Voice actuated recording device having recovery of initial speech data after pause intervals

• US 5,293,273 A
• Filed: 09/15/1992
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Touchstone Applied Science Associates Incorporated (Questar Assessment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Touchstone Applied Science Associates Incorporated (Questar Assessment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glick, Gene S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Won Tae C.
• Application Number:
  US07/946,040
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 360/5, 360/8, 360/7, 379/80, 358/906, 370/83
• US Class Current: 360/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/24 Recording seismic data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/913 Digital audio tape [DAT] format
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/22 Means responsive to presence or absence of recorded information signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/46 by voice-frequency signals; by pilot signals

Abstract

Informational data is efficiently recorded on a recording medium in response to an input signal containing information and pauses of different intervals. Information following each pause is captured for recording and space occupied on the recording medium for recording of the pauses is minimized. A stream of input data corresponding to the input signal is supplied by operation of a controller selectively to a first buffer and a second buffer arrangement. The input signal is also coupled to a record signal generating circuit that produces a record signal in response to an input signal having information of a certain duration, and produces a no-record signal in response to a pause in the input signal of a determined interval. The controller operates to store the supplied data at selected addresses from an initial address to a last address of the first buffer before a record signal is produced, and to recirculate data storage from the initial address to the last address after data is stored at the last address and the record signal generating circuit continues to output a no-record signal. When a record signal is produced, data from the first buffer is read out for recording prior to reading out of data from the second buffer. The controller also deletes from the buffered data, before recording, data corresponding to a pause in the input signal for the determined interval needed for the record signal generating circuit to switch from a record to a no-record signal output.

Claims

1. A data recording system for efficiently recording signals containing information and pauses of different intervals, wherein information following each pause is captured for recording and space occupied on a recording medium for recording of said pauses is minimized, said system comprising:

input means for supplying an input signal containing information and pauses of different intervals to be processed for recording on a recording medium;

processor means coupled to said input means for supplying a stream of output data corresponding to said input signal including said pauses of different intervals;

storage means including;

first buffer means coupled to said processor means for storing data supplied by said processor means; and

second buffer means coupled to said processor means for storing data supplied by said processor means;

control means coupled to said processor means and including buffer address and read/write enable means associated with said first and said second buffer means, for controlling a sequence of operations of said recording system and for enabling storing and reading of data in and out of selected addresses of said first and said second buffer means;

record signal generating means having an input coupled to said input means and an output, for producing a record signal in response to an input signal having information of a certain duration, and for producing a no-record signal in response to a pause in the input signal of a determined interval, said output being coupled to an input of said control means;

said first buffer means having a storage capacity corresponding to said information of a certain duration; and

wherein said control means include

first means for storing data supplied from said processor means at selected addresses from an initial address to a last address of said first buffer means before a record signal is produced by said record signal generating means, including means for recirculating data storage from said initial address to said last address after data is stored at said last address and the record signal generating means continues to output a no-record signal,

second means for reading out data stored in said first buffer means after a record signal is produced by said record signal generating means,

third means for storing data supplied from said processor means at selected addresses of said second buffer means after a record signal is produced by said record signal generating means,

fourth means for reading out data stored in said second buffer means following the data read out from said first buffer means,

fifth means for returning data storage to the control of said first means when the record signal from said record signal generating means changes from a record to a no-record signal;

sixth means for measuring lengths of pauses in data from said processor means and for encoding the pause lengths for recording on the recording medium at corresponding positions in the recorded data, and

seventh means for deleting from the data from said processor means, before recording, data corresponding to a pause in the input signal for said determined interval when the signal from said record signal generating means changes to a no-record signal.

2. A data recording system according to claim 1, including gate means coupled to said first and said second buffer means and responsive to said control means, for selectively transferring data read out of said first and said second buffer means to said recording medium.

3. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said second buffer means comprises a pair of buffer memories for alternatingly storing data supplied by said processor means after a record signal is produced by said record signal generating means, and for alternatingly unloading the stored data for recording on said recording medium in response to operation of said control means.

4. A data recording system according to claim 3, wherein said control means is operative to store data in a first buffer memory while unloading data from a second buffer memory, and to store data in the second buffer memory while unloading data from the first buffer memory.

5. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said second buffer means has a storage capacity which is greater than that of said first buffer means.

6. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said control means is operative to read out remaining data stored in said second buffer means when the output from said record signal generating means changes from a record to a no-record signal.

7. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said processor means includes means for performing an analog-to-digital conversion of the input signal.

8. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes compression means for compressing the data from said processor means prior to recording on the recording medium.

9. A data recording system according to claim 8, wherein said compression means includes means for compressing the data by performing adaptive pulse code modulation.

10. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the components of said system are provided in the form of a circuit board adapted to be operatively installed in a personal computer.

11. A data recording system according to claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a microphone element and the input signal to be processed for recording on the recording medium comprises electrical speech signals.

12. A method of efficiently recording signals containing information and pauses of different intervals, whereby information following each pause is captured for recording and space occupied on a recording medium for recording of said pauses is minimized, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying an input signal containing information and pauses of different intervals to be processed for recording on a recording medium;

processing the input signal to produce a stream of input data corresponding to the input signal including said pauses of different intervals;

coupling the input signal to record signal generating means thereby producing a record signal in response to an input signal containing information of a certain duration and producing a no-record signal in response to a pause in the input signal of a determined interval;

providing storage means including first buffer means having a data storage capacity corresponding to said information of a certain duration, and second buffer means;

first controlling the first buffer means to store the stream of input data before a record signal is produced and to read out the data stored in the first buffer means after a record signal is produced;

second controlling the second buffer means to store the stream of input data after a record signal is produced and to read out the data stored in the second buffer means following the data read out from the first buffer means,

returning to said first controlling step when the record signal from the record signal generating means changes from a record to a no-record signal;

measuring lengths of pauses in the input data corresponding to the input signal and encoding the pause lengths for recording on the recording medium at corresponding positions in the recorded data; and

deleting from said input data, before recording, data corresponding to a pause in the input signal for said determined interval when the signal from the record signal generating means changes to a no-record signal.

13. The method of claim 12, including controlling the second buffer means to read out remaining data stored in the second buffer means when the output of said record signal generating means changes from a record signal to a no-record signal.

14. The method of claim 12 including compressing the input data prior to recording on the recording medium.

15. The method of claim 12, including carrying out at least some of the steps by operating a personal computer.