Recording/reproducing apparatus

• US 6,836,385 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yasutaka, Kimura, Tomomichi, Matsuo, Kazunori, Naohara, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kapadia, Varsha A.
• Application Number:
  US09/725,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 360/15, 360/60, 360/69, 369/30.02, 369/30-5-, 369/30.19, 369/30.23
• US Class Current: 360/15
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• 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 2220/2529 Mini-discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• 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 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3063 Subcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Partial information such as the beginning data of each of chapters is read from a CD and written in a HDD 10 at a higher speed than that in a normal reproduction while the normal reproduction is carried out using a buffer memory 8. After the chapters relative to all CDs have been written in the HDD 10, reproduction is carried out in switching between the information remaining in the HDD 10 and the information included in the CD. This configuration makes it unnecessary to record the information beforehand, and permits an unreproduciable blank in reproduction to be filled with audio information during track search or CD change while the reproduction is carried out normally.

Claims

1. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising;

storage means for storing information read from a recording medium on which the information is written in a prescribed number of groups;

means for reading the information on said recording medium; and

control means for controlling the write in said storage means of at least a prescribed time or quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups,

wherein the information on said storage means read at a speed which is higher than or equal to a speed at which the information is reproduced,

wherein said control means controls the write of the information read from said recording medium while it controls reproduction of the information written in said storage means at any time, and

wherein said control means causes a prescribed time or quantity of information written in said storage means to be held therein and the other information written in said storage means to be held therein and the other information to be discarded after reproduction.

2. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for reading reads the information on said recording medium at a speed of N-times as high as a normal speed.

3. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means correlatively manages said prescribed time or quantity of information written in said storage means and the recording medium in which it has been written.

4. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a holding member for holding a plurality of recording media, wherein

said control means causes said storage means to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said holding member.

5. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein after said control means causes said storage means to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said holding member, it continues reproduction using the information remaining in said storage means.

6. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein after said control means causes said storage means to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said holding member, it continues reproduction using the information recording in said recording media.

7. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means is a compact disk and said storage means is a hard disk drive.

8. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means cross-fades each of said groups with a subsequent group, such that information is continuously reproduced.

9. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the write in said storage means of at least the prescribed time of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups.

10. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls the write in said storage means of at least the prescribed quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups.

11. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing information read from a recording medium on which the information is written in a prescribed number of groups;

means for reading the information on said recording medium; and

control means for controlling the write in said storage means of at least a prescribed time or quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups,

wherein the information in said storage means is read at a speed which is higher than or equal to a speed at which the information is reproduced,

wherein said control means correlatively manages said prescribed time or quantity of information written in said storage means and the recording medium in which it has been written;

and further comprising;

means for detecting identification information for identifying said recording medium, wherein where said prescribed time or quantity of information contained in the recording medium identified by said identifying means has been already written in said storage means, said control means inhibits storage of the information into said storage means.

12. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said control means controls the write of the information read from said recording medium while it controls reproduction of the information written in said storage means at any time.

13. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores information read from a recording medium on which the information is written in a prescribed number of groups;

a data retrieval circuit that reads the information on said recording medium; and

a control circuit that controls the write in said memory of at least a prescribed time or quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups,

wherein the information in said memory is read to a buffer memory at a speed which is higher than or equal to a speed at which the information in said buffer memory is reproduced,

wherein said control circuit controls the write of the information read from said recording medium while it controls reproduction of the information written in said memory at any time,

wherein said control circuit causes a prescribed time or quantity of information written in said memory to be held therein and the other information written in said memory to be held therein and the other information to be discarded after reproduction.

14. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said data retrieval circuit reads the information on said recording medium at a speed of N-times as high as a normal speed.

15. A recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control circuit correlatively manages said prescribed time or quantity of information written in said memory and the recording medium in which it has been written.

16. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a media holder that holds a plurality of recording media, wherein

said control circuit causes said memory to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said media holder.

17. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein after said control circuit causes said memory to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said media holder, it continues reproduction using the information remaining in said memory.

18. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein after said control circuit causes said memory to store said prescribed time or quantity of information relative to all said recording media held in said media holder, it continues reproduction using the information recording in said recording media.

19. A recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said recording medium is a compact disk and said memory is a hard disk drive.

20. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control circuit cross-fades each of said groups with a subsequent group, such that information is continuously reproduced.

21. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control circuit controls the write in said memory of at least the prescribed time of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups.

22. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control circuit controls the write in said memory of at least the prescribed quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups.

23. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores information read from a recording medium on which the information is written in a prescribed number of groups;

a data retrieval circuit that reads the information on said recording medium; and

a control circuit that controls the write in said memory of at least prescribed time or quantity of information corresponding to a beginning address of each of said groups,

wherein the information in said memory is read to a buffer memory at a steed which is higher than or equal to a speed at which the information in said buffer memory is reproduced,

wherein said control circuit correlatively manages said prescribed time or quantity of information written in said memory and the recording medium in which it has been written,

wherein the control circuit detects identification information for identifying said recording medium, wherein where said prescribed time or quantity of information contained in the recording medium identified by said control circuit has been already written in said memory, said control circuit inhibits storage of the information into said memory.