Methods for recording and reproducing information

• US 5,963,513 A
• Filed: 10/30/1992
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Korzuch, William R.
• Application Number:
  US07/928,832
• Time in Patent Office: 2,531 Days
• Field of Search: 360/2, 360/35.1, 360/77.03, 369/14, 369/275.2, 369/275.3, 369/275.4, 369/93, 235/493, 235/494, 235/440, 235/460, 365/32, 365/37, 365/69, 365/109
• US Class Current: 369/14
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/06 by sensing auxiliary features on record carriers or containers, e.g. to stop machine near the end of a tape
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/04 using flat record carriers, e.g. disc, card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/046 using stationary discs, or cards provided with a circular recording area driving heads relatively to stationary record carriers for mechanical transducing G11B3/40; automatic feed mechanism producing a transducing traverse of the head across stationary disk tracks G11B21/043
• 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 27/26 by photoelectric detection, e.g. of sprocket holes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00808 magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/488 Disposition of heads G11B5/49, G11B5/52 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/53 Disposition or mounting of heads on rotating support
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/58 with provision for moving the head for the purpose of maintaining alignment of the head relative to the record carrier during transducing operation, e.g. to compensate for surface irregularities of the latter or for track following spacing means incorporated in the head structure G11B5/187, G11B5/255, G11B5/3106
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/76 Drum carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/78 Tape carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/80 Card carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/82 Disk carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/865 by contact "printing"

Abstract

An apparatus and method for recording and reproducing data with respect to closely spaced magnetically recording areas or tracks of a magnetic recording member such as a card, tape or magnetic disc wherein scanning, tracking and reproduction functions are controlled by electro-optically scanning markers or indicia which are predeterminately recorded with respect to the magnetic recordings of the record member. Signals generated when such electro-optically scannable markers are detected are employed to control either or both the functions of selectively tracking and locating a magnetic transducer with respect to a select recording area or track of the magnetic record member and selectively controlling magnetic reproduction of information from the select recording area by either controlling the driving of the magnetic transducer mount or the operation of the transducer as it scans a select portion of the recording area or track along which it scans. In a particular method, the recording surface of the record member is pre-formed with track positional indicating indicia by molding or pressing, after which select magnetic data are recorded by control signals generated by electro-optically detecting such indicia, generating detection signals and employing same to control such recording of primary data. The invention also includes improvements in the structures of record members used with the apparatus and methods disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for recording information comprising:

(a) employing a record member having a substrate, a layer containing deformable magnetic recording material, and deformations of the recording material at select positions of said layer, including positions along at least two intersecting locator tracks, which deformations along said locator tracks define a plurality of electro-optically scannable codes indicative of any recording location of the magnetic recording layer;

(b) electro-optically scanning said codes and generating first electrical signals;

(c) reproducing selected data from a memory as second electrical signals; and

(d) employing said first signals to magnetically record said second electrical signals at selected of said select recording locations, including magnetically recording at least a portion of said selected data on the same surface and at the same locations as selected of said deformations.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said operation (a) comprises employing a record member comprised of a composite mixture of magnetic recording particles and a resinous compound.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein operations (a) and (b) include employing a record member having said deformations molded therein before recording said data signals.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein said molded deformations include protrusions.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein said molded deformations include cavities.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said operation (a) includes utilizing a record member having a protective overcoating on a surface of said deformable layer.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein operation (a) includes employing a record member having a plurality of parallel tracks on said layer.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said parallel tracks are arrayed in a rectangular shape.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein said deformations are located adjacent to at least two outer edges of said record member.

10. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein some of said deformations are located at predetermined locations relative to each of said parallel tracks, and wherein operation (d) includes employing said first electrical signals generated from said electro-optically scannable codes to identify the location of a selected track.

11. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein one of said locator tracks is perpendicular to said parallel recording tracks.

12. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein recording includes arranging said second electrical signals in a plurality of parallel tracks are circular in configuration.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said locator tracks is also a recording track of said record member.

14. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said recording operation includes magnetically recording said data signals as digital bits.

15. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising later:

(e) effecting controlled relative motion between said deformations and an apparatus having a magnetic transducer and an electro-optical scanner;

(f) scanning selected of said deformations with said electro-optical scanner during said relative motion to generate third electrical signals; and

(g) employing said third electrical signals to cause said magnetic transducer to scan selected of said recording locations to reproduce second electrical signals recorded at said selected locations.

16. A method for recording and reproducing information comprising:

(a) magnetically recording data at a multitude of recording locations on a recording surface at predetermined positions relative to electro-optically scannable deformations of said surface, including recording at least a portion of said data on the same surface and at the same locations as selected of said deformations;

(b) effecting controlled relative motion between said deformations and said select recording locations of said recording surface and an apparatus having a magnetic reproduction transducer and an electro-optical scanner;

(c) scanning selected of said surface deformations along two intersecting tracks of the recording surface with said electro-optical scanner during said relative motion to generate first electrical signals; and

(d) employing said first electrical signals to select any of the recording locations and to cause said magnetic transducer to scan said selected recording location to generate second electrical signals representing data magnetically recorded there.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein recording includes storing the magnetically recorded data along a plurality of parallel tracks of said recording surface.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein at least some of said electro-optically scannable deformations are located at predetermined locations relative to each of said parallel tracks, and wherein operation (d) includes employing said first electrical signals generated from said scanned deformations to identify the location of a selected track.

19. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein operation (d) includes employing said first electrical signals generated from said scanned deformations to effect the reproduction of selected magnetically recorded data from selected of said tracks.

20. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein one of said intersecting tracks is longitudinally aligned with at least one of said parallel tracks containing magnetically recorded data.

21. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said plurality of parallel tracks are circular in configuration.

22. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said parallel tracks are arrayed in a rectangular shape.

23. A method in accordance with claim 16 including predeforming said recording surface and using said deformations to select particular recording locations at which to record said data.

24. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein predeforming includes creating protrusions in said recording surface.

25. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein predeforming includes forming cavities in said recording surface.

26. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein all of said deformations are arranged along the two intersecting tracks.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26 wherein said deformations are located adjacent to at least two outer edges of said recording surface.

28. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein said recording operation includes magnetically recording said data as digital bits.

29. A method for recording information comprising:

(a) employing a record member having a substrate, a layer containing deformable magnetic recording material, and deformations of the recording material at select positions of said layer, which deformations define a plurality of electro-optically scannable codes, each code being indicative of a select recording location along one of a plurality of recording tracks;

(b) electro-optically scanning said codes and generating first electrical signals;

(c) reproducing selected data from a memory as second electrical signals;

(d) employing said first signals to magnetically record said second electrical signals at selected of said select recording locations;

(e) later effecting controlled relative motion between said deformations and an apparatus having a magnetic transducer and an electro-optical scanner;

(f) scanning selected of said deformations positioned along two intersecting locator tracks of said record member with said electro-optical scanner during said relative motion to generate third electrical signals;

(g) employing said third electrical signals to cause said magnetic transducer to locate a selected recording location along any of said recording tracks; and

(h) scanning said selected recording location with said magnetic transducer to reproduce second electrical signals recorded thereat.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said recording operation includes recording at least a portion of said selected data on the same surface and at the same locations as selected of said deformations.

31. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said recording operation includes recording said selected data on the same surface and to at least one side of said selected deformations.

32. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein operations (a) and (b) include employing a record member having said deformations molded therein before recording said data signals.

33. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said recording tracks are parallel and arrayed in a rectangular shape.

34. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein at least one of said locator tracks is adjacent to an outer edge of said record member.

35. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein said recording tracks are circular in configuration.

36. A method for recording and reproducing information comprising:

(a) magnetically recording data at select recording locations along a recording track located on a recording surface at predetermined positions relative to electro-optically scannable deformations of the surface positioned along two intersecting locator tracks of the recording surface;

(b) electro-optically scanning the deformations of the recording surface along the intersecting locator tracks and generating first electrical signals;

(c) employing the first electrical signals to identify a recording location along any of the recording tracks; and

(d) magnetically scanning the identified recording location to generate second electrical signals representing data magnetically recorded at the identified recording location.

37. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein said locator tracks are perpendicular.

38. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein all of the deformations are arranged along the locator tracks.

39. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein at least one of the locator tracks is adjacent to an outer edge of the recording surface.

40. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein part (b) includes scanning recording locations along one of the locator tracks, such that at least a portion of the data is magnetically recorded at the same locations as at least some of the deformations.