Reproducing apparatus, recording apparatus and recording/reproducing apparatus

• US 6,292,626 B1
• Filed: 03/10/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanai, Toshio, Nakatani, Tokuo, Ino, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/265,700
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 386/45-46, 386/125-126, 360/69, 711/112, 711/113, 711/114, 710/52, 707/200, 707/204, 369/30, 369/32, 369/34
• US Class Current: 386/344
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10768 by pre-caching the initial portion of songs or other recorded or downloaded data for starting playback instantly
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• 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 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]

Abstract

A reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a first storage including a changer for housing a plurality of storage media and a drive for reading out data from first and second target storage media selected from the storage media in that order; a second storage; a data processing unit for presenting the data stored on the first and second target storage media; and a controller for controlling the changer, the drive, the data processing unit and the second storage. Before the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the first storage to read out at least part of the data stored on one of the first and second target storage media as bridging data and controls the second storage to store the read bridging data. When the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the second storage to supply the bridging data to the data processing unit during a period in which reading the data stored on the first and second target storage media is discontinuous because of exchange of the first target storage medium for the second target storage medium, so as to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media continuously.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus comprising:

a first storage including a changer for housing a plurality of storage media and a drive for reading out data from first and second target storage media selected from the storage media in that order;

a second storage;

a data processing unit for presenting the data stored on the first and second target storage media; and

a controller for controlling the changer, the drive, the data processing unit and the second storage,

wherein, before the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the first storage to read out at least part of the data stored on one of the first and second target storage media as bridging data and controls the second storage to store the read bridging data, and

wherein, when the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the second storage to supply the bridging data to the data processing unit during a period in which reading the data stored on the first and second target storage media is discontinuous because of exchange of the first target storage medium for the second target storage medium, so as to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media continuously.

2. A reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first storage and the second storage in such a manner that part of the data, which is to be presented before the bridging data, is read out and supplied to the data processing unit by the first storage, and then the bridging data is supplied to the data processing unit, and then a remaining part of the data stored on the first and second target storage media, which is to be presented after the bridging data, to the data processing unit by the first storage.

3. A reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first storage to read out part of the data to be presented, which is stored on the first target storage medium, as the bridging data before the data processing unit presents the data stored on the first and second target storage media, and

wherein, when the data processing unit presents the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the first storage and the second storage in such a manner that the bridging data is supplied to the data processing unit and then part of the data to be presented, which is stored on the second target storage medium, is supplied to the data processing unit.

4. A reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first storage to read out part of the data to be presented, which is stored on the second target storage medium, as the bridging data before the data processing unit presents the data stored on the first and second target storage media, and

wherein, when the data processing unit presents the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the first storage and the second storage in such a manner that part of the data to be presented, which is stored on the first target storage medium, is supplied to the data processing unit, and then the bridging data is supplied to the data processing unit.

5. A reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller judges whether or not the bridging data is stored on the second storage before the bridging data is read out and stored on the second storage, and

wherein the controller controls the second storage to store the bridging data when the bridging data is not stored on the second storage.

6. A reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second storage is accessible at a speed equal to or higher than a speed at which the first storage is accessible.

7. A recording apparatus comprising:

a first storage including a changer for housing a plurality of storage media and a drive for recording data onto first and second target storage media selected from the storage media in that order;

a second storage;

a data processing unit for supplying the data to be recorded to one of the first storage and the second storage; and

a controller for controlling the first storage, the second storage and the data processing unit,

wherein the controller controls the second storage to store part of the data supplied from the data processing unit as bridging data during a period in which recording by the first storage is discontinuous because of exchange of the first target storage medium for the second target storage medium, and controls the first storage and the second storage to store the bridging data onto one of the first and second target storage media by the first storage.

8. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in recording data continuously on first and second target storage media,

if the controller has determined that a residual capacity of the first target storage medium is about to reach a predetermined quantity while the data to be recorded is being written on the first target storage medium, then the controller gets the predetermined quantity of the data yet to be recorded written on the second storage as the bridging data, and

makes the first storage write the remaining data, except for the bridging data, on the second target storage medium.

9. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in recording data continuously on first and second target storage media,

if the controller has determined that a residual capacity of the first target storage medium is about to reach zero while the data to be recorded is being written on the first target storage medium, then the controller gets a predetermined quantity of the data yet to be recorded written on the second storage as the bridging data, and

makes the first storage write the remaining data, except for the bridging data, on the second target storage medium such that the second target storage medium has a residual capacity corresponding to the predetermined quantity.

10. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second storage is accessible at a speed equal to or higher than a speed at which the first storage is accessible.

11. A recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

a first storage including a changer for housing a plurality of storage media and a drive for reading out data from first and second target storage media selected from the storage media in that order;

a second storage;

a data processing unit for presenting the data stored on the first and second target storage media; and

a controller for controlling the changer, the drive, the data processing unit and the second storage,

wherein, before the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller judges whether or not the second storage stores at least part of the data stored on one of the first and second target storage media as bridging data, and controls the first storage and the second storage to read out the bridging data from the one of the first and second target storage media and to store the read bridging data when the bridging data is not stored on the second storage, and

wherein, when the data processing unit starts to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media, the controller controls the second storage to supply the bridging data to the data processing unit during a period in which reading the data stored on the first and second target storage media is discontinuous because of exchange of the first target storage medium for the second target storage medium, so as to present the data stored on the first and second target storage media continuously.