Music storage apparatus and picture storage apparatus

• US 6,934,106 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takada, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): TZENG, FRED
• Application Number:
  US10/346,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20030147625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 360/69, 386/39, 386/46, 386/68, 386/94, 386/95, 386/96, 386/52, 386/97, 386/98, 386104-106
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

In a music storage apparatus, a control unit controls a signal switching unit so that audio signals supplied from a digital radio tuner or a CD player are transmitted to both an amplifier and an encoder. The control unit also determines whether a musical piece is completely provided to the user, based on program information or TOC information obtained from the digital radio tuner or the CD player. Audio signals of a musical piece that is incompletely provided are deleted from a hard disk.

Claims

1. A music storage apparatus comprising:

an audio signal source for supplying audio signals;

an audio-signal recording unit for recording the audio signals supplied from said audio signal source;

an audio-signal switching unit for providing one of the audio signals supplied from said audio signal source and the audio signals recorded in said audio-signal recording unit; and

a control unit for controlling said audio-signal recording unit and said audio-signal switching unit in response to an operation by a user,

wherein said control unit starts recording audio signals of a musical piece in said audio-signal recording unit in synchronization with the start of playing of the musical piece, leaves audio signals of an unoperated musical piece in said audio-signal recording unit, and deletes audio signals of an operated musical piece from said audio-signal recording unit, the unoperated musical piece not being subjected to a specific operation during the playing thereof, and the operated musical piece being subjected to the specific operation during the playing thereof.

2. A music storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific operation includes at least one of stopping, fast-forwarding, fast-reversing, tracking-up, tracking-down, scanning, and channel change.

3. A music storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit compares Table-OF-Contents information and time information in a Q-channel subcode in a music compact disk in order to determine whether the playing of the musical piece is completed.

4. A music storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit compares the length of the musical piece included in program information from a digital radio with an elapsed time in order to determine whether the playing of the musical piece is completed.

5. A music storage apparatus comprising:

an audio signal source for supplying audio signals;

an audio-signal recording unit for recording the audio signals supplied from said audio signal source;

an audio-signal switching unit for providing one of the audio signals supplied from said audio signal source and the audio signals recorded in said audio-signal recording unit; and

a control unit for controlling said audio-signal recording unit and said audio-signal switching unit in response to an operation by a user,

wherein said control unit starts recording audio signals of a musical piece in said audio-signal recording unit in synchronization with the start of playing of the musical piece, and adds, to the audio signals to be recorded in said audio-signal recording unit, data for discriminating between an unoperated musical piece that is not subjected to a specific operation and an operated musical piece that is subjected to the specific operation during the playing thereof.

6. A music storage apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific operation includes at least one of stopping, fast-forwarding, fast-reversing, tracking-up, tracking-down, scanning, and channel change.

7. A music storage apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit deletes the audio signals of the operated musical piece from said audio-signal recording unit according to the data.

8. A music storage apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit reads only the unoperated musical piece from said audio-signal recording unit according to the data.

9. A music storage apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit reads only the operated musical piece from said audio-signal recording unit according to the data.

10. A picture storage apparatus comprising:

a video signal source for supplying video signals;

a video-signal recording unit for recording the video signals supplied from said video signal source;

a video-signal switching unit for providing one of the video signals supplied from said video signal source and the video signals recorded in said video-signal recording unit; and

a control unit for controlling said video-signal recording unit and said video-signal switching unit in response to an operation by a user,

wherein said control unit starts recording video signals of a program in said video-signal recording unit in synchronization with the start of the program, leaves video signals of an unoperated program in said video-signal recording unit, and deletes video signals of an operated program from said video-signal recording unit, the unoperated program not being subjected to a specific operation before the end of the program, and the operated musical piece being subjected to the specific operation before the end of the program.

11. A picture storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the specific operation is a channel change.

12. A picture storage apparatus comprising:

a video signal source for supplying video signals;

a video-signal recording unit for recording the video signals supplied from said video signal source;

a video-signal switching unit for providing one of the video signals supplied from said video signal source and the video signals recorded in said video-signal recording unit; and

a control unit for controlling said video-signal recording unit and said video-signal switching unit in response to an operation by a user,

wherein said control unit starts recording video signals of a program in said video-signal recording unit in synchronization with the start of the program, and adds, to the video signals to be recorded in said video-signal recording unit, data for discriminating between an operated program that is not subjected to a specific operation and an operated program that is subjected to the specific operation before the end of the program.

13. A picture storage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the specific operation is a channel change.

14. A picture storage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control unit reads only video signals of the unoperated program from said video-signal recording unit according to the data.

15. A picture storage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control unit reads only video signals of the operated program from said video-signal recording unit according to the data.

16. An automated method of storing a program comprising one of audio and video, the method comprising:

supplying audio and/or video signals for playing a program from a signal source, for listening and/or viewing by a user;

recording the program if a specified operation by the user is not instructed during playing of said program; and

not recording the program if said specified operation by the user is instructed during playing of said program.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the specified operation includes at least one of stopping, fast-forwarding, fast reversing, tracking-up, tracking-down, scanning, and channel change.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the program is a musical piece, and the signal source is one of a CD player and a radio tuner.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the signal source is a television tuner.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the portion of the program, recorded before said specified operation by the user is instructed during playing of said program, is automatically deleted.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein the portion of the program, recorded before said specified operation by the user is instructed during playing of said program, is deleted at the instruction of the user.