordance with the command received from the
microcomputer 95, the reader/writer 21 reads out
program-reproduction data recorded in the program-reproduction data
area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100 through the
antenna 22-1. The flow of processing then goes on to a step S22 to
form a judgment as to whether or not all the program-reproduction
data has been read out from the program-reproduction data area by
the microcomputer 27 employed in the reader/writer 21. If all the
program reproduction data has not been read out, the flow of
processing returns to the step S21 at which the microcomputer 27
repeats the operation to read out the data till all the
program-reproduction data is read out from the program-reproduction
data area. If all the program reproduction data has been read out
from the program reproduction data area, on the other hand, the
flow of processing continues to a step S23.
[0205] At the step S23, the program-reproduction data read out by
the microcomputer 27 is checked to form a judgment as to whether
the program-reproduction data read is valid or invalid, that is, to
form a judgment as to whether or not the format and other
attributes of the data are correct. If the program-reproduction
data read out by the microcomputer 27 is found valid, the flow of
processing proceeds to a step S24 at which the head of the VTR 41
is moved to an initial reproduction position specified in the
program-reproduction data read out by the microcomputer 27 at the
step 21 by feeding the tape of the cassette 100 at a high speed or
rewinding it. It should be noted that the head itself is not shown
in the figure. The flow of processing then goes on to a step S25 at
which recorded data specified in the program-reproduction data is
reproduced.
[0206] Subsequently, the flow of processing proceeds to a step S26
to form a judgment as to whether or not the last piece of the
program-reproduction data has been processed. If the last piece of
the program-reproduction data has not been processed, the flow of
processing returns to the step S24 to repeat the processing
starting from the step S24. If the last piece of the
program-reproduction data has been processed, on the other hand,
the processing is ended.
[0207] If the program-reproduction data read out by the
microcomputer 27 at the step S21 is found invalid at the step S23,
on the other hand, the processing is ended without carrying out
anything.
[0208] By recording a reproduction procedure in the
program-reproduction data area of a memory card 1 in advance as
described above, a reproduction operation can be carried out in
accordance with the procedure. Such a reproduction procedure is
used typically in editing work. In addition, similar processing can
be carried out even if absolute position data is recorded in the
data POS field of the program-reproduction data area.
[0209] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of an
event data area of the memory card 1 shown in FIG. 11. A RM (Record
Mode) field shown in the figure is a two-bit field used for storing
information on the recording mode such an image-only recording
mode, a sound-only recording mode or an image-and-sound recording
mode. A MIN field is a six-bit field used for recording the minute
portion of a date and a time which is expressed in terms of hours,
minutes and seconds. The broadcasting of a recorded program is
started on the date and the time. A WEEK field is a three-bit field
for recording a day of the week of the date. An HOUR field is a
five-bit field for recording the hour portion of the time. A YR
field is a seven-bit field comprising three high-order bits and
four low-order bit for recording the year portion of the date. A
DAY field is a five-bit field for storing the day portion of the
date. Finally, a MTH field is a four-bit field for storing the
month portion of the date.
[0210] The ID (Station ID) field is used for recording the ID of a
broadcasting station. A SEL (Input Select) field is used for
recording a selected input method. CHR (Station ID1-ID5) fields are
each used for recording a string of characters of typically the
name of a broadcasting station. There are five CHR fields
corresponding to station ID1 to station ID5. A SR (Recording Speed)
field is used for recording a video-recording speed. A RP (Record
Protect) field is used for recording information as to whether a
write operation is inhibited or enabled. A (CHN Audio CH No.) field
is a two-bit field for recording the number of audio channels. An
AMD (Audio Mode) field is a four-bit field for recording an audio
mode such as a stereo mode or an audio multiplexing mode. A VEF
(Video Emphasis) field and an AEF (Audio Emphasis) field are each a
1-bit field for recording information on a reproduction method
depending on the tape such a reproduction method suitable for a
rental cassette tape.
[0211] An N/C (Video System) field is a one-bit field used for
recording data indicating a television broadcasting system such as
PAL or NTSC. A STY (Set Up Data) field is a five-bit field used for
recording data indicating a recording system such as a VHS or a
SVHS. A KY (Key Information) field and a KYO field are each a
four-bit field used for recording a lock key for the program. In
the case of the example, the fields represent a two-digit lock key.
For example, a recorded program may be intended only for certain
individuals in which case a minor lock key, that is, a lock key for
preventing persons under age from watching the program, is
required. In this way, each program can be provided with a lock key
(a password) set for a certain individual.
[0212] A TXT (Title Exists) field is a one-bit field for recording
data indicating whether or not the title of a program is recorded.
A BCT (Basic Category) field, a three-bit field, and a CNT
(Category Contents) field, a four-bit field, are used for storing
the category of a program. For example, data representing a sport
category is recorded in the BCT field and data representing a
baseball is recorded in the CNT. A TCO (Text Code) field is an
eight-bit field used for recording data concerning the language of
a program such Japanese or English.
[0213] An (Extended Data Bank) EBK field is an eight-bit field used
for recording data for specifying an extension data area. An
extension data area is used for recording a pointer pointing to an
area in which information on a recorded program such as images and
sound of the program is stored.
[0214] If the TXT field contains data which-indicates that the
title of a program is recorded, the next two blocks comprising 32
bytes are used for recording information on the title of the
program. To be more specific, a TDP (Total Number of Text-Data
Pieces) field is the first byte of the two blocks used for
recording the number of text-data pieces in the title of the
program. The next CHR (Character Code) fields of the subsequent
bytes following the TDP byte in the two blocks are each an
eight-bit field. The CHR fields are used for recording character
codes of the title of the program.
[0215] By using the above pieces of information, an index to data
recorded in the cassette 100 can be displayed on the display unit
of the VTR 41 and the television receiver 42.
[0216] FIG. 19 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing which is carried out by the microcomputer 95 when most
recent data is written over event data recorded earlier in the
event data area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100.
When a new program is recorded in a cassette 100 having a memory
card 1 mounted thereon, for example, information on individual
recorded programs stored in the memory card 1, that is, event data
stored in the memory card 1, does not match event data stored
temporarily in the VTR 41 any more. Therefore, when the cassette
100 is taken off from the VTR 41, data stored in the event data
area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100 is
updated.
[0217] Assume that a new program is recorded on a certain portion
of the cassette 100 in which some programs (or events) have already
been recorded. In this case, since the recorded contents of the
portion are updated, a location in the event data area in the
memory card 1 corresponding to the portion also needs to be
updated.
[0218] As shown in FIG. 19, the flowchart begins with a step S31 at
which the microcomputer 95 issues a command to the reader/writer 21
by way of the communication line 32, requesting the reader/writer
21 to read out the data recorded in the event data area of the
memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100.
[0219] In accordance with the command received from the
microcomputer 95, the reader/writer 21 reads out event data
recorded in the event data area of the memory card 1 mounted on the
cassette 100 through the antenna 22-1. The flow of processing then
goes on to a step S32 to form a judgment as to whether or not all
the event data has been read out from the event data area by the
microcomputer 27 employed in the reader/writer 21. If all the event
data has not been read out, the flow of processing returns to the
step S31 at which the microcomputer 27 repeats the operation to
read out the data till all the event data is read out from the
event data area.
[0220] If all the event data has been read out from the event data
area, on the other hand, the flow of processing continues to a step
S33. At the step S33, the event data read out from the memory card
1 at the step S31 as requested by the microcomputer 95 is compared
with event data stored temporarily in the microcomputer 95. The
flow of processing then proceeds to a step S34 to form a judgment
as to whether or not the event data read out at the step S31 as
requested by the microcomputer 95 matches the event data stored
temporarily in the microcomputer 95. If the event data read out at
the step S31 as requested by the microcomputer 95 does not match
the event data stored temporarily in the microcomputer 95, the flow
of processing continues to a step S35 at which the most recent
event data stored in the microcomputer 95 is written into a buffer
memory not shown in the figure. Then, the flow of processing goes
on to a step S36 at which the most recent data stored in the buffer
memory is used for updating the event data stored in the event data
area of the memory card 1 corresponding to the most recent event
data.
[0221] The flow of processing then proceeds-to a step S37 to form a
judgment as to whether or not the event data stored in the memory
card 1 read out at the step S31 as requested by the microcomputer
95 matches the event data stored temporarily in the microcomputer
95 for a verification purpose.
[0222] In the VTR 41, event data for programs which are recorded in
the cassette 100 after the cassette 100 is mounted on the VTR 41 is
stored temporarily in the microcomputer 95. Therefore, when the
cassette 100 is taken out from the VTR 41, the event data stored
temporarily in the microcomputer 95 is copied to the event data
area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette 100. If a new
program is recorded in the cassette 100 over a program already
existing therein, for example, the event data for the new program
is written over the temporarily stored event data for the already
existing program in the VTR 41. When the cassette 100 is taken out
from the VTR 41, the most recent event data for the new program
recorded in the cassette 100 is therefore recorded on the memory
card 1 mounted on the cassette 100.
[0223] Event data stored in the memory card 1 includes information
on the current position indicating a location in the cassette 100
at which a program associated with the event data is recorded. When
a new program is recorded at a location on the cassette tape 100,
the microcomputer 95 also includes information on the position in
the event data for the new program stored temporarily therein.
[0224] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S37
indicates that the event stored in the memory card 1 does not match
the event data stored temporarily in the microcomputer 95, the flow
of processing returns to the step S35 to repeat pieces of
processing at the step S35 and the subsequent steps. If the outcome
of the judgment formed at the step S37 indicates that the event
stored in the memory card 1 matches the event data stored
temporarily in the microcomputer 95, on the other hand, the
processing is completed. In addition, if the outcome of the
judgment formed at the step S34 indicates that the event stored in
the memory card 1 matches the event data stored temporarily in the
microcomputer 95, on the other hand, the processing is
completed.
[0225] As described above, when a new program is recorded in the
cassette 100, changing the recorded contents of the cassette 100,
information on the newly recorded program (or the event data)
recorded in the memory card 1 is also updated accordingly.
[0226] Here, the title of a program can be obtained with ease by
using an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of broadcasted data
inserted into the interval of the vertical-synchronization signal.
If information on the title of a program can not be obtained, the
title of a program included in event data recorded in the event
data area of the memory card 1 can be edited by using external
accessory equipment provided with a reader/writer.
[0227] When the VTR 41 is put in a video-recording state without
entering the title of a program using an EPG etc., there is fear
that the title of the program is not input. That is to say, since a
video-recording reservation etc. is made by the user by utilizing a
screen such as the EPG, information on a program such as the title
of the program can be obtained beforehand. When carrying out
ordinary video recording, however, information on a recorded
program can not probably be obtained. In other words, since an EPG
is supplied at time intervals of about five minutes to three hours,
depending on the substance of the service, the title of a desired
program can not be obtained in a real-time manner in some
cases.
[0228] In order to solve the problem described above, information
on a program such as the title of the program is inserted into the
interval of the vertical-synchronization signal in synchronization
with each program of the television broadcasting signal. Such
information can be inserted regularly or at proper times such as
the start or the end of a program. In this way, the title of a
program can be supplied to the user. As a result, the user is
capable of recording the title of a program in the memory card 1
mounted on the cassette 100, when necessary, by extracting the
title.
[0229] In this way, information on a program such as the title of
the program can be recorded in the memory card 1 even if ordinary
video recording, that is, video recording not reserved by using an
EPG screen, is carried out.
[0230] FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration
of an embodiment implementing an information transmitting apparatus
111 provided by the present invention. A
television-broadcast-signal outputting circuit 112 employed in the
information transmitting apparatus 111 receives an audio signal of
a program from a video camera or a VTR and a video signal from the
video camera or the VTR by way of a multiplexing circuit 114,
converting the signals into an output television-broadcast signal.
A program-title generating circuit 113 generates a signal
representing the title of a program, outputting the signal to the
multiplexing circuit 114. The title of the program will be conveyed
by the television-broadcast signal generated by the
television-broadcast-signal-outputting circuit 112.
[0231] The multiplexing circuit 114 inserts the signal representing
the title of a program generated by the program-title generating
circuit 113 into the interval of the vertical-synchronization
signal of the video signal input by the information transmitting
apparatus 111, multiplexing the signal representing the title of a
program with the video signal and outputting the multiplexed signal
to the television-broadcast-signal outputting circuit 112. A
transmitting circuit 115 transmits the television-broadcast signal
supplied thereto by the television-broadcast-signal outputting
circuit 112. The television-broadcast signal output by the
television-broadcast-signal outputting circuit 112 includes a
multiplexed signal comprising the video signal and the signal
representing the title of a program in addition to the audio
signal.
[0232] For example, assume that video and audio signals of a
program from a video camera or a VTR are supplied to the
information transmitting apparatus 111. The video signal received
by the information transmitting apparatus 111 is supplied to the
multiplexing circuit 114 before being converted into a
television-broadcast signal by the television-broadcast-signal
outputting circuit 112. Let information on the title of a program
conveyed by the video and audio signals received by the information
transmitting apparatus 111 be supplied to the program-title
generating circuit 113. The program-title generating circuit 113
generates a signal representing the title of the program from the
information on the title of the program, supplying the signal to
the multiplexing circuit 114.
[0233] The multiplexing circuit 114 inserts the signal representing
the title of a program generated by the program-title generating
circuit 113 into the interval of the vertical-synchronization
signal of the video signal input by the information transmitting
apparatus 111, superposing the signal representing the title of the
program on the video signal. The video signal superposed with the
title of the program is then supplied to the transmitting circuit
115 by way of the television-broadcast-signal outputting circuit
112. The television-broadcast signal output by the
television-broadcast-signal outputting circuit 112 is used in the
transmitting circuit 115 for modulating the frequency of a carrier
prior to transmission.
[0234] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a typical configuration of a
VTR 121 wherein a television-broadcast signal with information such
as the title of a program superposed in the interval of the
vertical-synchronization signal thereof is supplied thereto from
the information transmitting apparatus 111 shown in FIG. 20. As
shown in the figure, the VTR 121 further includes a
television-broadcast-signal receiving circuit 122 and a
program-title extracting circuit 123 in addition of components
composing the VTR 41 shown in FIG. 9.
[0235] The television-broadcast-signal receiving circuit 122
receives a television-broadcast signal transmitted by the
transmitting circuit 115 employed in the information transmitting
apparatus 111. The television-broadcast signal received by the
television-broadcast-signal receiving circuit 122 is then forwarded
to a program-title extracting circuit 123 described below and a
recording/reproduction circuit which is not shown in the figure.
The program-title extracting circuit 123 extracts a signal
representing the title of a program superposed in the interval of
the vertical-synchronization signal of the television-broadcast
signal supplied thereto from the television-broadcast-signal
receiving circuit 122, supplying the extracted signal to the
microcomputer 95.
[0236] As described above, the television-broadcast signal
transmitted by the transmitting circuit 115 employed in the
information transmitting apparatus 111 received by the
television-broadcast-signal receiving circuit 122 is forwarded to
the program-title extracting circuit 123 and the
recording/reproduction circuit. The program-title extracting
circuit 123 then extracts a signal representing the title of a
program superposed in the interval of the vertical-synchronization
signal of the television-broadcast signal supplied thereto from the
television-broadcast-signal receiving circuit 122, supplying data
such as character codes of the title of the program to the
microcomputer 95.
[0237] The microcomputer 95 supplies the data representing the
title of the program supplied thereto to the reader/writer 21 by
way of the communication line 21. The reader/writer 21 then writes
the data representing the title of the program supplied thereto by
the microcomputer 95 into the memory card 1 by way of the antenna
22-1 or 22-2.
[0238] Being the same as those of the VTR 41 shown in FIG. 9, the
description of the remaining configuration and operations is not
repeated here.
[0239] As described above, by inserting information such as the
title of a program into a television-broadcast signal, unobtainable
information such as the title of a program recorded by using even
an EPG can now be obtained in an operation such as ordinary video
recording. In addition, the obtained information can be stored in
the memory card 1.
[0240] In addition, by using a PC 61 like the one shown in FIG. 6
for example, the title of a program which is obtained by the user
by reading out a program guide from a publication such as a
newspaper or a magazine can be recorded in a memory card 1 mounted
on a cassette 100 by way of the reader/writer 21 connected to the
PC 61. As an alternative, by connecting the PC 61 to an external
data base through a wire connection such as a telephone line, the
title of a program can be acquired from the data base and recorded
in the memory card 1 by way of the reader/writer 21. As another
alternative, the title of a program can be obtained from a program
guide described in an electronic publication such as a CD-ROM and
recorded in the memory card 1. As a further alternative, the title
of a program supplied through means such as an XDS (Extended Data
Service), a PDS (Program Delivery Service) or a character
multiplexing broadcast system can be acquired and recorded in the
memory card 1.
[0241] In an operation such as video recording of a signal received
by a satellite-broadcasting receiver, for example, the
satellite-broadcasting receiver is connected to an external input
terminal of the VTR 1 through-which a base-band signal to be
recorded is supplied. In this case, since the VTR 41 is not capable
of obtaining desired information such as the title of a program to
be recorded, the required data is re-inserted into the interval of
the vertical-synchronization signal of a signal received by the
satellite-broadcasting receiver and transmitted to the VTR 41 by
way of a bus connecting the VTR 41 and the satellite-broadcasting
receiver.
[0242] A program category is additional information for identifying
the category and other data of a recorded program. A program
category can be used for searching a recording medium such as a
cassette tape for a desired program. An area appended as an
extension data area is used for storing information pertaining to a
recorded program such as video and audio data. By displaying images
(video data) and outputting sound (audio data) stored in such an
area in addition to characters, the display of contents recorded in
a cassette can be made easy to understand.
[0243] Besides consumer applications described so far, applications
of the memory card 1 also include business and preset-work
applications. In a business application which includes a
rental-business application, information stored in the memory card
includes the title of a recorded program, the number of operations
reproducing the program, information on a borrower of the cassette
such as a member ID, a borrowing day and a borrowing period, not to
mention other necessary information such as a static image, sound
and character data.
[0244] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of
information for a business application stored in the memory card 1.
A CAT (Category) field shown in the figure is a four-bit field used
for recording information such as the title of a recorded program.
An EVT (Number of Events) field is a four-bit field used for
recording the number of events (programs). An MB1 field is an
eight-bit field used for recording the storage capacity of the
memory.
[0245] A PDC (Professional Data Category) field is an eight-bit
field used for storing a category of information for a business
application. A LEN (Professional Data Length) field is used for
storing the data length of the information for a business
application. A DTA (Professional Data) field is used for recording
the information for a business application. The information for a
business application includes the title of a recorded program, the
number of operations reproducing the program and information on
borrowers of the cassette-such as a member ID, a borrowing day and
a borrowing period. In addition, the information for a business
application includes other necessary information such as a static
image, sound and character data.
[0246] By using a memory card 1 of a business application as a
member card, data to be recorded can be shared by the reader/writer
21 and the memory card 1. For example, information on a member
stored in a member card can be supplied to the PC 61 by way of the
reader/writer 21 and, on the other hand, information such as a
borrowing date and a borrowing period entered to the PC 61 can be
stored in the member card. In addition, the information on a member
stored in a member card can be transferred to another memory card 1
of any cassette 100 with ease. As a result, control of customers
and commodities can be executed with a high degree of
efficiency.
[0247] In addition, the memory card 1 can be used for automatic
installation of preset guide information. For example, channel
numbers are set in accordance with an area in which the target
apparatus such as the VTR is installed. In the case of the ordinary
apparatus, the user carries out an operation to store such channel
numbers in a preset memory. By using such a memory card 1 for
automatic installation of preset guide information, however, the
preset work to store such channel numbers in a preset memory can be
done automatically. Thus, information recorded in a memory card 1
for automatic installation of preset guide information typically
includes data required in initial setting of a
recording/reproduction apparatus such as a VTR, a table containing
tuner preset data, data for presetting a G-code area, information
on a manufacturer of a CATV (cable television) cable box and other
information on the recording/reproduction apparatus.
[0248] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a typical data structure of
preset information stored in the memory card 1.
[0249] A CAT (Category) field shown in the figure is a four-bit
field used for recording a category which indicates that the
information stored in the memory card is preset information. An EVT
(Number of Events) field is a four-bit field used for recording the
number of pieces of stored information. An MB1 field is an
eight-bit field used for recording the storage capacity of the
memory. A PDC (Preset Data Category) field is used for storing a
category of preset data. A LEN (Preset Data Length) field is used
for storing the data length of the preset data. A DTA (Preset Data)
field is used for recording the preset data.
[0250] FIG. 24 shows a flowchart representing a procedure of
processing carried out by the microcomputer 95 to update
information of a preset memory of the VTR 41 in accordance with
preset information recorded in the memory card 1. It should be
noted that the preset memory is shown in none of the figures.
[0251] As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins with a step S41
at which the microcomputer 95 issues a command to the reader/writer
21 by way of the communication line 32, requesting the
reader/writer 21 to read out the preset information recorded in the
card data area of the memory card 1 mounted on the cassette
100.
[0252] In accordance with the command received from the
microcomputer 95, the reader/writer 21 reads out preset information
recorded in the card data area of the memory card 1 mounted on the
cassette 100 through the antenna 22-1. The flow of processing then
goes on to a step S42 to form a judgment as to whether or not all
the preset information has been read out from the card data area by
the microcomputer 27 employed in the reader/writer 21. If all the
preset information has not been read out, the flow of processing
returns to the step S41 at which the microcomputer 27 repeats the
operation to read out the information till all the preset
information is read out from the card data area. If all the preset
information has been read out from the card data area, on the other
hand, the flow of processing continues to a step S43.
[0253] At the step S43, the preset information read out at the step
S41 as requested by the microcomputer 95 is checked to form a
judgment as to whether or not the preset information read out from
the card data area is information corresponding to the preset
category. The judgment is based on information recorded in the CAT
field of the information read out from the card data area. If the
information recorded in the CAT field indicates that the preset
information read out from the card data area is information
corresponding to the preset category, the flow of processing goes
on to a step S44 at which the microcomputer 95 converts the format
of the preset information into a format of data to be processed by
the microcomputer 95.
[0254] The flow of processing then proceeds to a step S45 at which
the contents of the preset memory of the VTR 41 are updated with
preset data resulting from the conversion carried out at the step
44. As described earlier, the preset memory itself is shown in none
of the figures. After that, the processing is completed. If the
outcome of the judgment formed at the step S43 indicates that the
preset information read out from the card data area is not
information corresponding to the preset category, on the other
hand, the processing is completed without updating the contents of
the preset memory of the VTR 41.
[0255] In this way, the user is capable of carrying out a preset
operation by merely setting a cassette 100 having a memory card 1
for storing preset data mounted thereon on the VTR 41 without the
need to do cumbersome work.
[0256] In addition, in the case of this example, by placing only
the memory card 1 for storing preset data at a location in close
proximity to the reader/writer 21, the reader/writer 21 is capable
of reading out the preset data stored in the memory card 1 through
the antenna 22-2 without the need for the user to mount the memory
card 1 on the cassette 100.
[0257] As described above, by mounting a batteryless
non-contact-type memory card 1 receiving power from an external
source on a cassette or the like, the operation carried out by the
user can be made simple, increasing the degree of freedom to use
the memory card.
[0258] In addition, various kinds of information on data recorded
in a cassette or disc can be stored in the memory card 1 and the
information can be used for simplifying operations to display the
data, to reproduce a program, to make a timer-based video-recording
reservation and to search a tape for a start position, to mention a
few.
[0259] On the top of that, the present invention can be applied to
the ordinary cassette tape or disc by merely mounting the memory
card on the ordinary cassette tape or disc. Thus, audio and video
recording media such as cassette tapes and floppy discs can be
manufactured without changing their specifications and recording
formats. As a result, the cassette tapes and discs can be
controlled and organized with ease.
[0260] In addition, since a non-contact-type system is used, no
connection nor junction that is prone to a failure caused by an
electrical contact becoming bad is required, allowing communication
to be established with a high degree of reliability. Furthermore,
the storage capacity of the memory card can be extended by
installation of a new memory thereon.
[0261] As described above, an EEPROM unit 9 is used in an
embodiment. It should be noted, however, that other storage devices
can also be employed as well. For example, a memory device
consuming only a small amount of power such as the FeRAM (a
ferroelectric RAM) can also be used. In this case, the
communication distance can also be increased as well.
[0262] Also as described above, information stored in the memory
card 1 is updated when the cassette is taken out from an apparatus
such as a VTR. It should be noted, however, that the information
can also be updated periodically or at any time new data for
updating the information is generated. As an alternative, the
information can also be updated with predetermined timing.
[0263] In addition, a ROM unit for storing a program is connected
to a microcomputer. It is worth noting, however, that the ROM can
also be embedded in the microcomputer.
[0264] On the top of that, the data structures of the memory card
in the embodiments described above are typical. That is to say, the
present invention is not limited to the data structures described
above.
[0265] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the memory
card 1 is mounted on a cassette in most cases. It is worth noting,
however, that the memory card 1 can be mounted on other recording
media such as a FD (floppydisc), a MD (minidisc, a trademark), a
tape streamer, an MO (magneto-optics) disc used as a magneto-optic
recording medium and optical recording media like a DVD (Digital
Versatile Disc), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), a CD
(Compact Disc) and a CDV (Compact Disc Video).
[0266] FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of a memory card 1. As shown in the figure, this
configuration is obtained from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 by
replacing the microcomputer 7 shown in FIG. 1 with a gate sequencer
201. The rest is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1.
That is to say, by replacing the microcomputer 7 in the
configuration shown in FIG. 1 with a gate sequencer 201 comprising
logic gates, the same functions as those of the microcomputer 7 can
be implemented by the gate sequencer 201.
[0267] FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of the meory card 1 and the reader/writer 21. As
shown in the figure, in this configuration, the antenna 2 employed
in the memory card 1 is implemented by a coil 211 whereas the
antenna 22 employed in the reader/writer 21 is implemented by a
coil 232. Mutual electromagnetic inductive coupling is established
between the coils 211 and 232.
[0268] In the memory card 1, a diode 212 is connected in series to
the coil 211 at one end thereof. The other end of the diode 212 is
connected to a resistor 213 and a capacitor 214 which form a
resonant circuit with the coil 211. The resonant circuit functions
as the tuning circuit 3 shown in FIG. 1.
[0269] A series circuit comprising a resistor 215 and a FET 216 is
connected to the capacitor 214 in parallel. The gate of the FET 216
is driven by the gate sequencer 201. The other end of the diode 212
is also connected to the gate sequencer 201 through a capacitor 217
and to the power-supply circuit 12.
[0270] In the reader/writer 21, on the other hand, a resonant
circuit 231 and the demodulation circuit 25 are connected in
parallel to the coil 232.
[0271] In the configuration described above, a resonant circuit for
data transmission is not provided in the memory card 1. Data is
transmitted by changing the impedance of the FET 216 by means of
the gate sequencer 201 in accordance with the data being
transmitted. At that time, an impedance of the right side of the
coil 211 seen from the coil 211 in the configuration shown in FIG.
26 changes. As a result, the impedance of coil 232 employed in the
reader/writer 21 which is inductively coupled with the coil 211
also changes as well. The demodulation circuit 25 detects changes
in current flowing through the coil 232 and changes in voltage
appearing between the terminals of the coil 232, demodulating a
signal received from the card reader 1.
[0272] When data is transmitted from the reader/writer21, the
oscillation frequency of the resonant circuit 231 is varied in
accordance with the data being transmitted. The changes in
frequency are propagated from the coil 232 of the reader/writer 21
to the coil 211 employed in the memory card 1 through the mutual
inductive coupling. As a result, the signal transmitted by the
reader/writer 21 is supplied to the gate sequencer 201 by way of
the capacitor 217. In this way, the signal can be received by the
gate sequencer 201.
[0273] FIG. 27 shows a flowchart used for explaining processing
carried out by the reader/writer 21 to exchange data with the
memory card 1 shown in FIG. 26 through the mutual inductive
coupling. The processing is carried out typically by a gate
sequencer 201 employed in the reader/writer 21. The gate sequencer
201 is the same as that employed in the memory card 1 shown in FIG.
25. It should be noted that the gate sequencer 201 employed in the
reader/writer 21 is not shown in FIG. 26.
[0274] As shown in FIG. 27, the flowchart begins with a step S61 at
which the gate sequencer 201 (employed in the reader/writer 21)
controls the resonant circuit 231 which serves as the modulation
circuit 10 in accordance with data being transmitted. A carrier is
modulated thereby by using the data being transmitted and output
from the coil 232.
[0275] The flow of processing then goes on to a step S62 at which
the gate sequencer 201 forms a judgment as to whether or not data
has been received from the meory card 1. It should be noted that
the judgment can be formed by finding out whether or not the level
of the carrier has changed. If no data has been received from the
memory card 1, the flow of processing proceeds to a step S63 to
form a judgment as to whether or not a prefetermined period of time
t0 of typically 250 .mu.s which is set in advance has lapsed since
completion of the transmission of the data. If the predetermined
period of time t0 has not lapsed, the flow of processing returns to
the step S62 at which the gate sequencer 201 agains forms a
judgment as to whether or not data has been received from the meory
card 1. Thereafter, the pieces of processing of the steps S62 and
S63 are carried out repeatedly.
[0276] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S62
indicates that data has been received from the memory card 1 after
a period of time t has lapsed since the completion of the
transmission of the data where t<t0 as shown in FIG. 28, the
flow of processing continues to a step S64 at which the gate
sequencer 201 sets a transmission period at a period of time t2.
The flow of processing then goes on to a step S65 to enter a wait
state waiting for the period of time t2 to lapse since the start of
the transmission of the data. As the period of time t2 lapses since
the start of the transmission of the data, the flow of processing
returns to the step S61 to again carry out the processing to
transmit data.
[0277] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S63
indicates that the predetermined period of time t0 has lapsed since
the completion of the transmission of the data without being able
to receive any data from the card reader 1 as shown in FIG. 29, on
the other hand, the flow of processing proceeds to a step 66 at
which the gate sequencer 201 controls the resonant circuit 231 to
end the operation to output the carrier. As a result, a waste of
power by unnecessary consumption can be prevented.
[0278] Then, the flow of processing goes on to a step S67 at which
the gate sequencer 201 sets the transmission period at a period of
time t1 which is longer than the period of time t2 set at the step
S64. Subsequently, the flow of processing then goes on to a step
S68 to enter a wait state waiting for the period of time t1 to
lapse since the start of the transmission of the data. As the
period of time t1 lapses since the start of the transmission of the
data, the flow of processing returns to the step S61 to again carry
out the processing to transmit data.
[0279] According to the scheme described above, in a state with the
memory card 1 not placed at a location in close proximity to the
reader/writer 21 as evidenced by the YES outcome of the judgment
formed at the step S63, that is, as evidenced by the fact that data
has not been received from the memory card 1 even after the period
of time t0 has lapsed since the completion of the data transmission
as shown in FIG. 29, data can be transmitted intermittently at the
long transmission period t1 as shown in the diagram on the left
side of FIG. 30. In a state with the memory card 1 placed at a
location in close proximity to the reader/writer 21 as evidenced by
the YES outcome of the judgment formed at the step S62, that is, as
evidenced by the fact that data has been received from the memory
card 1 before the period of time t0 lapses since the completion of
the data transmission as shown in FIG. 28, on the other hand, data
is transmitted intermittently at the short transmission period t2
as shown in the diagram on the right side of FIG. 30.
[0280] As a result, in a state with the memory card 1 not placed at
a location in close proximity to the reade r/writer 21, a waste of
power by unnecessary consumption can be prevented by reducing the
transmission frequency, that is, increasing the transmission period
to the length t1. In addition, in a state with the memory-card 1
placed at a location in close proximity to the reader/writer 21,
data can be received and tarnsmitted more frequently by reducing
the transmission period to the length t2.
[0281] Typically, the period of time t1 is 10 ms and the period of
time t2 is 5 ms.
[0282] In a configuration wherein data is exchanged through the
mutual inductive coupling shown in FIG. 26, the degree of coupling
is increased and the level of the carrier is lowered when the
distance from the memory card 1 to the reader/writer 21 is
shortened. As a result, it is feared that the amount of power
supplied to the memory card 1 is reduced, making the communication
no longer possible. In order to solve this problem, the
reader/writer 21 is provided with an AGC circuit 241 as shown in
FIG. 31, a block diagram showing another typical configuration of
the reader/writer 21. In this configuration, the gain of the
amplifier circuit 31 on the transmission side is controlled in
accordance with the level of a signal received by the antenna 22
for compensating the data being transmitted for a decrease in level
of the carrier. It should be noted that the AGC circuit 241
functions only during an operation to transmit data. During an
operation to receive data, the voltage controlled in an operation
to transmit data is held as it is.
[0283] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an application of mounting a
memory card 1 on a CD-ROM 252. In general, data recorded in a
CD-ROM can not be updated. For example, a CD-ROM is used in car
navigation for recording map data. Map data recorded in the CD-ROM
becomes obsolete as new roads and new buildings are completed after
the map data has been recorded in the CD-ROM. In this case, a
memory card 1 can be used for storing map information for newly
completed roads and buildings and distributed to users. The memory
card 1 can then be mounted on or attached to a CD-ROM 252 which
contains map data before changes in map. In this case, a drive 253
of a navigation system or the PC 61 shown in FIG. 6 carries out
processing represented by a flowchart shown in FIG. 33.
[0284] As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins with a step S81
at which data recorded on the CD-ROM 252 is read out by using a
pickup 251 shown in FIG. 32. The flow of processing then goes on to
a step S82 to form a judgment as to whether or not the processing
to read out data from the CD-ROM 252 has been completed. If the
outcome of the judgment indicates that the processing to read out
data from the CD-ROM 252 has not been completed, the flow returns
to the step S81 to carry out the pieces of processing of the steps
S81 and S82 repeatedly till the processing to read out data from
the CD-ROM 252 is completed.
[0285] As the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S82
indicates that the processing to reproduce data from the CD-ROM 252
has been completed, the flow proceeds to a step S83 to form a
judgment as to whether or not a memory card 1 is attached to the
CD-ROM 252. If the outcome of the judgment indicates that a memory
card 1 is attached to the CD-ROM 252, the flow of processing
continues to a step S84 at which the reader/writer 21 reads out
information stored in the memory card 1. Then, the flow of
processing goes on to a step S85 at which the drive 253 uses the
information read out from the memory card 1 at the step S84 for
updating the data reproduced from the CD-ROM 252 at the step S81 or
merely adds the information to the data. In this way, even if the
CD-ROM 252 contains some obsolete map data or contains no
information on newly completed roads and buildings, the obsolete
map data is updated with the information read out from the memory
card 1 or information on newly completed roads and buildings read
out from the memory card 1 can be added to the data reproduced from
the CD-ROM 252. As a result, the user can use most recent map
data.
[0286] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S83
indicates that a memory card 1 is not attached to the CD-ROM 252,
on the other hand, the steps S84 and S85 are skipped.
[0287] As described above, the present invention is applied to a
CD-ROM used as a recording medium. Likewise, the scope of the
present invention also includes a memory card added to a ROM for
storing a computer program. In this case, the memory card is used
for storing program modifications resulting from a version-up of
the program.
[0288] It should be noted that information stored in a memory card
1 can be code of a computer program or an executable script.
[0289] According to the recording/reproduction apparatus and the
recording/reproduction method of the present invention,
[0290] when transmitting and receiving information to and from a
storage apparatus through a plurality of information
transmitting/receiving means, a switching means is used for
selecting one of the information transmitting/receiving means;
[0291] a reading means is used for reading out information stored
in the storage apparatus through one of the information
transmitting/receiving means selected by the switching means;
and
[0292] an information supplying means is used for supplying update
information for updating the information stored in the storage
apparatus through one of the information transmitting/receiving
means selected by the switching means.
[0293] As a result, information stored in a storage apparatus
located outside or inside the recordin g/reproduction apparatus can
also be read out as well as updated, allowing cassette tapes and
discs to be controlled with ease.
[0294] According to the input/output apparatus and the input/output
method of the present invention,
[0295] information on data is transmitted and received to and from
a storage apparatus mounted on a recording-medium assembly for
recording the data;
[0296] information is read out from the storage apparatus; and
[0297] the information read out from the storage apparatus is
output.
[0298] As a result, the information on the data recorded in the
recording-medium assembly can be acquired with ease.
[0299] According to the storage apparatus of the present
invention,
[0300] a storage means is used for storing information;
[0301] a power inputting means is used for inputting power supplied
by an external apparatus;
[0302] an information supplying means is used for providing the
information stored in the storage means to the external apparatus;
and
[0303] an information updating means is used for updating the
information stored in the storage means with information received
from the external apparatus.
[0304] As a result, the storage means can be of a non-contact type
and is capable of storing information supplied by an external
source as well as capable of updating information stored
therein.
[0305] According to the information processing apparatus and the
information processing method of the present invention, information
read out from a storage apparatus is used for updating data
reproduced from a recording-medium assembly or added to the data.
As a result, the user can use the most recent data resulting from
the updating of the data reproduced from the recording-medium
assembly with the information read out from the storage apparatus
or resulting from the addition of the information to the data.
[0306] According to the information transmitting apparatus
described in claim 19,
[0307] an information superposing means is used for superposing
information to be stored in a storage apparatus on data to be
recorded into a recording-medium assembly; and
[0308] an information transmitting means is used for transmitting
the data with the information superposed thereon by the information
superposing means.
[0309] As a result, information on data to be stored in the storage
apparatus mounted on the recording-medium assembly for recording
the data can be transmitted by superposing the information on the
data and, on the receiving side, the information on the data can be
acquired with a high degree of reliability and then stored in the
storage apparatus.
* * * * *