High speed recorded information duplicating equipment

• US 5,502,601 A
• Filed: 11/14/1994
• Issued: 03/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Broadbus Technologies, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Magic Music Cassette Company
• Inventors: Scheffler, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIS, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US08/338,899
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 360/13, 360/15, 360/16, 360/17, 360/32, 360/39, 369/8, 369/84, 369/85, 341/144, 341/145, 341/146, 341/147
• US Class Current: 360/32
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• 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 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/02 Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/86 Re-recording, i.e. transcribing information from one magnetisable record carrier on to one or more similar or dissimilar record carriers by varying the order of the information G11B27/029, G11B27/036

Abstract

A customized album recording system is under the control of a central microprocessor or mini-computer. A master library or storage medium is filled with a repertoire of recorded information items (such as musical selections) which may originate with any suitable source, such as phonograph records, tapes, sound tracks, compact discs, or the like. Each information item is stored in the library under its own address. On read out, an operator keys in the addresses identifying the selected items which are read out of the library medium and stored in a large capacity memory, usually to provide about forty-five minutes of total listening time. Then, all of the music is read out of that large capacity memory and recorded at a high speed onto a suitable album size medium, such as a tape cassette, for example. The source music and the customized album music are usually recorded in an analog form. The music which is processed within the system is in a digital form. Thus, the various transfers of music from the master storage to the recorded album, may be accomplished at a high speed of digital transmission. In an alternative embodiment, instead of reading out an entire album amount of recorded information items, the central computer successively reads out limited amounts of data on a demand and fetch basis. A computer provides both the analog-to-digital and the digital-to-analog conversions in order to improve fidelity.

Claims

1. An information duplicating recording machine comprising:

means for providing source signals in digital form;

means for electronically buffer storing said digital source signals;

means responsive to said buffer stored digital signals for making duplicate recordings of analog signals whereby said source signals are isolated from said recorded signals;

a digital-to-analog converter means interposed between said buffer storage means and said duplicate recording means;

said digital-to-analog converter including means for calculating a substantially smooth curve envelope for said digital signals; and

said digital-to-analog converter includes means for dividing a difference between successive digital samples into N-steps, and means for adding one of said steps to each of N-samples between said successive digital samples.