Non-volatile record medium, recording method, and recording apparatus

• US 6,985,584 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokota, Teppei, Kihara, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, David Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US09/536,056
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 380/203, 380/237, 380/212, 380/217, 380/240, 380/274, 713/200, 713/201, 713/189, 713/193, 713/194
• US Class Current: 380/200
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/16 Solid state audio deprecated, only for historical reasons, G06F3/16, G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/16 Storage of analogue signals in digital stores using an arrangement comprising analogue/digital [A/D] converters, digital memories and digital/analogue [D/A] converters

Abstract

A non-volatile recording medium for recording a digital audio signal that has been compressed at a compression rate selectable in a predetermined range and block-segmented in a predetermined data length is disclosed, wherein the predetermined data length of which the digital audio data is block-segmented is decided in consideration of the maximum recordable time and the data length of which the digital audio signal is encrypted.

Claims

1. A non-volatile recording medium for recording a digital audio signal, said recording medium comprising:

a block-segmenting element to segment the digital audio signal into a plurality of blocks, each block having a predetermined data length selected to provide a maximum recordable time on the recording medium and a maximum encryptable data length of the digital audio signal,

wherein the selection of said predetermined data length provides an encryption process free of fractions so that substantially less space of the non-volatile recording medium is wasted; and

a compressor to compress the digital audio signal at a compression ratio selectable in a predetermined range.

2. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the recordable capacity of the non-volatile recording medium is 64 Mbytes.

3. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the predetermined range of the compression ratio is from 1/8 to 1/43.

4. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maximum encryptable data length of the digital audio data is a multiple of 8 or 16 bits.

5. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maximum recordable time on the recording medium is between approximately 60 minutes and 74 minutes.

6. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the non-volatile recording medium is a flash memory.

7. The non-volatile recording medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the predetermined data length is selected in consideration of the record unit of the flash memory.

8. A recording method for recording a digital audio signal on a non-volatile recording medium, said recording method comprising:

block segmenting the digital audio signal into a plurality of blocks, each block having a predetermined data length selected to provide a maximum recordable time on the recording medium and a maximum encryptable data length of the digital audio signal,

wherein the selection of said predetermined data length provides an encryption process free of fractions so that substantially less space of the non-volatile recording medium is wasted; and

compressing the block-segmented digital audio signal at a compression ratio selectable in a predetermined range.

9. The recording method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the recordable capacity of the non-volatile record medium is 64 Mbytes.

10. The recording method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the predetermined range of the compression ratio is from 1/8 to 1/43.

11. The recording method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the maximum encodable data length of the digital audio data is a multiple of 8 or 16 bits.

12. The recording method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the maximum recordable time on the recording medium is between approximately 60 minutes and 74 minutes.

13. The recording method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the non-volatile recording medium is a flash memory.

14. The recording method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the predetermined data length is selected in consideration of the record unit of the flash memory.

15. A recording apparatus for recording a digital audio signal on a non-volatile recording medium, said recording apparatus comprising:

means for block-segmenting the digital audio signal into a plurality of blocks, each block having a predetermined data length selected to provide a maximum recordable time on the recording medium and a maximum encryptable data length of the digital audio signal,

wherein the selection of said predetermined data length provides an encryption process free of fractions so that substantially less space of the non-volatile recording medium is wasted; and

means for compressing the block-segmented digital audio signal at a compression ratio selectable in a predetermined range.

16. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the recordable capacity of the non-volatile record medium is 64 Mbytes.

17. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the predetermined range of the compression ratio is from 1/8 to 1/43.

18. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the maximum encryptable data length of the digital audio data is a multiple of 8 or 16 bits.

19. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the maximum recordable time is between approximately 60 minutes and 74 minutes.

20. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the non-volatile recording medium is a flash memory.

21. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the predetermined data length is selected in consideration of the record unit of the flash memory.

22. A recording apparatus for recording a digital audio signal, which has been compressed at a compression rate selectable in a predetermined range and block-segmented in a predetermined data length, to a non-volatile record medium, said recording apparatus comprising:

a memory means having a table for deciding the predetermined data length of which the digital audio signal is block-segmented corresponding to the maximum recordable time and the data length of which the compressed digital audio signal is encrypted,

wherein the decision of said predetermined data length provides an encryption process free of fractions so that substantially less space of the non-volatile recording medium is wasted;

a selecting means for selecting a predetermined compression rate in the predetermined range;

a deciding means for deciding the predetermined data length of which the encrypted digital audio signal is block-segmented with reference to the table of the memory means corresponding to the predetermined compression rate selected by the selecting means;

a block segmenting means for block-segmenting the encrypted digital audio signal corresponding to the predetermined data length decided by the deciding means; and

a recording means for recording the digital audio signal block segmented by the block segmenting means to the non-volatile record medium.

23. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 22, wherein the predetermined data length is configured to be a multiple of the data length of which the compressed digital audio signal is encrypted.

24. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 22, wherein the predetermined range of a predetermined compression rate includes 1/8 to 1/43.

25. The recording apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein the predetermined compression rate is configured to be 1/8 such that a transmission rate of 705 kbps can be compressed to approximately 88 kbps.