Electro-optical information recording and reproduction system

• US 4,511,930 A
• Filed: 08/03/1983
• Issued: 04/16/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): CARDILLO JR, RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US06/519,979
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/347, 360/2, 360/10.1-10.3, 360/35.1, 360/106, 365/120, 365/234, 365/124, 365/126-128, 235/470-471, 369/30-33, 369/41
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/10 by sensing presence or absence of record in accessible stored position or on turntable
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• 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 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0033 with cards or other card-like flat carriers, e.g. flat sheets of optical film
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/21 Intermediate information storage H04N1/387, H04N1/41 take precedence ; for control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32358; indexing, editing G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

A record system and method for recording and reproducing information relative to record cards is provided wherein the information is in the form of optically scannable parallel tracks containing recordings therein which are defined by variations in the surface topography of the record tracks. A narrow beam of radiation such as that generated by a laser or an electron beam gun is modulated with information such as a video picture signal or digital information and is caused to scan the surface of a record card to generate either a variable topography represented by variations in the widths and/or depths of the narrow recording area of a record track caused by variations in the intensity of the beam of radiation as the beam is deflected to scan the recording track or the card is automatically moved to effect scanning by the beam. The beam may be operable to vaporize or otherwise variably erode and cause a groove or a series of cavities to be formed along the record track wherein the shape and/or depth of the cavities or separations therein represent electro-optically scannable information such as full-frame video picture signals, digital information and the like. In another form, the card may be coated with an erodable material which is vaporized or otherwise eroded to effect information recordings therein.

Claims

1. A system for recording and reproducing video information comprising in combination:

a record member,

first means operable to generate video picture signals each of which signals defines at least one full frame of video information,

first control means for controlling said first means to generate frame video picture signals,

second means including a writing radiation beam generating means operable for generating and controllably directing a narrow beam of recording radiation of sufficient intensity to effect a recording in said record member by varying the physical structure of portions of said record member intersected by said beam and means for receiving a frame video picture signal from said first means and modulating said radiation beam in accordance with the characteristics of the picture signal generated to permit said beam to record the picture information in said record member by varying the structure of said portions intersected by said beam,

third means operatively located with respect to said second means for prepositioning a record member containing a plurality of parallel record tracks with respect to said second means to permit said second means to record frame video signal information along selected record tracks of said record member,

fourth means for effecting lateral relative positioning of a record member and said second means to dispose the scanning axis of said narrow beam of radiation in alignment with a selected narrow track of said record member,

fifth means for effecting relative movement between said record member and said beam of radiation to cause said beam to scan said selected track,

sixth means for activating said first control means to cause said first means to generate an output signal representative of the information contained in the field scanned when said fourth means is operated to effect the relative positioning of said scanning axis of said beam of recording radiation with a selected track of said record member wherein the video signal generated is employed to modulate said beam as it scans said selected track and said beam records the information defined by said signal output by said first means along an area of the selected track of the card which area is no wider than the width of said narrow beam scanning said selected track,

seventh means including means for generating a beam of reading radiation for reading information recorded by said means and generating information signals defining the video information read by said reading radiation,

eighth means for controlling the operation of said third, fourth and fifth means to cause said record member and said reading radiation beam to effect controlled relative movement whereby said reading radiation beam scans selected information recorded on said record member by said recording radiation beam, and

means for receiving and transducing the information signals generated by said seventh means to a visually monitorable form.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sixth and eighth means include a common manual control means.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said common manual control means includes a common support for plurality of manually operable switches.

4. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said common manual control means comprises a manually operable bi-stable switch.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4 including respective means for generating separate potentials of electrical energy for powering said second and seventh means for respectively generating said writing radiation beam and said beam of reading radiation.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 including ninth means for automatically feeding said record member to said third means for prepositioning said record member.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said record member is a record card, means for storing a plurality of such record cards, and automatic card handling means for feeding record cards individually to said third means.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first control means is operable to cause said first means to generate one frame video signal when activated by said sixth means to cause said frame of video information to be recorded along a selected track of said record member.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 including means for controlling said eighth means to control said third, fourth and fifth means to cause said beam of reading radiation to scan and read a selected track of said record member to the exclusion of the other tracks thereof.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second means is operable to generate said beam of writing radiation at sufficient intensity to change the topography of the surface stratum of a record member intersected by said beam of writing radiation.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said record member contains a thin coating on its recording surface which coating is sensitive to said beam of writing radiation and wherein its intersection by said beam of writing radiation is operable to effect a recording therein.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said record member is a card and means for detecting an edge of said card, said detecting means being connected to control said eighth means.

13. A system for recording and reproducing information by means of radiation with respect to a record member comprising

first means operable to generate information signals defining respective frame of information,

first control means for controlling said first means to generate selected information signals,

second means including radiation beam generating means operable for generating a narrow beam of recording radiation of sufficient intensity to effect a recording in a record member by varying the physical structure of select portions of said record member intersected by said recording radiation and means for receiving select information signals from said first means and employing same to modulate said beam of recording radiation to permit said beam to record said information,

third means operatively located with respect to said second means for prepositioning a record member containing a plurality of parallel record tracks with respect to said second means to permit the recording beam of said second means to record selected information in said record member,

fourth means for effecting controlled lateral relative movement between a record member and said second means to dispose the scanning axis of the beam of recording radiation of said second means in alignment with a selected track of said record member,

fifth means for effecting controlled relative movement between said narrow beam of recording radiation and a record member after it has been positioned by said fourth means to cause said beam of recording radiation to scan the record track selected by said fourth means,

sixth means operable after said fifth means has initiated beam scanning of a selected track of a record member for causing said first control means to control said first means to generate a selected information signal and apply same to said second means to modulate said recording radiation beam as it scans the selected track of said record member to record such information along the selected track,

seventh means for generating a narrow beam of reading radiation for reading information from a selected track of said record member as recorded by the beam of said second means,

eighth means operable after a record member is prepositioned by said third means and a selected track thereof is disposed aligned with respect to said beam of recording radiation by said fourth means to control said fifth means to effect relative movement of the record member and the operation of said beam of reading radiation to permit said reading radiation to scan said selected track,

ninth means for receiving reading radiation after it has been modulated in scanning a selected recording along a selected track of said record member and transducing said radiation to a variable electrical signal and

tenth means for receiving said variable electrical signal and transducing same to a visually readable form.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said recording and reading radiation beams are generated by respective different lasers.

15. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said recording and reading radiation beams are generated by a single laser.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said single laser is operable to generate two beams of different intensities, one for recording information and the other for reading recordings and means for directing each of said beams along the same axis to the record member.

17. A system in accordance with claim 16 including a single means for deflecting both the beam of reading and recording radiation to cause the beams to scan selected tracks of a record member.

18. A system in accordance with claim 13 which is operable to record and reproduce with respect to a multiple track record card.