Portable recording/reproducing device, IC memory card recording format, and recording/reproducing mehtod

• US 5,787,399 A
• Filed: 07/29/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Chan-dong, Lee, Young-man
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US08/902,204
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.76, 395/2.1, 395/2.79-2.84, 395/2.87, 395/2.24, 364/514 A, 704/201, 704/267, 704/215, 704/270-275, 704/278
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/16 Solid state audio
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/16 Storage of analogue signals in digital stores using an arrangement comprising analogue/digital [A/D] converters, digital memories and digital/analogue [D/A] converters

Abstract

Components include: an audio input, an audio output, a signal processor, a buffer memory, an interface, a command input, a display, and a controller. When a record command is input, the controller detects a non-sound section of the audio signal input, generates time data corresponding to the non-sound section, forms a data transmission block using the time data and sound data, records the result into an IC memory card, and registers a list of the newly recorded content at a content table. When a reproduction command is input, the controller reads the start/end address of a selected musical piece with reference to the TOC which is loaded into the buffer memory from the IC memory card, accesses the corresponding audio data from the IC memory card, and controls the system according to a reproduction operation. Silence sections are only stored at the beginning of a musical piece.

Claims

1. A portable recording/reproducing device contained in a single case, comprising:

audio input means for inputting an analog audio signal via an external microphone input terminal and generating a digital audio signal;

a signal processor for compressing the digital audio signal input via said audio input means and expanding compressed data so as to provide a processed digital audio signal;

audio output means for converting the processed digital audio signal into a second analog audio signal and outputting the result to an external earphone output terminal;

a buffer memory for storing a table of contents (TOC) and temporarily storing data processed by said signal processor;

interfacing means for performing an interfacing operation with respect to the transmission of recording/reproducing data between the signal processor and an IC memory card;

control input means for inputting recording and reproducing commands;

a display for displaying a control state; and

a controller for, when a record command is input via said control input means, detecting a non-sound section of the audio signal input via said audio input means and generating time data corresponding to a time of duration of the non-sound section, the time of duration being one of a plurality of possible times of duration of the non-sound section, forming a data transmission block having the time data and sound data, in which the time data constitutes a header of the data transmission block and indicates the time of duration of the non-sound section which occurs before an audio section corresponding to the sound data of the data transmission block, recording the result onto the IC memory card via said interfacing means, and registering entry of newly recorded content in the TOC, and when a reproduction command is input via said control input means, reading one of a start address and an end address of a selected audio piece with reference to the TOC which is loaded into said buffer memory from the IC memory card via said interfacing means, accessing corresponding audio data of the IC memory card and decoding the corresponding audio data after a time delay corresponding to the time duration of the non-sound section, controlling the system according to a reproduction operation, and displaying the control state via said display.

2. A record format of an IC memory card which is used as a recording medium of a portable recording/reproducing device, the record format comprising a table of contents (TOC) area where attributes and a TOC of the IC memory card are stored and a data area where a plurality of recorded programs corresponding to said TOC are stored, wherein said data area stores non-sound time data and sound data by transmission block units constituted by frames of compressed audio data, said non-sound time data indicating a time duration of a non-sound section of recorded data, the time duration being one of a plurality of possible time durations of the non-sound section, each of said transmission block units having one of the non-sound time data and sound data, in which said one of the non-sound time data constitutes a header of the data transmission block and indicates the time of duration of the non-sound section which occurs before an audio section corresponding to the sound data of the data transmission block.

3. A record format of IC memory card according to claim 2, wherein said TOC area comprises an identification code, the number of recorded programs, a pointer for the recorded programs and start and end address information of the recorded programs defined by said pointer.

4. A recording method of a portable recording/reproducing device that employs an IC memory card as a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

determining whether the IC memory card is inserted in the recording/reproducing device and reading data of a table of contents (TOC) area when the IC memory card is inserted in the device;

generating a pointer and storing a start address of a new recording program when a record command is input;

converting input analog audio data into a digital signal;

compressing a plurality of sample values by frame units to form digital audio data;

forming a transmission block by a plurality of frames, said transmission block having non-sound data as header data, said non-sound time data indicating a time duration of a non-sound section of recorded data, the time duration being one of a plurality of possible time durations of the non-sound section;

storing the digital audio data and the first data by transmission block units into a memory address of the IC memory card which is defined from said start address;

determining whether a recording ends and storing an end address of a recorded program when the recording ends; and

registering said stored start address and said stored end address in a TOC location defined by said pointer and updating the TOC of the IC memory card.

5. A reproducing method of the portable recording/reproducing device that employs an IC memory card as a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

determining whether the IC memory card is inserted in the device and reading data of a table of contents (TOC) area when the IC memory card is inserted;

receiving a reproduction command and a user-entered number corresponding to a selected recording program;

reading start and end addresses denoted by a pointer value that corresponds to said user-entered selection number with reference to said TOC;

retrieving audio data from a data area of the IC memory card between said start and end addresses, said audio data being made up of at least one transmission block, each of said at least one transmission blocks having a plurality of frames and having non-sound data as header data;

expanding the retrieved audio data;

reading the non-sound time data from the expanded audio data;

maintaining a non-sound section for a time period corresponding to the non-sound time data, the time period being one of a plurality of possible time periods;

outputting an analog audio signal; and

determining when said end address has been reached and stopping the reproduction operation upon reaching the end address.

6. A portable recording device contained in a single case, comprising:

audio input means for inputting an analog audio signal via an external microphone input terminal and generating a digital audio signal;

a signal processor for compressing the digital audio signal input via said audio input means and expanding the compressed data so as to provide a digital audio signal to said audio output means;

a buffer memory for storing a table of contents (TOC) and temporarily storing the data processed by said signal processor;

interfacing means for performing an interfacing operation with respect to the transmission of recording data between the signal processor and an IC memory card;

control input means for inputting recording commands;

a display for displaying a control state; and

a controller for controlling a recording system to perform a recording portion and displaying the control state via said display by, when a record command is input via said control means, detecting a non-sound section of the audio signal input via said audio input means and generating time data corresponding to a time of duration of the non-sound section, the time of duration being one of a plurality of possible times of duration of the non-sound section, forming a data transmission block using the time data as a header and using sound data, recording the result onto the IC memory card via said interfacing means, and registering entry of the new recorded content in the TOC.

7. A portable reproducing device contained in a single case, comprising:

audio output means for converting a digital audio signal into an analog audio signal and outputting the result to an external earphone output terminal;

a signal processor for expanding the compressed data so as to provide a digital audio signal to said audio output means;

a buffer memory for storing a table of contents (TOC) and temporarily storing the data processed by said signal processor;

interfacing means for performing an interfacing operation with respect to the transmission of reproducing data between the signal processor and an IC memory card;

control input means for inputting reproducing commands;

a display for displaying a control state; and

a controller for controlling a reproduction system to perform a reproduction operation and displaying the control state via said display by, when a reproduction command is input via said control input means, reading one of a start address and an end address of a selected musical piece with reference to the TOC which is loaded into said buffer memory from the IC memory card via said interfacing means, accessing the corresponding audio data of the IC memory card, wherein said audio data is constituted of at least one data transmission block using time data as a header and sound data, and decoding the corresponding audio data with a time delay corresponding to a time duration of a non-sound section of the audio signal indicated by the time data.