Removable medium with bookmark

• US 20050157600A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Teicher, Mordechai
• Granted Patent: US 9,236,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/30.30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/215 Recordable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/30 with provision for auxiliary signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/00736 Auxiliary data, e.g. lead-in, lead-out, Power Calibration Area [PCA], Burst Cutting Area [BCA], control information sector headers or adresses in prepits G11B7/00745; address data in track wobble G11B7/24082

Abstract

A storage medium includes a content storage portion for storing content and a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value. An associated player for playing the content includes a user interface for presenting the content to a user, a processor for presenting the content to the user interface starting at a starting segment of the content in accordance with the bookmark value, and a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium to deliver the content and the bookmark value to the processor. The player plays the content until an ending segment is reached, and sets the bookmark value in accordance with the ending segment, so that subsequent playing, on the same player or on a different player, starts in accordance with the ending segment. The starting segment is selected either by the player or by the storage medium.

Claims

1. A storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to any one of at least one player of content stored in the storage medium, each of the at least one player including a user interface for starting and stopping the playing of the content, the storage medium comprising:

(a) a content storage portion for storing the content; and

(b) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content in accordance with the stopping of the playing via the user interface.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said bookmark value is stored in said bookmark storage portion only by the player to which the storage medium is reversibly operationally connected.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said content storage portion is permanent.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said content storage portion is recordable.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said content storage portion is rewritable.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said bookmark storage portion is rewritable.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said bookmark storage portion is recordable.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) a code storage portion for storing code that is executed by the player, to which the storage medium is reversibly connected, to play the content.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein said code is for playing said content in accordance with said bookmark value.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) an interface for effecting said reversible operational connection of the storage medium to said any one player.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

(d) a controller for providing said content to said interface, in accordance with said bookmark value.

12. A storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to a player of content stored in the storage medium, the storage medium comprising:

(a) a content storage portion for storing the content;

(b) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of the content; and

(c) a controller for providing the content to the player in accordance with said bookmark value in response to a request for said content from said player and for storing said bookmark value in response to the player ceasing to play the content.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein only said controller stores said bookmark value in said bookmark storage portion and reads said bookmark value from said bookmark storage portion.

14. A system comprising:

(a) at least one player for playing content, each said at least one player including a user interface for starting and stopping said playing; and

(b) a storage medium, adapted to be reversibly operationally connected to any one of said at least one player, said storage medium including;

(i) a content storage portion for storing said content, and

(ii) a bookmark storage portion for storing a bookmark value of said content in accordance with said stopping of said playing via said user interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein only said player to which said storage medium is reversibly operationally connected is operative to store said bookmark value in said bookmark storage portion of said storage medium.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage medium includes a code storage portion for storing code for playing said content, and wherein each said player includes a processor for executing said code.

17. A player, of content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value, the player comprising:

(a) a user interface for presenting the content to a user of the player, said user interface supporting at least one user command that defines an ending segment of the content;

(b) a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium; and

(c) a processor for receiving the content and the bookmark value from the storage medium via said medium interface, for providing the content to said user interface starting at a starting segment of the content selected in accordance with the bookmark value, and for setting the bookmark value in accordance with said ending segment.

18. The player of claim 17, further comprising:

(d) a memory for storing code that said processor executes to provide the content to said user interface starting at said starting segment.

19. A player, of content that is stored in a storage medium along with a bookmark value and code for playing the content, the player comprising:

(a) a user interface for presenting the content to a user of the player, said user interface supporting at least one user command that defines an ending segment of the content;

(b) a medium interface for reversibly operationally connecting the player to the storage medium; and

(c) a processor for;

(i) receiving the content, the bookmark value and the code from the storage medium via said medium interface, and

(ii) executing the code, thereby providing the content to said user interface starting at a starting segment of the content selected in accordance with the bookmark value and setting the bookmark value in accordance with said ending segment.

20. A method of playing content, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing the content in a storage medium;

(b) reversibly operationally connecting said storage medium to a first player;

(c) selecting an ending segment of the content, using said first player; and

(d) storing a bookmark value in said storage medium in accordance with said ending segment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

(e) playing the content, by said first player.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said playing continues only until said ending segment is played.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

(f) storing, in said storage medium, code that is executed by said first player to effect said storing of said bookmark value and said playing.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said reversibly operationally connecting of said storage medium to said first player initiates execution of said code by said first player.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said storing of said bookmark value sets said bookmark value so that subsequent playing of the content starts from a segment of the content that is related to said ending segment.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said segment of the content, from which said subsequent playing starts, immediately follows said ending segment.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said segment of the content, from which said subsequent playing starts, precedes said ending segment.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

(e) reversibly operationally connecting said storage medium to a second player;

(f) selecting a starting segment of the content in accordance with said bookmark value; and

(g) playing the content, starting from said starting segment, by said second player.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

(e) operationally disconnecting said storage medium from said first player;

(f) again reversibly operationally connecting said storage medium to said first player;

(g) selecting a starting segment of the content in accordance with said bookmark value; and

(h) playing the content, starting from said starting segment, by said first player.

30. A method of playing content, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing both the content and a bookmark value in a storage medium;

(b) requesting the content, by a player, independently of said bookmark value;

(c) selecting a starting segment of the content in accordance with said bookmark value, by said storage medium; and

(d) receiving the content, starting from said starting segment, by said player.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of:

(e) playing the content, starting from said starting segment, by said player.