Information communication system which transmits main data and data for restoring the main data

• US 5,930,818 A
• Filed: 08/22/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Haruhiko, Suu, Hiroshi, Fukuda, Yasuo, Minami, Masana
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US08/916,284
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/115, 235/492, 395/200.43
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

An information communication system in which main data and restore-date used for restoring the main data are written in a memory card by a first information apparatus. The main data and the restore-data are read from the memory card by a second information apparatus. On the basis of the restore-data, the main data is restored by the second information apparatus. The main data, thus restored is processed and/or output by the second information apparatus.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a first data processing apparatus for processing data which is of a first format;

a second data processing apparatus for processing data which is of a second format; and

a memory card, capable of being connected to said first and second data processing apparatuses, for transferring the data of the first format from the first data processing apparatus to the second data processing apparatus,

wherein said first data processing apparatus writes into the memory card the data of the first format and reading method information of the data of the first format and said second data processing apparatus reads from the memory card the data of the first format using the reading method information and converts the read data of the first format to data of the second format.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said memory card is a portable card in which a nonvolatile semiconductor memory is built.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said nonvolatile semiconductor memory is an electrically erasable ROM.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein said memory card is externally supplied with a driving power.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein said first data processing apparatus and second data processing apparatus each are provided with control means for directly controlling said non-volatile semiconductor memory.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said control means causes the writing of the data and the reading method information of the data of the first format to said semiconductor memory, wherein the reading method information of the data of the first format is written in a different level of hierarchy from that of the data.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the control means divides the information into time units or into frames to obtain the data, and causes the writing of the data and the reading method information of the data of the first format to said semiconductor memory, wherein reading method information of the data of the first format is written in a different level of hierarchy from that of the data.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein said memory card contains control means for controlling said nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said control means causes the writing of the data and the reading method information of the data of the first format to said semiconductor memory, wherein the reading method information of the data of the first format are written in a different level of hierarchy from that of the data.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said control means divides the information into time units or into frames to obtain the data, and causes the writing of the data and the reading method information of the data of the first format to said semiconductor memory, wherein the reading method information of the data of the first format is written in a different level of hierarchy from that of the data.

11. A data processing apparatus forming a data processing system with another apparatus which processes data of a second format and a memory card which are capable of being connected to the data processing apparatus and the other apparatus, the data processing apparatus comprising:

means for processing data of a first format; and

means for writing into the memory card the data of the first format and reading method information of the data of the first format, whereby the data of the first format and the reading method information are transferred to the other apparatus and the other apparatus reads from the memory card the data of the first format using the reading method information and converts the read data of the first format to data of the second format.

12. A memory card capable of being connected to a first data processing apparatus for processing data of a first format and to a second data processing apparatus for processing data of a second format, the memory card comprising:

means for storing the data of the first format; and

means for storing reading method information of the data of the first format, whereby the second data processing apparatus reads from the memory card the data of the first format using the reading method information and converts the read data of the first format to data of the second format.