U.S. patent application number 11/434181 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-21 for content management system and associated methodology.
This patent application is currently assigned to SONY CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Akihiro Morohashi.
Application Number | 20060212564 11/434181 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 17440575 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060212564 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morohashi; Akihiro |
September 21, 2006 |
Content management system and associated methodology
Abstract
A communication system including a first apparatus having a
first storage medium, and a second apparatus for transmitting data
to the first apparatus. The second apparatus has a second storage
medium for storing management information of data to be transferred
to the first storage medium, a communicator for communicating data
with the first apparatus, an editor capable of editing the
management information and a controller for making a control to
transfer data stored in the second storage medium to the first
storage medium by way of the communicator based on the management
information edited by the editor.
Inventors: |
Morohashi; Akihiro; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
C. IRVIN MCCLELLAND;OBLON, SPIVAK, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, P.C.
1940 DUKE STREET
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
SONY CORPORATION
Shinagawa-ku
JP
|
Family ID: |
17440575 |
Appl. No.: |
11/434181 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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09665786 |
Sep 20, 2000 |
|
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11434181 |
May 16, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/223 ;
707/E17.009; G9B/27.01; G9B/27.012; G9B/27.021; G9B/27.051;
G9B/27.052 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 27/031 20130101;
G06F 3/04842 20130101; G11B 27/36 20130101; G06F 16/40 20190101;
H04N 21/26258 20130101; G11B 27/11 20130101; H04L 65/4084 20130101;
H04L 29/06047 20130101; G11B 27/034 20130101; H04L 67/42 20130101;
G06F 16/68 20190101; G06Q 30/0633 20130101; G11B 2220/213 20130101;
G11B 2220/2562 20130101; G11B 2220/2525 20130101; G11C 2207/16
20130101; G11B 2220/2545 20130101; G06F 16/60 20190101; G06F 3/0482
20130101; G11B 27/105 20130101; H04N 21/47202 20130101; H04L
67/1095 20130101; G11B 27/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/223 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/173 20060101
G06F015/173 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 21, 1999 |
JP |
11-267135 |
Claims
1. A communication system including a first apparatus having a
first storage medium, and a second apparatus configured to transmit
data to said first apparatus, said second apparatus comprising: a
second storage medium configured to store management information of
audio data to be transferred to said first storage medium; a
communication unit configured to communicate audio data with said
first apparatus; a comparison unit configured to compare management
information of audio data stored in said first storage medium with
management information stored in said second storage medium of said
audio data stored in said first storage medium; and a control unit
configured to control transfer of audio data stored in said second
storage medium to said first storage medium by way of said
communication unit based on said management information, wherein
said first apparatus is portable and comprises a reproducing unit
configured to reproduce audio data stored in said first storage
medium, and said control unit controls transfer of said audio data
from said second apparatus to said first apparatus based on a
comparison result by said comparison unit.
2. The communication system according to claim 1, further
comprising: an edit unit configured to edit said management
information.
3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said edit
unit is capable of editing said management information and said
control unit controls to store said management information edited
by said edit unit to said second storage medium even when
communication is not established between said first apparatus and
said second apparatus, wherein said second storage medium is
non-volatile.
4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said
second apparatus further comprises: a display configured to provide
a first window for displaying audio data identification information
based on said management information of said audio data to be
transferred to said first storage medium, and a second window for
displaying audio data identification information based on
management information of said audio data stored in said second
storage medium.
5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein said
second apparatus further comprises: an instruction unit configured
to select said audio data stored in said second storage medium and
assigning identification information indicating said first
apparatus to said selected audio data, and wherein said edit unit
edits said selected audio data based on said assigned
identification information.
6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein said
first window corresponds to said identification information
indicating said first apparatus; said instruction unit assigns said
identification information to said selected audio data by making an
instruction to transfer said selected audio data to said first
window; and said edit unit controls said second storage medium so
that said second storage medium stores said identification
information assigned to said selected audio data, said
identification information being displayed on said first
window.
7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein said
second apparatus further comprises: a memory configured to store
audio data temporarily; wherein said edit unit controls said memory
unit so that said memory stores said selected audio data and said
identification information assigned to said selected audio data
based on said instruction by said instruction unit.
8. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein said
display displays said identification information assigned to said
selected audio data on said first window based on said instruction
by said instruction unit.
9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said
control unit controls said second apparatus so that said second
apparatus receives identification of said first apparatus by way of
said communication unit; and said control unit controls transfer of
said audio stored in said second storage medium to said first
storage medium by way of said communication unit based on said
identification information received by said second apparatus.
10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein said
second storage medium stores identification information of a
plurality of apparatuses; and when said identification information
of said plurality of apparatuses stored in said second storage
medium contains identification information received from said first
storage medium, said control unit permits transmission of said
audio data stored in said second storage medium to said first
storage medium.
11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said
second apparatus further comprises: a transmission instructing unit
configured to give a transmission instruction to said control unit
so that said control unit controls transfer of said audio data
stored in said second storage medium to said first storage medium
by way of said communication means based on said management
information.
12. The communication system according to claim 10, wherein said
second apparatus further comprises: a judging unit configured to
make a judgment whether said first apparatus is mounted; and
wherein when said control unit receives a transmission instruction
by said transmission instructing unit and it is judged by said
judging unit that said first apparatus is mounted, said control
means controls transfer of said audio data stored in said second
storage medium to said first storage medium by way of said
communication unit on said management information.
13. A communication apparatus configured to transmit audio data to
another apparatus having a first storage medium comprising: a
second storage medium configured to store management information of
audio data stored in said first storage medium; a communication
unit configured to communicate audio data with said other
apparatus; a comparison unit configured to compare management
information of audio data stored in said first storage medium with
said management information stored in said second storage medium of
said audio data stored in said first storage medium; and a control
unit configured to control transfer of audio data stored in said
second storage medium to said first storage medium by way of said
communication unit based on said management information, wherein
said control unit controls transfer of said audio data from said
communication apparatus to said another apparatus based on a
comparison result by said comparison unit.
14. The communication apparatus according to claim 13, further
comprising: an edit unit configured to edit said management
information.
15. The communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said
edit unit is capable of editing said management information and
said control unit controls to store said management information
edited by said edit unit to said second storage medium even when
communication is not established between said first apparatus and
said other apparatus, wherein said second storage medium is
non-volatile.
16. The communication apparatus according to claim 14, further
comprising: a display configured to provide a first window for
displaying audio data identification information based on
management information of audio data to be transferred to said
first storage medium, and a second window for displaying audio data
identification information based on management information of audio
data stored in said second storage medium.
17. The communication apparatus according to claim 16, further
comprising: an instruction unit configured to select said audio
data stored in said second storage medium and assigning
identification information indicating said other apparatus to said
selected audio data; wherein said edit unit edits said selected
audio data based on said assigned identification information.
18. The communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said
first window corresponds to said identification information
indicating said other apparatus; said instruction unit assigns said
identification information to said selected audio data by making an
instruction to transfer said selected audio data to said first
window; and said edit unit controls said second storage medium so
that said second storage medium stores said identification
information assigned to said selected audio data, said
identification information being displayed on said first
window.
19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, further
comprising: a memory configured to store audio data temporarily;
wherein said edit unit controls said memory so that said memory
stores said selected audio data and said identification information
assigned to said selected audio data based on said instruction by
said instruction unit.
20. The communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said
display displays said identification information assigned to said
selected audio data on said first window based on said instruction
by said instruction unit.
21. The communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said
control unit controls said communication apparatus so that said
communication apparatus receives identification information of said
other apparatus by way of said communication unit; and said control
unit controls transfer of said audio data stored in said second
storage medium to said other storage medium by way of said
communication means based on said identification information
received by said communication apparatus.
22. The communication apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said
second storage medium stores identification information of a
plurality of apparatuses; and when said identification information
of said plurality of apparatuses stored in said second storage
medium contains identification information received from said first
storage medium, said control means permits transmission of said
audio data stored in said second storage medium to said first
storage medium.
23. The communication apparatus according to claim 13, further
comprising: a transmission instructing unit configured to give a
transmission instruction to said control unit so that said control
unit controls transfer of said audio data stored in said second
storage medium to said first storage medium by way of said
communication means based on said management information.
24. The communication apparatus according to claim 23, further
comprising: a judging unit configured to make a judgment whether
said other apparatus is mounted; wherein when said control unit
receives a transmission instruction by said transmission
instructing unit and it is judged by said judging unit that said
other apparatus is mounted, said control unit controls transfer of
said audio data stored in said second storage medium to said first
storage medium by way of said communication means based on said
management information.
25. A communication method configured to communicate a first
apparatus having a first storage medium to a second apparatus for
transmitting audio data to said first apparatus, said method
comprising: comparing management information of audio data stored
in said first storage medium with management information stored in
said second storage medium of said audio data stored in said first
storage medium; transmitting, when communication is established
between said first apparatus and said second apparatus, audio data
stored in said second storage medium to said first storage medium
based on said edited management information; and controlling
transfer of audio data stored in said second storage medium to said
first storage medium by way of said communication unit based on
said management information, wherein said controlling step controls
transfer of said audio data from said second apparatus to said
first apparatus based on a comparison result by said comparing
step.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an information
communication system and its method as well as an information
communication apparatus and its method, which are used for
transmitting a plurality of pieces of data from equipment for
storing data to other equipment.
[0002] As a conventional apparatus, there has been developed the
so-called CD changer for accommodating a number of CDs (Compact
Discs) and automatically playing back the CDs. In such a CD
changer, several tens to several hundreds of CDs are accommodated
in a single case, and a CD selected by a predetermined operation is
automatically played back. The operation to play back CDs may be
carried out for each selected CD. As an alternative, a plurality of
CDs are selected and the operation to play back the CDs can be
carried out for each of the CDs or carried out randomly for pieces
of music recorded in the CDs. In general, the CD changer is
installed permanently in a room.
[0003] As a portable audio-data playback apparatus, on the other
hand, an apparatus using an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc
with a diameter of about 64 mm has become popular in recent years.
The portable audio-data playback apparatus converts an analog audio
signal into a digital signal, compresses the digital signal by
adoption of a compression technology known as ATRAC (Adaptive
Transform Acoustic Coding: Trademark) and stores the compressed
signal into a magneto-optical disc. The portable audio-data
playback apparatus offers a merit of no deterioration of the sound
quality caused by the operations to convert the analog audio signal
into the digital signal, compress the digital signal and store the
compressed signal. There is also another merit of a random playback
operation due to the fact that a disc is used as a recording
medium.
[0004] In the CD changer described above, however, it takes time to
replace a CD with another even during an automatic playback
operation. It is thus difficult to implement a continuous playback
operation. In addition, a CD changer for accommodating 100 to 200
CDs has a large and heavy cabinet, which is very inconvenient when
the CD changer is carried or installed.
[0005] Also in the portable audio-data playback apparatus described
above, once audio data has been recorded onto a magneto-optical
disc, the playback operation is limited to the range of the disc.
That is to say, a random or general playback operation can not be
carried out over a plurality of magneto-optical discs. It is thus
necessary to replace a magneto-optical disc with several other
magneto-optical discs in order to carry out a random playback
operation from a plurality of magneto-optical discs or an operation
to play back specified pieces of music. As a result, the user must
always take a plurality of magneto-optical discs or optical discs
with the portable audio-data playback apparatus.
[0006] In order to solve these problems, for example, there has
been proposed a music server equipped with a recording medium such
as a hard-disc drive having a relatively small size but a large
recording capacity to serve as a CD changer described above. In a
music server, audio data is read out from a CD, compressed and
coded by adopting a predetermined technique and then recorded and
stored in a hard-disc drive. By using a hard-disc drive with a
recording capacity of about 6 Gbyte, musical data of about 1,000
pieces of music can be recorded. In addition, unlike the CD
changer, time and labor to replace a CD with another are not
required in a music server. As a result, the music server offers a
merit of an easy continuous playback operation. Other merits
include the fact that data of numerous pieces of music can be
recorded into a unit of hard-disc drive and the fact that the
cabinet can be made small in size.
[0007] It has been further proposed to use a hard-disc drive or a
semiconductor memory as a recording or storage medium in the
portable audio-data playback apparatus described above. The music
server described above may be connected to the portable audio-data
playback apparatus so that audio data stored in the music server
can be transferred to the portable audio-data playback apparatus to
be recorded or stored into the recording medium of the apparatus.
Assume that the recording or storage capacity of the recording
medium is 200 MB. In this case, it is no longer necessary for the
user to carry a plurality of magneto-optical discs or optical
discs. Of course, it is also unnecessary to replace a
magneto-optical disc or an optical disc with another.
[0008] By the way, a music server is capable of storing a large
amount of musical data as described above. Thus, if musical data is
transferred from the music server to the portable audio-data
playback apparatus by selecting pieces of music thereof to be
transferred piece by piece, there will be raised a problem of
cumbersome work to repeat the same operation several times.
[0009] In order to solve this problem, there has been conceived a
data transfer method whereby a list of selected pieces of music
from the musical data stored in the music server is created and the
selected musical data on the list is transferred in a batch
operation. With this method, however, there is raised another
problem that it is quite within the bounds of possibility that a
confusion occurs due to an unclear purpose as to whether a list
created by the user is used to organize numerous pieces of musical
data stored in the music server or used to transfer pieces of
musical data in a batch operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an
information communication system and its method as well as an
information communication apparatus and its method that are capable
of transferring musical data from an audio server to a portable
audio-data playback apparatus with ease.
[0011] In order to solve the problems described above, according to
the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
communication system including a first apparatus having a first
storage medium, and a second apparatus for transmitting data to the
first apparatus, the second apparatus comprising: a second storage
medium for storing management information of data to be transferred
to the first storage medium; communication means for communicating
data with the first apparatus; edit means capable of editing the
management information; and control means for making a control to
transfer data stored in the second storage medium to the first
storage medium by way of the communication means on the basis of
the management information edited by the edit means.
[0012] In addition, according to the second aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a communication apparatus for
transmitting data to another apparatus having a first storage
medium, comprising: a second storage medium for storing management
information of data stored in the first storage medium;
communication means for communicating data with the another
apparatus; edit means capable of editing the management
information; and control means for making a control to transfer
data stored in the second storage medium to the first storage
medium by way of the communication means on the basis of the
management information edited by the edit means.
[0013] Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a communication method for
communicating a first apparatus having a first storage medium to a
second apparatus for transmitting data to the first apparatus, the
method comprising the steps of: editing management information of
data to be transferred to the first apparatus, on the second
storage medium of the second apparatus, irrespective of the fact
whether or not communication is established between the first
apparatus and the second apparatus; and transmitting, when
communication is established between the first apparatus and the
second apparatus, data stored in the second storage medium to the
first storage medium on the basis of the edited management
information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a music server provided by the
present invention and a system employing the music server in a
simple and plain manner;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
the music sever;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of a signal through a
series of processes from an operation to read out musical data from
a CD-ROM drive to an operation to record the data into a hard-disc
drive in a simple and plain manner;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a signal through a
series of processes from an operation to read out compressed
musical data from the hard-disc drive to an operation to output
data completing playback processing to a terminal in a simple and
plain manner;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
a portable recording and playback apparatus;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another typical
configuration of a portable recording and playback apparatus;
[0020] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart representing typical processing
carried out by a music server to record musical data read out from
a CD into a hard-disc drive;
[0021] FIG. 8A shows a flowchart representing typical processes of
a music server for processing to record musical data read out from
a CD into a hard-disc drive at a high speed;
[0022] FIG. 8B shows a flowchart representing typical processes of
an Internet server for processing to record musical data read out
from a CD into a hard-disc drive at a high speed;
[0023] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart representing typical processing to
move musical data in accordance with the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a typical edit screen for
editing a transfer list in a simple and plain manner;
[0025] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a typical external view of the
music server in a simple and plain manner;
[0026] FIG. 12A is a diagram conceptually showing a typical
management method for controlling a list of programs on the program
file;
[0027] FIG. 12B is a diagram conceptually showing a typical
management method for controlling a list of programs on the memory;
and
[0028] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart representing typical processing to
edit a transfer list and to transfer musical data cataloged on the
edited transfer list.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention are
explained by referring to diagrams. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a
music server provided by the present invention and a system
employing the music server in a simple and plain manner. As shown
in the figure, the music server 50 comprises a server main body 51
and speaker units 52L and 52R. The server main body 51 is provided
with a display unit 53 implemented typically by an LCD (Liquid
Crystal Display) panel and a CD insertion unit 54 for inserting a
CD 55 into the server main body 51.
[0030] The server main body 51 has an operation unit comprising a
plurality of operation switches to be operated by the user for
executing functions of the server main body 51. It should be noted
that the operation unit itself is not shown in FIG. 1. The server
main body 51 may also be provided with a signal reception unit for
receiving typically an infrared signal from a remote commander,
which is operated to remotely execute the functions of the server
main body 51. As will be described later, the server main body 51
also includes a controller for controlling a variety of operations
by execution of a predetermined program, which is stored in advance
typically in a ROM.
[0031] The user mounts a CD 55 on the server main body 51 through
the CD insertion unit 54 and operates a predetermined switch on the
operation unit not shown in the figure to play back musical data
from the CD 55. A playback signal reproduced from the CD 55 is
output to the speaker units 52L and 52R to allow the user to enjoy
the musical data stored in the CD 55. If the CD 55 includes text
data such as the name of a piece of music, the text data can be
displayed on the display unit 53 as names of pieces of music or the
like.
[0032] The music server 50 includes an internal large-capacity
recording medium such as a hard disc. By operating a predetermined
switch on the operation unit not shown in the figure, it is
possible to record playback data reproduced from the CD 55 mounted
on the server main body 51 through the CD insertion unit 54 into
the recording medium such as a hard disc. At that time, it is
possible to select a standard-speed recording technique or a
high-speed recording technique. With the standard-speed recording
technique, the playback data is recorded from the CD 55 into the
recording medium at a transfer speed equal to a standard playback
speed of the CD 55. With the high-speed recording technique, on the
other hand, the playback data is recorded from the CD 55 into the
recording medium at a transfer speed higher than the standard
playback speed of the CD 55. With the high-speed recording
technique, playback data reproduced from a selected CD 55 or
playback data of a selected piece of music reproduced from the CD
55 is recorded from the CD 55 into the recording medium at a
transfer speed higher than the standard playback speed of the CD 55
at a fee determined by a charging process according to a
predetermined procedure.
[0033] In the music server 50, musical data played back from the CD
55 is subjected to a compression-encoding process according to a
predetermined technique such as the ATRAC method described earlier
to produce compressed musical data, which is then recorded into the
recording medium such as a hard disc. In the case of a hard disc
with a storage capacity of 6 Gbyte, for example, about 1,000 pieces
of music can be stored or recorded. A list of names of recorded or
stored pieces of music is displayed typically on the display unit
53. The user is then capable of playing back any arbitrary piece of
music selected from the list displayed on the display unit 53 to
show the names of pieces of music recorded or stored in the hard
disc. As hard disc can be accessed at random, a large amount of
musical data stored and recorded can be read out in arbitrary order
and continuously played back by the music server 50.
[0034] There are a variety of usable compression-encoding
techniques. This embodiment adopts a technique referred to as an
ATRAC2 (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding 2) method disclosed in
documents such as USP (United States Patent) U.S. Pat. No.
5,717,821. This method is a compression-encoding technique
resulting from extension of the ATRAC method adopted in the
portable audio-data playback apparatus described above. This
technique of compressing and encoding data makes use of frequency
dependence of a minimum audible limit as well as a masking effect
based on the sense of hearing, and utilizes a conversion-coding
process in conjunction with an entropy-coding process. With this
ATRAC2 method, encoding and decoding processes can be carried out
at a high speed while a high sound quality is being maintained by
using hardware with a relatively small size. It should be noted
that, however, compression-encoding techniques other than ATRAC2,
may be adopted such as ATRAC3, MPEG2ACC (Advanced Audio Code), MP3
(MPEG1 Audio Layer 3), TwinVQ (Transform-Domain weighted Interleave
Vector Quantization) or MSAudio (WMA: Windows Media Audio).
[0035] The music server 50 can be connected to an external system
by typically a public telephone line serving as a communication
line 61 shown in FIG. 1. An example of the external system is an
Internet server 60, which is a server connected to the Internet. By
connecting the music server 50 to the Internet server 60 using the
communication line 61, various kinds of information can be acquired
from the Internet. The Internet server 60 has a data base for
storing data such as information on titles of musical CDs available
in the market. A unique key for making an access to the data base
is assigned to the user. In order to make an access to the data
base, the user utilizes the unique key. In this way, the user is
capable of acquiring data related to a musical CD such as
information on the title of the CD.
[0036] The Internet server 60 also carries out a charging process
to compute a fee for a service rendered to the user of the music
server 50. When musical data played back from the CD 55 is recorded
into recording medium at a high transfer speed as described above,
the music server 50 informs the Internet server 60 that such a
recording operation is carried out at a high transfer speed. The
Internet server 60 then carries out processing to compute a
recording fee to be charged to the user, allowing a CD to be
selected or a piece of music to be selected from a CD and musical
data to be recorded from the selected CD or the selected piece of
music to be recorded from the CD at a high transfer speed.
[0037] As described above, the processing to compute a recording
fee is carried out by the Internet server 60, which has a lot of
information related to CDs. It should be noted, however, that the
scope of the present invention is not limited to this scheme. For
example, the processing to compute a recording fee can also be
carried out by another server, which is also connected to the
Internet. As another alternative, the processing to compute a
recording fee can also be carried out through a special-purpose
network other than the Internet.
[0038] A portable recording and playback apparatus 70 has a
recording medium, which is implemented by a hard disc or a flash
memory such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory and an
optical memory. The portable recording and playback apparatus 70
may also be provided with another kind of storage medium or another
kind of recording medium provided that the medium is capable of
keeping up with a speed to play back music. By connecting the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 to the music server 50
using a connection line 71, musical data recorded in the music
server 50 can be transmitted to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 to be recorded in a storage medium employed in the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. In this case, while
the musical data transmitted to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 remains in the storage medium such as a hard disc or a
flash memory in the music server 50, the musical data is put in a
state of being irreproducible. The storage medium employed in the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 has a typical capacity
of about 200 Mbyte, which allows data of tens of pieces of music to
be stored or recorded. It should be noted that a storage device or
a recording medium implemented by a semiconductor memory such as a
flash memory and a recording medium implemented by a disc-shaped
recording medium such as a hard disc are referred to as a storage
medium, which is a generic name for these storage and recording
media.
[0039] In accordance with the aforementioned transmission method
adopted by the present invention, transmitted musical data is
recorded into a storage medium employed in a destination of
transmission and remains in a storage medium of a source of
transmission but is put in a state of being irreproducible. This
transmission operation is referred to as a move. By moving musical
data in this way, a copy operation of musical data can be prevented
from being carried out without limitation.
[0040] In the embodiment described above, the music server 50 is
connected to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 by
the connection line 71. It should be noted, however, that this
configuration is typical. As an alternative, the music server 50 is
provided with a mounting unit matching another mounting unit
employed in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. In
accordance with this alternative, the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 can be mounted on the music server 50 so that
data can be exchanged between the music server 50 and the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70. In addition to the electrical
connections, the music server 50 can be provided with an interface
unit matching another interface unit employed in the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70. The interface units conform to
typically an IrDA (Infrared Data Association) standard, which
allows data to be exchanged between the interface units as an
infrared ray signal. As a result, musical data can be exchanged
between the music server 50 and the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 as an infrared ray signal.
[0041] The music server 50 may further be provided with a
predetermined interface for exchanging information with a variety
of media. Assume that the music server 50 is provided with an
interface for a PC card 80. In this case, musical data distributed
by means of the PC card 80 can be transferred to the music server
50, or data can be exchanged between a personal computer and the
music server 50. The music server 50 may be provided with a serial
digital interface implemented by an optical cable, which allows
musical data to be exchanged with another digital musical-data
recording and playback apparatus such as a disc recorder 81 for
handling typically a small-size magneto-optical disc having a
diameter of 64 mm. In this embodiment, a disc cartridge 82 for
accommodating the small-size magneto-optical disc is mounted on the
disc recorder 81. Musical data played back from the magneto-optical
disc accommodated in the disc cartridge 82 is supplied to the music
server 50. By the same token, the music server 50 may be provided
with an interface such as an IEEE1394 interface for connection to a
setup box 83 for CATV (cable television) or satellite
broadcasting.
[0042] A PC card conforms to standardization of card-type
peripherals for personal computers. The standardization is set
jointly by the PCMCIA (Personal Memory Card International
Association) of the U.S. and the JEIDA (Japanese Electronic
Industry Development Association) of Japan. The IEEE1394 standard
is an interface standard adopted by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers of the U.S.
[0043] The music server 50 may be provided with a WWW (World Wide
Web) browser as an embedded application. By connecting the music
server 50 provided with a WWW browser to the Internet server 60
using the communication line 61, the Internet can be searched for a
variety of contents described typically in an HTML (Hypertext
Markup Language) and any of the contents can then be displayed on
the display unit 53.
[0044] With the configuration described above, the user is capable
of playing back musical data stored or recorded in the music server
50 or musical data from the CD 55 mounted on the music server 50
via the CD insertion unit 54 and listening to the reproduced
musical data through the speaker units 52L and 52R.
[0045] By a communication between the music server 50 and the
Internet server 60, the music server 50 can automatically acquire
information such as the title of a CD 55 mounted on the music
server 50 via the CD insertion unit 54 from the Internet server 60
through the communication line 61. Information such as a CD title
acquired from the Internet server 60 is saved in the music server
50 and the saved information is displayed on the display unit 53
employed in the music server 50 when necessary.
[0046] To put it concretely, the music server 50 first transmits
information unique to the user such as user ID data of the music
server 50 to the Internet server 60. The information unique to the
user is referred to hereafter as user information. The Internet
server 60 carries out authentication and charging based on the user
information received from the music server 50. The Internet server
60 also receives media information of a CD desired by the user or a
CD being played back from the music server 50. The Internet server
60 then searches a data base for additional information associated
with musical data indicated by the media information. The
additional information includes the title of a song, the name of a
performer, a song composer, a libretto writer, a libretto and a
jacket image. Then, the Internet server 60 transmits predetermined
information on the CD requested by the user.
[0047] An example of the media information transmitted to the
Internet server 60 is of a TOC (Table of Contents) of the CD 55.
The Internet server 60 includes the data base, which can be
searched for additional information associated with musical data
indicated by the TOC. As an alternative, the Internet can also be
searched for a WWW server to get additional information by the
Internet server 60. The Internet server 60 searches the data base
for additional information associated with musical data indicated
by the TOC received from the music server 50 and used as the media
information. For example, the Internet server 60 searches the data
base for a playback time duration of each piece of music, which is
included in the TOC and recorded on the CD 55.
[0048] The Internet server 60 then transmits the additional
information obtained as a result of the search operation to the
music server 50. The music server 50 displays the additional
information received from the Internet server 60 on the display
unit 53. The additional information is also stored by a CPU 8 to be
described later into typically the hard-disc drive along with the
TOC information of the CD 55. It should be noted that the
additional information can also be transmitted by the Internet
server 60 as data embedded in an HTML file and displayed by WWW
browser software embedded in the music server 50.
[0049] If the additional information includes another described URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) on the Internet, the music server 50 is
capable of making an access to a home page on the Internet
indicated by the other URL.
[0050] In addition, by having data communicated between the
Internet server 60 and the music server 50, musical data recorded
on the CD 55 mounted on the music server 50 through the CD
insertion unit 54 can be recorded into the recording medium
employed in the music server 50 at a speed higher than a standard
playback speed prescribed for the CD 55 so that typically musical
data of a piece of CD 55 can be recorded in about 2 minutes by the
music server 50. If no communication is established between the
Internet server 60 and the music server 50, on the other hand, the
musical data is recorded into the recording medium employed in the
music server 50 at a one-time speed, that is, a speed equal to the
standard playback speed prescribed for the CD 55 by the music
server 50.
[0051] By connecting the music server 50 to the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 using a connection line 71, musical data
stored or recorded in the music server 50 can be transmitted or,
strictly speaking, moved to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 71. The moved data can then be played back by the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 even if the music
server 50 is disconnected from the portable recording and playback
apparatus 71 via the connection line 71. Typically, the user is
capable of listening to the musical data played back by the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 by using a headphone
72. As described earlier, the musical data transmitted or, strictly
speaking, moved to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
can no longer be played back in the music server 50.
[0052] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
the music server 50. In the first place, the music server 50
comprises a RAM 5, a ROM 6, a flash memory 7 and a CPU 8, which are
connected to each other by a local bus as is the case with an
ordinary personal computer. The CPU 8 is also connected to a bus
40. The CPU 8 functions as a controller controlling all operations
of the music server 50.
[0053] The ROM 6 is used for storing in advance a program for
controlling the operation of the music server 50. The program is
executed by the CPU 8 to perform processing corresponding to an
operation carried out on an input operation unit 1 to be described
later. A task area and a data area, which are required in the
execution of the program, are secured temporarily in the RAM 5 and
the flash memory 7. The ROM 6 is also used for storing a program
loader for loading the program from the ROM 6 into the flash memory
7.
[0054] The input operation unit 1 comprises typically a plurality
of push-type and rotary-type operation keys and switches each
actuated by an operation of any of these operation keys. As an
alternative, the input operation unit 1 may also be implemented by
a rotary-push-type key known as a jog dial or a touch panel on the
LCD. Of course, the input operation unit 1 may adopt a switch
mechanism, which reacts to a press operation. A signal representing
an operation carried out on the input operation unit 1 is supplied
to the CPU 8 by way of the bus 40. The CPU 8 generates a control
signal for controlling the operation of the music server 50 on the
basis of the signal received from the input operation unit 1. The
music server 50 operates in accordance with the control signal
generated by the CPU 8.
[0055] An infrared ray interface (IrDa I/F) driver 3 and/or a USB
(Universal Serial Bus) drive 4 are connected to the bus 40. A
keyboard 2 is constructed to be capable of communicating with the
IrDa I/F driver 3 and the USB driver 4 or can be connected to the
IrDa I/F driver 3 and the USB driver 4. By using the keyboard 2,
the user can enter information such as the title of recorded
musical data and the name of an artist with ease. It is also
possible to adopt a configuration wherein data is transferred by
way of the IrDa I/F driver 3 or the USB driver 4. It should be
noted that the IrDa I/F driver 3 and the USB driver 4 could be
eliminated.
[0056] A CD-ROM drive 9 is connected to the bus 40. A CD 55
inserted into the CD insertion unit 54 as described earlier is
mounted on the CD-ROM drive 9. The CD-ROM drive 9 reads out musical
data from the set CD 55 at a prescribed standard playback speed.
The CD-ROM drive 9 is also capable of reading musical data from the
CD 55 at a speed higher than the prescribed standard playback speed
such as a speed 16 times or 32 times the prescribed standard
playback speed.
[0057] It should be noted that the CD-ROM drive 9 is not limited to
the example described above. For example, the CD-ROM drive 9 can be
adapted to another disc-shaped recording medium for recording
musical data. Examples of the other disc-shaped recording medium
are a magneto-optical disc and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). A
drive for a memory card can also be employed. In addition, data
read out by the CD-ROM drive 9 is not limited to musical data. It
is also possible for the CD-ROM drive 9 to read out information
such as picture data, text data and program data.
[0058] A hard-disc drive 10, which is abbreviated hereafter to an
HDD, is also connected to the bus 40. Musical data read out by the
CD-ROM drive 9 is recorded into the HDD 10. Before being recorded
into the HDD 10, the musical data is subjected to pre-processing.
To put it in detail, the musical data read out by the CD-ROM drive
9 is supplied to a compression encoder 12 by way of the bus 40 and
an audio DRAM 11.
[0059] The compression encoder 12 carries out processing to
compress and encode musical data typically by adoption of the
compression method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,821 described
earlier. It should be noted that musical data could be compressed
by the compression encoder 12 at either one of 2 speeds, namely, a
low speed and a high speed, either of which is selected in
accordance with control executed by the CPU 8. The low compression
speed corresponds to the standard playback speed prescribed for the
CD 55 in the CD-ROM drive 9. Typically, the compression speed is
switched from the low speed to the high one and vice versa in
accordance with the playback speed of the CD 55 in the CD-ROM drive
9. The compression encoder 12 implements an encoding algorithm
according to the compression speed.
[0060] It should be noted that the technique adopted by the
compression encoder 12 to change the compression speed is not
limited to the method described above. For example, the compression
speed can also be changed by switching the clock frequency of the
compression encoder 12. As an alternative, the two compression
speeds are implemented by two different pieces of hardware. As
another alternative, musical data is compressed by the compression
encoder 12 at the low processing speed by thinning the high-speed
compression.
[0061] The musical data completing the compression-encoding process
in the compression encoder 12 is supplied to the HDD 10 by way of
the DRAM 11 to be stored or recorded in the HDD 10.
[0062] As described above, the musical data completing the
compression-encoding process in the compression encoder 12 is
supplied to the HDD 10 to be stored or recorded therein. It should
be noted, however, that musical data read out by the CD-ROM drive 9
can also be supplied directly to the HDD 10 to be stored or
recorded onto a hard disc of the HDD 10.
[0063] In this embodiment, an audio signal supplied by a microphone
connected to a terminal 13 by way of an amplifier 14 or an audio
signal input from a line input terminal 15 is supplied to the
compression encoder 12 by way of an A/D converter 16. The audio
signal compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 can be
recorded in the HDD 10. In addition, an optical digital signal from
an optical digital input terminal 17 is also supplied to the
compression encoder 12 by way of an IEC-958 (International
Electrotechnical Commission 958) encoder 18. The optical digital
signal, which is also an audio signal, is compressed and encoded by
the compression encoder 12. The compressed and encoded audio signal
can be recorded onto the hard disc of the HDD 10.
[0064] In the embodiment described above, the compression encoder
12 adopts an encoding algorithm like the one disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,717,821. It should be noted, however, that the scope of the
present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is to
say, the compression encoder 12 may adopt another algorithm as long
as the algorithm is an encoding algorithm for compressing
information. The compression encoder 12 may adopt, other than the
algorithm mentioned above, PASC (Precision Adaptive Sub-band
Coding), RealAudio (a trademark) or LiquidAudio (a trademark)
algorithm.
[0065] A modem 20 is also connected to the bus 40. The modem 20 is
connected to an external network 19 such as a public telephone
line, a CATV, a satellite communication network or wireless
communication. The music server 50 is capable of establishing
communication through the external network 19 by way of the modem
20.
[0066] Connected typically to the Internet by the external network
19, the music server 50 is capable of communicating with the
Internet server 60 at a remote location. The music server 50
transmits various kinds of information to the Internet server 60.
The information includes a request signal, media information, user
ID data, user information and charging information for the user.
The media information is data related to the CD 55 mounted on the
CD-ROM drive 9. The user ID data and the user information are
assigned in advance to the music server 50.
[0067] As described above, various kinds of data including the
media information and the user information are transmitted to the
Internet server 60. On the basis of the user information such as
the user ID data received from the music server 50, the Internet
server 60 carries out authentication of the user and a charging
process for the user. The Internet server 60 also searches a data
base for additional information for musical data indicated by the
media information received from the music server 50. The additional
information is then transmitted to the music server 50.
[0068] As described above, additional information associated with
musical data is transmitted to the music server 50. It should be
noted, however, that musical data itself could also be supplied
directly to the music server 50 from the external network 19. In
other words, the user is capable of downloading musical data from
the Internet server 60 to the music server 50. That is to say,
musical data is transmitted to the music server 50 in response to
media information. For example, a bonus track of a predetermined CD
55 can be distributed to users.
[0069] In a playback operation, musical data compressed and encoded
by the compression encoder 12 and then recorded and stored in the
HDD 10 is read out from the HDD 10 and supplied to a compression
decoder 21 by way of the bus 40. The compression decoder 21 decodes
and decompresses the compressed musical data read out from the HDD
10. The decoded and decompressed musical data is then supplied to a
D/A converter 22 before being supplied to a terminal 24 by way of
an amplifier 23. The data is then supplied to the speaker units 52L
and 52R from the terminal 24 as music obtained as a result of the
playback operation. It should be noted that, in the case of a
stereo system which is not shown in FIG. 2, there are two routes
from the D/A converter 22 to the terminal 24 by way of the
amplifier 23. Of course, two terminals 24 are provided in the
stereo system.
[0070] The compression decoder 21 adopts a decoding algorithm
serving as a counterpart of the encoding algorithm adopted in the
compression encoder 12. The compression encoder 12 and the
compression decoder 21 can also be implemented by software executed
by the CPU 8 instead of hardware.
[0071] A liquid crystal display panel 26, which is abbreviated to
an LCD panel serving as the display unit 53, is connected to the
bus 40 by an LCD driving circuit 25. The CPU 8 supplies a rendering
control signal to the LCD driving circuit 25 by way of the bus 40.
The LCD driving circuit 25 drives the LCD panel 26 in accordance
with the rendering control signal received from the CPU 8 to make a
predetermined display appear on the display unit 53.
[0072] For example, an operation menu of the music server 50 is
displayed on the LCD panel 26. As another example, a list of titles
of compressed musical data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 may
also be displayed on the LCD panel 26. The list of titles displayed
on the LCD panel 26 is based on data stored in the HDD 10. This
stored data is based on data obtained as a result of decoding
additional information received from the Internet server 60. In
addition, a folder and a jacket image associated with selected
playback compressed musical data may also be displayed on the LCD
panel 26. The displayed folder and the jacket image are based on
additional information received from the Internet server 60.
[0073] The user operates the keyboard 2 or a pointing device of the
input operation unit 1 on the basis of a screen displayed on the
LCD panel 26. The CPU 8 controls processing to play back musical
data requested by an operation carried out by the user on the
keyboard 2 or the pointing device of the input operation unit 1.
Control of an operation to delete selected musical data and an
operation to copy or move selected musical data to an external
apparatus can also be based on a screen displayed on the LCD panel
26. For example, the input operation unit 1 may be implemented by a
touch panel provided on the LCD panel 26. In this case, by touching
the touch panel in accordance with a screen displayed on the LCD
panel 26, the user is capable of operating the music server 50. In
this way, the user is capable of administering and controlling
musical data stored or recorded in the HDD 10 by using the LCD
panel 26 as an interface.
[0074] In the first embodiment, a PC-card slot 31 and an IEEE1394
interface 8 are each used as an interface between the music server
50 and an external general information apparatus. The IEEE1394
interface 28 is connected to the bus 40 by an IEEE1394 driver 29.
On the other hand, the PC-card slot 31 is connected to the bus 40
by a PC-card driver 30.
[0075] The IEEE1394 interface 28 allows data to be exchanged
between the music server 50 and typically a personal computer. In
addition, the EEE1394 interface 28 allows musical data to be input
from a source such as a satellite-broadcasting IRD (Integrated
Receiver/Decoder), a small-size optical disc and a small-size
magneto-optical disc with a diameter of about 64 mm, a DVD (Digital
Versatile Disc: a trademark) or a digital video tape. A PC card
mounted on the PC-card slot 31 serves as one of a variety of
peripheral extensions such as an external memory device, another
media drive, a modem, a terminal adaptor and a capture board.
[0076] An interface 34 allows musical data to be exchanged between
the music server 50 and another compatible recording and playback
apparatus. The other recording and playback apparatus can be the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 1 or
another music server 50.
[0077] The interface 34 is connected to the bus 40 by an interface
driver 33. The other compatible recording and playback apparatus
includes an interface 35 as the counterpart of the interface 34. By
electrically connecting the interface 34 to the interface 35 by
using a predetermined connection line 71, for example, the music
server 50 is capable of transmitting musical data stored in the HDD
10 to the other recording and playback apparatus.
[0078] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of a signal through a
series of processes from an operation to read out musical data from
the CD-ROM drive 9 to an operation to record the data into the HDD
10 in a simple and plain manner. The musical data read out from the
CD-ROM drive 9 is once stored into the DRAM 11, which is used as a
buffer memory. The musical data is then read out back from the DRAM
11 with a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression
encoder 12 by way of the bus 40. As described above, the
compression encoder 12 compresses the musical data at a
predetermined compression speed corresponding to the playback speed
of the CD-ROM drive 9. The musical data compressed and encoded by
the compression encoder 12 is again stored temporarily into the
DRAM 11, which is used as a buffer memory. The musical data is then
read out back from the DRAM 11 with a predetermined timing and
supplied by way of the bus 40 to the HDD 10 to be stored into the
hard disc of the HDD 10. At that time, information on the CD 55
undergoing a playback operation in the CD-ROM drive 9 is
transmitted to the Internet server 60. In response to the
information, the Internet server 60 transmits additional
information for the CD 55, which is also recorded into the hard
disc of the HDD 10. The CPU 8 and other components control the
additional information and the compressed musical data obtained as
a result of compression of the musical data read out from the CD 55
as described above.
[0079] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a signal through a
series of processes from an operation to read out compressed
musical data from the HDD 10 to an operation to output data
completing playback processing to a terminal 24 in a simple and
plain manner. The compressed musical data read out from the HDD 10
is once stored into the DRAM 11, which is used as a buffer memory.
The compressed musical data is then read out back from the DRAM 11
with a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression decoder
21 by way of the bus 40. As described above, the compression
decoder 21 decodes and decompresses the compressed musical data to
reproduce the musical data, supplying the musical data to a D/A
converter 22. The D/A converter 22 converts the musical data into
an analog audio signal, which is amplified by an amplifier 23 and
output to the terminal 24 as a playback output. If a speaker is
connected to the terminal 24, the user is capable of enjoying music
played back by the speaker. At that time, additional information
read out along with the compressed musical data from the HDD 10 is
decoded by the CPU 8 and other components to be displayed on the
display unit 53 as a musical name and the like.
[0080] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a typical configuration of
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. As shown in the
figure, the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 generally
has a configuration similar to that of the music server 50 shown in
FIG. 2. Normally, the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
is carried by the user and used as standalone equipment by
disconnecting the interface 35 of the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 from the interface 34 employed in the music
server 50.
[0081] In the first place, the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 comprises a RAM 103, a ROM 104, and a CPU 105, which
are connected to each other by a local bus as is the case with an
ordinary personal computer. Of course, a flash memory can also be
provided like the configuration of the music server 50 described
above. The CPU 105 is also connected to a bus 130. The CPU 105
functions as a controller controlling all operations of the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70.
[0082] The ROM 104 is used for storing in advance a program for
controlling the operation of the music apparatus 70. The program is
executed to perform processing corresponding to an operation
carried out on an input operation unit 102 to be described later. A
task area and a data area, which are required in the execution of
the program, are secured temporarily in the RAM 103.
[0083] The input operation unit 102 comprises typically a plurality
of push-type and rotary-type operation keys and switches each
actuated by an operation of any of these operation keys. As an
alternative, the input operation unit 102 may also be implemented
by a rotary-push-type key known as a jog dial or a touch panel on
the LCD. Of course, the input operation unit 102 may adopt a
mechanical switch mechanism, which reacts to a press operation. A
signal representing an operation carried out on the input operation
unit 102 is supplied to the CPU 105 by way of the bus 130. The CPU
105 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 on the basis of the
signal received from the input operation unit 102. The signal is
generated by the input operation unit 102 to represent an operation
carried out on an operation key of the input operation unit 102.
The operation of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
is switched and controlled in accordance with the control signal
generated by the CPU 105.
[0084] Musical data read out from the HDD 10 of the music server 50
to be transferred to the portable recording and playback apparatus
70 in response to a request is transmitted or supplied to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 by way of the
interface 35, the connection line connecting the interface 35 to
the interface 34 and the interface 34. At the same time, additional
information associated with the musical data requested to be
transferred is transmitted to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 along with the musical data. If the music server 50 is
provided with a mounting unit matching another mounting unit
employed in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70, the
interface 35 can be directly connected to the interface 34 so that
data can be exchanged between the music server 50 and the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70. As an alternative, the music
server 50 may be provided with an interface unit matching another
interface unit employed in the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70. If the interface units conform to typically an IrDA
(Infrared Data Association) system, which allows data to be
exchanged between the interface units as an infrared ray signal,
musical data can be exchanged between the music server 50 and the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 as an infrared ray
signal.
[0085] The musical data supplied by the music server 50 to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is transferred from an
interface driver 101 by way of the bus 130 to an HDD 106, which
serves as a musical-data recording medium in the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 to be recorded into a hard disc in the
HDD 106.
[0086] It should be noted that the musical-data recording medium in
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is not limited to
the HDD 106. For example, a flash memory can also be used. As a
matter of fact, for example, another recording medium such as a
magneto-optical disc can be employed as the musical-data recording
medium in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 provided
that the recording medium is capable of keeping up with the speed
to play back the musical data. If a recoding medium with a storage
capacity of, say, 200 Mbyte is employed as the musical-data
recording medium in the portable recording and playback apparatus
70, the recording medium will be capable of recording tens of
pieces of music. The hard disc of the HDD 106 employed in the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is used for storing
musical data and additional information associated with the musical
data, which are received from the music server 50.
[0087] In this example, musical data received from the music server
50 and recorded into the HDD 106 is compressed musical data already
completing a compression/encoding process in the music server 50.
It should be noted, however, that the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 is not limited to this embodiment. That is to
say, musical data not completing a compression/encoding process can
also be recorded into the hard disc of the HDD 106. For example,
musical data read out from the CD 55 mounted on the CD-ROM drive 9
employed in the music server 50 can be supplied to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 by way of an interface driver
101. It is worth noting, however, that when musical data is
supplied to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
directly, the number of pieces of musical data that can be recorded
is limited considerably.
[0088] As part of pre-processing prior to an operation to record
musical data into the hard disc of the HDD 106, the musical data
supplied thereto is temporarily stored into an audio DRAM 107
connected to the bus 130. The musical data is then read back from
the DRAM 107 and supplied to a compression encoder 108 through the
bus 130. The compression encoder 108 carries out a
compression-encoding process on the musical data by adoption of an
encoding algorithm equivalent to the encoding algorithm adopted by
the compression encoder 12 employed in the music server 50. The
compressed musical data completing the compression-encoding process
in the compression encoder 108 is again supplied to the DRAM 107 to
be stored temporarily therein once more. Finally, the compressed
musical data is read out from the DRAM 107 and recorded into the
hard disc of the HDD 106.
[0089] As described above, a request can be made to move compressed
musical data stored in the HDD 10 employed in the music server 50
to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. After the
compressed musical data is transmitted or transferred to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 at such a request, the
compressed musical data in the HDD 10 remains as data that can not
be read out and played back from the HDD 10. However, the
compressed musical data moved to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 can be returned back to the recording medium
serving as a move source, that is, the HDD 10 employed in the music
server 50. The compressed musical data returned back to the move
source can be played back by the music server 50. When the
compressed musical data is returned back to the music server 50,
the compressed musical data is deleted from the hard disc of the
HDD 106 employed in the portable recording and playback apparatus
70, which serves as a move destination. That is to say, the
compressed musical data returned back to the music server 50 is
erased from a recording medium of the move destination.
[0090] In this embodiment, an audio signal supplied by a microphone
connected to a terminal 109 by way of an amplifier 110 or an audio
signal input from a line input terminal 111 is supplied to the
compression encoder 108 by way of an A/D converter 112. The audio
signal output by the A/D converter 112, and compressed and encoded
by the compression encoder 108 can be recorded in the HDD 106. In
addition, an optical digital signal from an optical digital input
terminal 113 is also supplied to the compression encoder 108 by way
of an IEC-958 (International Electrotechnical Commission 958)
encoder 114. The optical digital signal, which is also an audio
signal, is compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 108.
The compressed and encoded audio signal can be recorded onto the
hard disc of the HDD 106. If the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is a portable playback-only apparatus only for playing
back musical data, recording components such as the A/D converter
112 and the compression encoder 108 can all be eliminated.
[0091] In a playback operation, the compressed musical data is read
out from the HDD 106 and supplied to a compression decoder 115 by
way of the bus 130. The compression decoder 115 decodes and
decompresses the compressed musical data read out from the HDD 106.
The decoded and decompressed musical data is then supplied to a D/A
converter 116 before being supplied to a terminal 118 by way of an
amplifier 117. By mounting a headphone 72 on the terminal 118, the
user is capable of enjoying the reproduced music. It should be
noted that, in the case of a stereo system which is not shown in
FIG. 5, there are provided two routes from the D/A converter 116 to
the terminal 118 by way of the amplifier 117 for left and right (L
and R) channels respectively. Of course, two terminals 118 are
provided in the stereo system for the L and R channels
respectively.
[0092] An LCD panel 120 is connected to the bus 130 by an LCD
driving circuit 119. The CPU 105 supplies a rendering control
signal to the LCD driving circuit 119 by way of the bus 130. The
LCD driving circuit 119 drives the LCD panel 120 in accordance with
the rendering control signal received from the CPU 105 to make a
predetermined display appear on the LCD panel 120. For example, an
operation menu of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
is displayed on the LCD panel 120. As another example, a list of
titles of compressed musical data recorded and stored in the HDD
106 may also be displayed on the LCD panel 120. In addition, a
folder and a jacket image associated with selected playback
compressed musical data may also be displayed on the LCD panel 120.
The displayed folder and the jacket image are based on additional
information stored in the HDD 106.
[0093] The user operates a pointing device of the input operation
unit 102 on the basis of a screen displayed on the LCD panel 120.
Control of an operation to select a piece of compressed musical
data among those stored in the HDD 106 and an operation to delete
selected musical data, or copy or move selected musical data to
another apparatus can also be based on a screen displayed on the
LCD panel 120. For example, the input operation unit 102 may
include a touch panel. In this case, by touching the touch panel in
accordance with a screen displayed on the LCD panel 120, the user
is capable of entering an operation input to the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70. In this way, the user is capable of
administering compressed musical data stored in the HDD 106 as well
as controlling processing such as operations to play back
compressed musical data stored in the HDD 106 and recording
compressed musical data into the HDD 106 by using the LCD panel 120
as an interface.
[0094] It should be noted that the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is driven by a battery, which is not shown in FIG. 5.
That is why the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
provided with a power supply unit employing an ordinary secondary
battery or a dry battery as a power supplying source, and is
provided with an electrical charging unit. With the mounting unit
of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 connected
directly to the mounting unit of the music server 50 or with the
connection lines, the electrical charging unit electrically charges
the secondary battery employed in the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 with electrical power received from the music
server 50 during a transfer of musical data from the music server
50 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. It is
needless to say that the secondary battery employed in the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 can also be electrically
charged by an external electrical charging unit. It should be noted
that, as the power supply to serve as a power supplying source of
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70, only one of the
dry cell and the rechargeable secondary battery can also be used or
provided.
[0095] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another typical configuration of
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. It should be
noted that, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, members identical
with those employed in the configuration shown in FIG. 5 are
denoted by the same reference numerals as the latter and detailed
explanation of such members is not repeated. The portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the
configuration shown in FIG. 5 in that, in the case of the former, a
switch circuit 200 is provided between the HDD (or the flash
memory) 106a and the bus 130. One of select terminals 200a of the
switch circuit 200 is connected to the bus 130 while another select
terminal 200b is connected to the interface 35. The switch circuit
200 isolates the HDD 106a from the bus 130.
[0096] When compressed musical data is received from the music
server 50, the switch circuit 200 is set at the select terminal
200b, that is, the select terminal 200b is selected. With the
select terminal 200b selected, the HDD 106a is directly connected
to the bus 40 employed in the music server 50 by the interface 35
and the interface 34. In this connection, the HDD 106a appears to
the CPU 8 employed in the music server 50 as if the HDD 106a were a
local recording medium in the music server 50. Thus, the CPU 8
employed in the music server 50 is capable of controlling the HDD
106a directly. As a result, compressed musical data can be moved
and transferred between the music server 50 and the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 with ease under the control of
the CPU 8.
[0097] Next, the operation of the information communication system
having the configuration described above is explained. First of
all, functions executed by the music server 50 as a standalone
apparatus are described. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart representing
typical processing carried out by the music server 50 to record
musical data read out from the CD 55 mounted on the CD-ROM drive 9
onto a hard disc of the HDD 10.
[0098] As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins with a step S10
at which the music server 50 enters a state of waiting for a
request to be made to record musical data read out from the CD 55
mounted on the CD-ROM drive 9 onto a hard disc of the HDD 10. As
the user makes such a request by, for example, operating the input
operation unit 1, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S11
to form a judgment as to whether the user made a request for
high-speed recording or one-time-speed recording. Typically, when
the user makes such a request at the step S10, the user also
specifies a recording technique. To be more specific, the user also
specifies whether the request is a request for high-speed recording
or one-time-speed recording. The one-time-speed recording is an
operation to read out musical data from the CD 55 and to record the
data into the hard disc of the HDD 10 at a standard speed
prescribed for the CD 55. On the other hand, the high-speed
recording is an operation to read out musical data from the CD 55
and to record the data into the hard disc of the HDD 10 at a speed
at least twice the standard speed prescribed for the CD 55.
[0099] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S11
indicates that the high-speed recording was specified, the flow of
the processing goes on to a step S12 at which a charging system of
the Internet server 60 or the music server 50 is activated. The
processing carried out by the charging system of the Internet
server 60 or the music server 50 will be described in detail later.
At any rate, a charging process for the music server 50 is carried
out and, if the requested high-speed recording of musical data from
the Internet server 60 or other sources is permitted, the flow of
the processing goes on to a step S13 at which a high-speed
compression process is activated in the compression encoder 12. The
flow of the processing then goes on to a step S15.
[0100] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S11
indicates that the one-time-speed recording was specified, on the
other hand, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S14 at
which a low-speed compression process is activated in the
compression encoder 12. The flow of the processing then goes on to
the step S15.
[0101] At the step S15, the CD-ROM drive 9 is driven at a
predetermined speed and musical data is read out from the CD 55
mounted on the CD-ROM drive 9 in accordance with control executed
by the CPU 8. The musical data read out from the CD 55 is subjected
to a compression-encoding process in the compression encoder 12
before being transferred to the HDD 10 to be recorded on a hard
disc thereof.
[0102] If the transfer of the musical data read out from the CD 55
to the HDD 10 is found completed at a step S16, the flow of the
processing goes on to a step S17 at which a transfer of data from
the CD-ROM drive 9 to the HDD 10 is inhibited. At the next step
S18, the compression processing at the compression encoder 12 is
halted.
[0103] FIGS. 8A and 8B show a flowchart representing typical
charging processes of the charging system carried out at the step
S12 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. The charging process is
carried out when data is communicated between the music server 50
and the Internet server 60. FIG. 8A shows a flowchart representing
a partial charging process of the charging system for the music
server 50 and FIG. 8B shows a flowchart representing a partial
charging process of the charging system for the Internet server
60.
[0104] As shown in FIG. 8A, the flowchart begins with a step S20
when the charging process is started. At this step, communication
is established by adopting a predetermined protocol between the
music server 50 and the Internet server 60. The flow of the process
then goes on to a step S21 to form a judgment as to whether a
connection has been established between the music server 50 and the
Internet server 60 and communications are possible between the
music server 50 and the Internet server 60. If a connection has
been established to allow communications, the flow of the process
goes on to a step S22.
[0105] At the step S22, the TOC information of the CD 55 mounted on
the CD-ROM drive 9 of the music server 50 with the user ID
corresponding to the music server 50 is output to the Internet
server 60. The CD 55 is a CD, from which data is to be transferred
from the 10 CD-ROM drive 9 of the music server 50 and to be
recorded onto the hard disc of the HDD 10. The music server 50 also
transmits high-speed-recording information indicating that
high-speed recording is to be carried out to the Internet server 60
along with the TOC information.
[0106] On the other hand, the flowchart shown in FIG. 8B begins
with a step S30 at which the Internet server 60 enters a state of
waiting for the user ID, the high-speed-recording information and
the TOC information to arrive from the music server 50. As the
Internet server 60 receives the user ID, the high-speed-recording
information and the TOC information, the flow of the process goes
on to a step S31 at which the Internet server 60 searches the data
base thereof for information indicated by the TOC information. The
information indicated by the TOC information may also be acquired
from an external data base. The information indicated by the TOC
information is used for identifying the CD 55.
[0107] At the next step S32, a charging process is carried out. To
put it in detail, a recording fee is computed from information such
as the number of pieces of music to undergo the high-speed
recording. The fee can then be drawn from a bank account specified
by the user using the user's credit-card number corresponding to
the user ID cataloged in advance. The fee charging method is not
limited to such a technique. Another technique to charge a
recording fee to the user, where the charging process is performed
on the music server 50 side, is conceivable. For example, the music
server 50 may be provided with a function to read a prepaid card.
In this case, the computed recording fee is transmitted to the
music server 50, which draws the fee from the prepaid card. The
recording fee may also be charged depending on contents of the CD
55 under the control of the Internet server 60, which can be
identified from the TOC information. It is also possible to
prohibit an operation to record musical data read out from the CD
55 onto the hard disc of the HDD 10.
[0108] At the next step S33, the charging information is
transmitted to the music server 50. Then, the charging process
continues to a step S23 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8A at which
the music server 50 checks the substance of the charging
information received from the Internet server 60. In the mean time,
at a step S34 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8B, the Internet
server 60 verifies whether or not the charging information was
received by the music server 50 as follows. Typically, after the
music server 50 confirms that the charging information received
from the Internet server 60 was correctly received with no errors,
the music server 50 transmits data indicating the confirmation to
the Internet server 60.
[0109] If the music server 50 confirms reception of the charging
information at the step S23 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8A, the
flow of the process goes on to a step S24 at which the charging
information and other data are displayed on the display unit 53. At
the next step S25, musical data is read out by the CD-ROM driver 9
from the CD 55 at a high speed and then subjected to a compression
process in the compression encoder 12 also at a high compression
speed. The compressed musical data output by the compression
encoder 12 is then supplied to the HDD 10 to be stored onto the
hard disc of the HDD 10. The step S25 corresponds to the step S15
of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.
[0110] By the way, in this embodiment, a coordinated operation
between the music server 50 and the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is possible. When musical data is moved from the music
server 50 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70, for
example, a coordinated operation is carried out between two
devices. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart representing this move
operation.
[0111] As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins with a step S40
to form a judgment with the CPU 8 as to whether or not the music
server 50 and the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 are
connected to each other by the interfaces 34 and 35. The connection
between the music server 50 and the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 can be detected by, for example, CPU8 exchanging a
predetermined signal between the interfaces 34 and 35. In addition
to an exchange of a signal between the interfaces 34 and 35 by the
CPU 8, a switch mechanism is provided on the junction between the
music server 50 and the portable recording and playback apparatus
70 to serve as a mechanical detection mechanism for CPU 8 detecting
connection between the music server 50 and the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70.
[0112] If the connection between the music server 50 and the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is verified at the
step S40, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S41 to form
a judgment with the CPU 8 as to whether or not there is a request
for an operation to move musical data stored or recorded in the HDD
10 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. Typically,
a list of pieces of information such as mainly titles of pieces of
musical data stored in the HDD 10 is displayed on the display unit
53. The user is allowed to make a request for an operation to move
musical data stored or recorded in the HDD 10 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 by specifying the title of a
specific piece of musical data among those on the list appearing on
the display unit 53. A title can be specified by the user by, for
example, operating a pointing device on the input operation unit 1.
The request for an operation to move the specific musical data
stored or recorded in the HDD 10 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 is then entered by the user via the input
operation unit 1.
[0113] There are conceivable techniques of entering a request for
an operation to move compressed musical data stored or recorded in
the HDD 10 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 via
the input operation unit 1. In accordance with one of the
techniques, a button for making a request for an operation to move
compressed musical data stored or recorded in the HDD 10 to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is displayed on the
display unit 53, and the user specifies this button by using the
pointing device of the input operation unit 1. In accordance with
another technique, an icon is displayed on the display unit 53 for
each piece of compressed musical data and the user moves the icon
of a piece of compressed musical data to be transferred to an icon
of the move destination, the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70, also displayed on the display unit 53 in the
so-called drag and drop operation. In this case, the destination of
the move operation is the portable recording and playback apparatus
70. Of course, a request for an operation to move compressed
musical data stored or recorded in the HDD 10 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 can also be made by operating
an operation switch provided on the input operation unit 1. CPU 8
makes the judgment by detecting the input operation mentioned above
whether or not the request for movement is made.
[0114] If the outcome of the judgment formed at the step S41
indicates that a request for an operation to move compressed
musical data stored or recorded in the HDD 10 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 was made, the flow of the
processing goes on to a step S42 at which typically the CPU 8
employed in the music server 50 examines the file size of the
compressed musical data to be moved, that is, the amount of data.
At the next step S43, the CPU 105 employed in the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 which can communicate with the
CPU 8 examines the size of a free area in the HDD 106 and,
typically, the CPU 8 employed in the music server 50 compares the
size of the free size with the file size of the compressed musical
data to be moved examined at the step S42. The CPU 8 forms a
judgment as to whether or not the compressed musical data to be
moved can be recorded into the free area in the HDD 106 at the step
43. The formation of the judgment is based on the result of the
comparison carried out at the step S43. If the outcome of the
judgment indicates that the compressed musical data to be moved can
be recorded into the free area in the HDD 106, the flow of the
processing goes on to a step S45 at which the operation to move the
compressed musical from the music server 50 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 is started.
[0115] If the outcome of the judgment formed with the CPU 8 at the
step S43 indicates that the size of the free area in the HDD 106
employed by the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is not
sufficient, on the other hand, the flow of the processing goes on
to a step S44. At the step S44, the CPU 105 employed in the
apparatus 70 deletes some compressed musical data already recorded
in the HDD 106 automatically or in accordance with a procedure or a
technique described later so that the compressed musical data to be
moved can be recorded into the HDD 106. The flow of the processing
then goes on to the step S45.
[0116] At the step S44, compressed musical data is deleted from the
HDD 106 automatically under control executed by the CPU 105 on the
basis of a predetermined parameter of compressed musical data
already recorded in the HDD 106. For example, in the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70, the number of
playback-operation executions is counted for each piece of
compressed musical data recorded in the HDD 106. Pieces of
compressed musical data may then be deleted from the HDD 106
starting with one having a smallest number of playback-operation
executions. Pieces of compressed musical data may also be deleted
from the HDD 106 starting with that having a least recent recording
date where a recording date is a date on which a piece of
compressed musical data is recorded into the HDD 106.
[0117] When pieces of compressed musical data are deleted from the
HDD 106 automatically at the step S44, it is quite within the
bounds of possibility that a piece of compressed musical data of
importance to the user is erased from the HDD 106. In order to
prevent a piece of compressed musical data of importance to the
user from being erased, a warning message is displayed on the
display unit 53 employed in the music server 50 or the LCD panel
120 of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. The
warning message may notify the user that an operation to delete a
piece of compressed musical data automatically from the HDD 106
will be carried out or may be a list of pieces of compressed
musical data to be deleted. In this case, a piece of compressed
musical data will be deleted only if the deletion is approved by
the user. As another alternative, the user selects a piece of
compressed musical data from those on a list displayed on the
display unit 53 employed in the music server 50 or the LCD panel
120 of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70.
[0118] When the flow of the processing departs from the step S43 or
S44, a piece of compressed musical data to be moved from the HDD 10
employed in the music server 50 to the HDD 106 can be recorded into
the HDD 106. At the next step S45, the transmission or the transfer
of the compressed musical data from the music server 50 to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is started. That is to
say, the compressed musical data read out from the HDD 10 is
supplied to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 by way
of the bus 40 and the interface 34. In the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70, the compressed musical data received from
the music server 50 through the interface 34 is recorded into the
HDD 106 by way of the interface 35.
[0119] The compressed musical data transferred to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 remains also in the HDD 10
employed in the music server 50 as it was before the transfer. In
this embodiment, however, an operation to play back compressed
musical data remaining in the HDD 10 but already transferred or
moved to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
prohibited at the step S46. Typically, a playback inhibit flag is
set upon completion of the transfer of the compressed musical data
to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 to indicate
that an operation to play back the compressed musical data from the
HDD 10 is prohibited. That is to say, the playback inhibit flag
prevents the CPU 8 employed in the music server 50 from playing
back the compressed musical data remaining in the HDD 10 but
already transferred or moved to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70. The playback inhibit flag also indicates that the
compressed musical data recorded in the HDD 10 has virtually
migrated from the music server 50 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70. Thus, even if a plurality of same pieces of
compressed musical data exist in both the music server 50 and the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70, only one of them can
be played back. As a result, an operation to illegally copy musical
data is prohibited.
[0120] The flow of the processing then goes on to a step S47 to
form a judgment as to whether or not a request to move a next piece
of musical data to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
is made. If a request to move a next piece of musical data to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is made, the flow of
the processing goes back to the step S42. If no request to move a
next piece of musical data to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is made, on the other hand, the processing to move a
series of pieces of musical data is completed.
[0121] As described above, at the steps S42 to S46 of the flowchart
shown in FIG. 9, only one of a plurality of pieces of compressed
musical data stored in the HDD 10 is moved from the music server 50
to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. It should be
noted, however, that the way to move compressed musical data is not
limited to what is described above. For example, a plurality of
pieces of compressed musical data stored in the HDD 10 can also be
moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 simultaneously at the same time in a batch
operation.
[0122] In the embodiment described above, the compressed musical
data physically left in the HDD 10 of the music server 50 serving
as the move source but virtually moved to the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 is merely put in a playback inhibit
status at the step S46. It should be noted, however, that, the way
to handle compressed musical data moved to the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 is not limited to what is described
above. For example, the compressed musical data moved to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 can be deleted from
the HDD 10. That is to say, the compressed musical data itself can
be physically erased from the HDD 10.
[0123] In the embodiment described above, compressed musical data
is moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70. It is worth noting, however, that compressed
musical data can also be moved in the opposite direction by
carrying out processing similar to the processing represented by
the flowchart shown in FIG. 9. That is to say, compressed musical
data recorded in the HDD 106 of the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 can be moved to the HDD 10 employed in the music
server 50.
[0124] When a piece of compressed musical data moved from the music
server 50 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
moved back from the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 to
the music server 50, the playback inhibit flag of the piece of
compressed musical data in the HDD 10 employed in the music server
50 is reset. By resetting the playback inhibit flag, the piece of
compressed musical data, which was the source of the original move,
can again be played back in the music server 50. The compressed
musical data, which was present in the HDD 106 employed in the
apparatus 70 but moved back to the music server 50, is deleted from
the HDD 106. As an alternative, instead of deleting the compressed
musical data itself, the portable recording and playback apparatus
70 may also delete management information of the compressed musical
data from a management table.
[0125] With this embodiment, the user is capable of creating a list
of programs. A list of programs is a list of pieces of music
properly selected from those recorded in the HDD 10 employed in the
music server 50. The music server 50 displays an edit screen on the
display unit 53. The edit screen is used for creating and editing a
list of programs. That is to say, the user is capable of editing an
existing list of programs and creating a new list of programs by
using the edit screen. The user is capable of controlling pieces of
musical data recorded in the HDD 10 of the music server 50 by using
a list of programs. A list of programs created in this way is
stored in predetermined memory means such as the HDD 10. The music
server 50 may have a plurality of program lists.
[0126] The user is capable of selecting a plurality of favorite
pieces of musical data recorded in the HDD 10 of the music server
50 as a collection on a list of programs and playing back the
favorite pieces of musical data for enjoyment like a CD album. In
addition, a plurality of pieces of musical data put on a list of
programs can be moved from the music server 50 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 in a batch operation.
[0127] The present invention also provides dedicated edit means for
editing a list of programs used when moving a plurality of pieces
of musical data in a batch operation. The following description
explains a list of programs for use in a batch operation to move
musical data and processing to create and edit such a list of
programs.
[0128] It should be noted that, in the following description, a
list of pieces of musical data stored in the HDD 10 of the music
server 50 is referred to as a stock list, and a list of pieces of
musical data to be transferred from the music server 50 to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is known as a transfer
list. The stock list and the transfer list are each a kind of
program list described above.
[0129] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a typical edit screen for
editing a transfer list. On the edit screen, a transfer list and a
stock list are displayed as examples. To be more specific, a
transfer-list edit screen 310 appears on the display unit 53 as
shown in FIG. 10. The edit screen 310 includes list areas 300 and
301, which are each displayed as a window. In the list area 300, a
stock list is displayed. The stock list is a list of pieces of
musical data stored in the music server 50. In the list area 301,
on the other hand, a transfer list to be edited is displayed. The
transfer list is a list of pieces of musical data to be moved from
the music server 50 to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70. What are actually put on the transfer and stock lists
are titles of musical data.
[0130] Tri-angular buttons 302 and 303 oriented in directions
opposite to each other are buttons for editing the transfer list
displayed in the list area 301. To be more specific, the button 302
is used for adding a piece of musical data selected among those on
the stock list displayed in the list area 300 to the transfer list
appearing in the list area 301. On the other hand, the button 303
is used for deleting a piece of musical data selected among those
on the transfer list displayed in the list area 301 from the
transfer list.
[0131] As described above, the music server 50 may have a plurality
of program lists corresponding to the each part of the apparatus
70. Thus, a plurality of transfer lists may exist. The edit screen
310 shown in FIG. 10 displays 3 transfer lists as an example. In
this case, tabs 304A, 304B and 304C are displayed on the top of the
list area 301 for the 3 transfer lists respectively. In the list
area 301, a transfer list of a selected tab 304A, 304B or 304C is
displayed. It is nice to display an ID of the apparatus 70 to be
described later at a predetermined position in the list area 301.
It should be noted that such an ID is not shown in the figure.
[0132] A variety of operations can be carried out on the input
operation unit 1 shown in FIG. 2 for the edit screen 310. The
display unit 53 will display information corresponding to an
operation carried out on the input operation unit 1 on the edit
screen 310. While looking at the edit screen 310 on the display
unit 53, the user typically operates a variety of switches such as
dial-type and push-type operation keys provided in the input
operation unit 1 to specify a location on the edit screen 310 and
to enter a command. Signals representing a variety of operations
carried out on the input operation unit 1 are supplied to the CPU 8
by way of the bus 40.
[0133] As described above, the input operation unit 1 is directly
provided on the server main body 51 shown in FIG. 2. It should be
noted, however, that the information communication system is not
limited to such a configuration. For example, an external operation
unit 1' can be provided by connecting it to the server main body 51
by a wire as is the case with an embodiment shown in FIG. 11. To
put it in detail, the input operation unit 1' is connected to the
bus 40 of the server main body 51 either directly or indirectly
through a predetermined interface. The input operation unit 1'
includes a variety of operators for editing a transfer list
displayed on the edit screen 310 and a transfer button for making a
request for a transfer of pieces of musical data put on a transfer
list from the music server 50 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70.
[0134] In addition, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11,
the sever main body 51 has a mounting unit 311 for mounting the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. On the mounting unit
311, an interface 34 is provided. By mounting the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 on the mounting unit 311, the
interface 35 employed in the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is electrically connected to the interface 34 so that
communication can be established between the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 and the music server 50. Thereby, musical
data can be transferred from the music server 50 to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70.
[0135] FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams conceptually showing a
typical management method for controlling a list of programs.
Program lists are stored in a program file. A program file is
typically stored in a predetermined area of the HDD 10 employed in
the music server 50. The area is used for storing all program lists
of the music server 50. A program file conceptually has a structure
shown in FIG. 12A. As shown in the figure, program lists in a
program file are distinguished from each other by assigning an ID
to each of the program lists.
[0136] On the other hand, the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 also has a unique ID for distinguishing the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 individually from others. In
the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, this ID is stored in
the ROM 104 in advance. Each program-list ID in the program file
stored in the music server 50 is typically associated with the ID
of a portable recording and playback apparatus 70 so that it is
possible to create a list of programs applicable only to a specific
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. In this case, the ID
of a program list is the same as the ID assigned to the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 associated with the program
list.
[0137] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a program-list ID of 300
is assigned to a list of programs associated with a certain
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. With such ID
assignment, pieces of musical data on the list of programs having
the list ID of 300 can be moved only to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 with the same apparatus ID as the list
ID.
[0138] By the same token, by using another program-list ID such as
an ID of 301, it is possible to define a list of programs
associated with a portable recording and playback apparatus 70
having the same apparatus ID as the program-list ID. In this way,
the music server 50 can be provided with a plurality of program
lists, which are each associated with a portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 and can be distinguished from each other by
assigning an ID to each of the program lists.
[0139] In addition, an ID assigned to a list of programs can be
used for identifying the type of the program list.
[0140] In processing to edit a list of programs by using the screen
edit 310, the list of programs to be edited is indicated by
specifying an ID assigned to the list and the specified list is
read out from the program file. The list of programs read out from
the program file is stored in a predetermined area of typically the
RAM 5 along with the program-list ID as shown in FIG. 12B. The CPU
8 controls an operation to display pieces of musical data on the
list of programs stored in the RAM 5 in the list area 301 of the
edit screen 310 as a transfer list. The user then edits the
transfer list displayed on the screen edit 310. To be more
specific, for example, the user adds a piece of musical data to the
transfer list or deletes one from the list. The list of programs
stored in the RAM 5 is updated in accordance with results of the
editing operation.
[0141] Then, musical data is transferred from the music server 50
to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 in accordance
with the edited list of programs. Thus, the work to edit the list
of programs to be referred to in transferring musical data can be
done without regard to whether or not the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 has been mounted on or connected to the music
server 50.
[0142] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart representing typical processing to
edit a transfer list and to transfer musical data cataloged on the
edited transfer list. As shown in the figure, the flowchart begins
with a step S50 at which the work to edit the transfer list is
started. Typically, the input operation unit 1 has a list edit
button to be operated to request the music server 50 to carry out
work to edit a transfer list. When this list edit button is pressed
by the user, the HDD 10 is searched for a list management
module.
[0143] Provided in a predetermined area at the beginning of the
program file, the list management module is used for recording
information on program lists. The CPU 8 reads out the information
from the list management module to acquire a predetermined address
of transfer list data in the HDD 10. The transfer list stored at
the acquired address is then obtained by the CPU 8. Subsequently,
display data based on the transfer list obtained by the CPU 8 is
generated. The CPU 8 then supplies the display data to the LCD
panel 26 employed in the display unit 53 by way of the LCD driver
25 to be displayed on the LCD panel 26.
[0144] In this way, the edit screen shown in FIG. 10 described
above is displayed on the display unit 53 with the transfer list
put in a state of being editable. The ID of a portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 serving as a recipient of musical data to
be transferred is entered. Such an ID is entered by specifying a
desired one of the tabs 304A to 304C of the edit screen 310 shown
in FIG. 10. In an example described below, a list of programs with
an ID of 300 is selected.
[0145] At the next step S51, the program file stored in the HDD 10
is searched for a list of programs with an ID of 300 by the CPU 8.
The flow of the processing then goes on to a step S52 to form a
judgment as to whether or not the program file includes such a list
of programs. If the program file does not include such a list of
programs, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S53 at which
a new list of programs with an ID of 300 is created in the program
file stored in the HDD 10. After the new list of programs is
created, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S54. If the
program list includes such a list of programs, on the other hand,
the flow of the processing goes on directly to the step S54. In
this embodiment, when the program file does not include such a list
of programs, a new list of programs is created in the program file
stored in the HDD 10. However, it is also possible to adopt the
following construction such that if the program list corresponding
to the input ID of the apparatus 70 which can be transferred is
created in advance in the HDD 10 of the music server 50, when the
program list is not included in the program file as described
above, transfer of the data may be prohibited as the CPU 8 makes a
judgment that the transfer of the data to the apparatus 70
corresponding to the input ID is not permitted.
[0146] At the step S54, the list of programs with an ID of 300 is
opened. To put it in more detail, the list of programs with an ID
of 300 is read out with CPU 8 from the program file stored in the
HDD 10 as shown in FIG. 12. The list of programs read out from the
program file is stored into the RAM 5 to be read out later by the
CPU 8. After reading out the list of programs, the CPU 8 controls
an operation to display the edit screen 310 shown in FIG. 10 on the
display unit 53, allowing the user to edit the transfer list.
[0147] Thus, in the list area 301 of the edit screen 310, the list
of programs opened at the step S54 is displayed in the list area
301. If the list of programs was newly created, that is, if the
list of programs contains no data, the transfer list displayed in
the list area 301 is empty. In the list area 300, on the other
hand, a table of pieces of musical data stored in the HDD 10 is
displayed. As described earlier, this table is referred to as a
stock list. It should be noted that, instead of displaying such a
stock list, it is also possible to display a list of only pieces of
musical data, which are obtained as a result of an operation to
search all pieces of musical data stored in the HDD 10 for ones
satisfying a predetermined condition.
[0148] As described above, the user appropriately operates the
buttons 302 and 303 to transfer musical data from the list area 300
to the list area 301 and vice versa. In this way, pieces of musical
data can be added to or deleted from the transfer list displayed in
the list area 301. Or the user may select the musical data by using
the mouse pointer and the like and may make a request for the
addition or deletion of the pieces of musical data by so-called
drag and drop operation using the mouse pointer between the list
area 300 and the list area 301.
[0149] When the user finishes the work to edit the transfer list,
the flow of the processing goes on to a step S56 to make a request
for a transfer of musical data cataloged on the transfer list from
the music server 50 to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70. The input operation unit 1 includes typically a
transfer button for requesting the music server 50 to transfer
pieces of musical data put on a transfer list. The user presses the
transfer button to make a request for the transfer of the pieces of
musical data put on the transfer list.
[0150] The flow of the processing then goes on to a step S57 to
form a judgment as to whether or not the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 has been really mounted on the music server
50. If the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 has not
been mounted on the music server 50, the flow of the processing
goes on to a step S58 at which a warning is output to indicate that
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 has not been
mounted on the music server 50. The flow of the processing then
goes back to the step S57 to repeat the pieces of processing at the
steps S57 and S58 till the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is mounted. As the outcome of the judgment formed at
the step S57 confirms that the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 has been mounted on the music server 50, the flow of
the processing goes on to a step S59.
[0151] It should be noted that there are a variety of conceivable
methods to form a judgment as to whether or not the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 has been really mounted on the
music server 50. A typical method is explained below. For example,
the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is provided with a
micro switch serving as hardware detection means for detecting the
fact that the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
mounted on the music server 50. When the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 is mounted on the music server 50, the
detection means detects the fact that the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 is mounted on the music server 50, causing a
predetermined pin of the interface 35 employed in the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 such as the 3rd pin, for
example, to be set in an `H` (high) state.
[0152] A pin of the interface 34 employed in the music server 50
serving as the counterpart of the predetermined pin of the
interface 35 is connected to an interrupt pin of the CPU 8. When
the predetermined pin of the interface 35 is set in an `H` state,
the CPU 8 is interrupted. The interrupt sets a predetermined bit of
a register employed in the CPU 8 in an `H` state, too. At the step
S57, the CPU 8 detects the bit value of the register to form a
judgment as to whether or not the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 has been really mounted on the music server 50. An `H`
state of the register bit indicates that the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 has been really mounted on the music server
50.
[0153] Refer back to the flowchart shown in FIG. 13. If the outcome
of the judgment formed at the step S57 indicates the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 has been really mounted on the
music server 50, the flow of the processing goes on to a step S59.
At the step S59, the ID of the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 mounted on the music server 50 is checked to form a
judgment as to whether or not the ID matches the ID of 300 input at
the step S50 or the ID corresponds to the list area 301. The ID
checked at this step is typically read out by the CPU 8 employed in
the music server 50 from the ROM 104 of the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 through the interfaces 34 and 35.
[0154] If the ID of the portable recording and playback apparatus
70 does not match the ID input at the step S50, the flow of the
processing goes on to a step S58 to output a warning indicating
that the ID of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70
does not match the ID input at the step S50. If the ID of the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 matches the ID input
at the step S50, on the other hand, the flow of the processing goes
on to a step S60.
[0155] At the step S60, musical data put on the transfer list
edited at the step S55 is moved from the music server 50 to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. At that time, the
transfer list showing the moved musical data can also be
transferred from the music server 50 to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 along with the musical data.
[0156] As described above, a transfer list unique to each portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 can be created. A transfer of
musical data to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
based on the transfer list unique to the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70. A transfer list is kept in the music server
50. It is not until detection of the mounting of the portable
recording and playback apparatus 70 on the music server 50 that
musical data put on the transfer list is transferred to the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. Thus, a transfer list
can be edited even if the portable recording and playback apparatus
70 is not mounted on the music server 50.
[0157] Let us consider a case in which musical data moved
previously from the music server 50 is still stored in the HDD 106
of the portable recording and playback apparatus 70. As described
above, in this embodiment, musical data moved from the music server
50 to the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is put in
status of being irreproducible in the music server 50 till the
musical data is returned from the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 back to the music server 50.
[0158] Assume that musical data stored in the HDD 106 of the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is overwritten by
musical data newly received from the music server 50, or musical
data previously stored in the HDD 106 of the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 is inadvertently erased in an operation to
store musical data newly received from the music server 50 into the
portable recording and playback apparatus 70. In this case, the
overwritten or erased musical data transferred originally from the
music server 50 can no longer be played back in the music server 50
and the portable recording and playback apparatus 70.
[0159] In a transfer of musical data put on a transfer list from
the music server 50 to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70, the music server 50 acquires a list of musical data
stored in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 and for
example the CPU 8 compares this list with the transfer list. If the
result of the comparison indicates that a piece of musical data
stored in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 is
different from pieces of musical data on the transfer list, the
piece of musical data stored in the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 is examined by the CPU 8 to find out whether or not
this piece of musical data stored in the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 has been returned to the music server 50 by
checking the playback inhibit flag of the data in the program file.
If the piece of musical data stored in the portable recording and
playback apparatus 70 has not been returned to the music server 50,
the CPU 8 issues a command to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 to return the piece of data from the HDD 106 employed
in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 to the HDD 10
of the music server 50. CPU 5 is controlled to transfer the data
from the HDD 106 to the HDD 10 in accordance with the request from
the CPU 8. For example, under the control of the CPU 5, the
management data of the data in question of the HDD 106 is deleted
and at the same time, the data itself is stored by releasing, with
CPU 8, the playback inhibit flag of the data.
[0160] It should be noted that, if there is a piece of musical data
common to both the list in the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 and the transfer list in the music server 50, the
transfer of the common piece of musical data can be omitted so that
the time it takes to carry out the processing becomes shorter.
[0161] The CPU 8 of the music server 50 is capable of obtaining the
list in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 by issuing
an instruction to the CPU 105 employed in the portable recording
and playback apparatus 70 by way of the interfaces 34 and 35 to
request the portable recording and playback apparatus 70 to
transmit the list. In accordance with this instruction, the CPU 105
creates a list of musical data stored in the HDD 106 and supplies
the created list to the CPU 8 of the music server 50 by way of the
interfaces 34 and 35. Instead of comparison of the transfer list
with the list in the portable recording and playback apparatus 70,
a created transfer list is saved by the music server 50 and, when a
new transfer list is created, the newly created transfer list is
compared with the saved transfer list.
[0162] As described above, the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70 serves as a destination of a transfer of musical data
from the music server 50. It should be noted that the transfer
destination is not limited to the portable recording and playback
apparatus 70. For example, an optical disc or a magneto-optical
disc having a diameter of about 64 mm can also be used as a
transfer destination. Typically, the music server 50 is provided
with a drive unit capable of recording and/or playing back data
into and/or from an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc with a
diameter of about 64 mm, which serves as a transfer destination.
Pieces of musical data to be transferred to the optical disc or the
magneto-optical disc with a diameter of about 64 mm can be selected
in advance even if the optical disc or the magneto-optical disc
with a diameter of about 64 mm has not been mounted on the drive
unit yet. If an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc with a
diameter of about 64 mm is used as a transfer destination, the ID
checking described above can be omitted.
[0163] In the above description, the ATRAC method is adopted as a
compression-encoding technique for carrying out a
compression-encoding process on musical data recorded onto the HDD
10, the HDD 106 or the HDD 106a. It should be noted, however, that
the compression-encoding technique is not limited to the ATRAC
method. For example, a compression-encoding technique known as MPEG
Audio Layer III (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III) or
simply as MP3 can also be applied to the present invention.
[0164] As described above, in accordance with the present
invention, there is exhibited an effect of an ability to transfer
musical data cataloged on a transfer list from a music server to a
portable recording and playback apparatus in a batch operation.
[0165] Moreover, the transfer list is kept in the music server and,
it is not until detection of mounting of the portable recording and
playback apparatus on the music server that the musical data
cataloged on a transfer list is transferred from the music server
to the portable recording and playback apparatus. For this reason,
there is also exhibited an effect of an ability to edit the
transfer list even if the portable recording and playback apparatus
is not mounted on the musical server.
[0166] In addition, since the transfer list is edited by using an
edit screen, there is also exhibited an effect of elimination of
confusion due to the fact that the present list editing purpose is
no longer known.
[0167] Furthermore, since a program list used in moving musical
data from the music server to the portable recording and playback
apparatus must be a transfer list, there is also exhibited an
effect of, for example, prevention of a program list created for
organizing pieces of music data stored in the music server from
being used inadvertently in transferring pieces of musical data in
a batch operation due to carelessness.
* * * * *