Audio player

• US 7,103,431 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Masanao, Kamimura, Toru, Waguri, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Grier, Laura A.
• Application Number:
  US10/049,616
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 381/22, 704500-504, 700/94
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00057 MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio layer III [MP3]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/60 Solid state media

Abstract

A sound reproducing apparatus (10) includes a slot (16) to which a memory card (18) is attached. A decoding software for decoding sound data is stored in an audio file recorded on the memory card (18). The decoding software is loaded into a RAM (22b) by a CPU (20) when it is not possible to decode the sound data by the decoding software stored on a ROM (22a). Therefore, a DSP (22) decodes sound data read from the same audio file in accordance with the decoding software loaded from the audio file.

Claims

1. A sound reproducing apparatus, comprising:

a recording means for recording into a recording medium a data file in which a sound signal encoded in a first format and a first decoding program according to said first format are stored;

a storing means for storing a second decoding program according to a second format;

a determining means for determining whether or not said first format of said sound signal is coincident with said second format of said second decoding program;

a validating means for validating one of said first decoding program and said second decoding program on the basis of a determination result of said determining means;

a decoding means for decoding said sound signal by the decoding program validated by said validating means; and

an outputting means for outputting the decoding sound signal decoded by said decoding means.

2. A sound reproducing apparatus, comprising:

an attacher for detachably attaching a recording medium on which a sound signal encoded in a first format and a first decoding program according to said first format are recorded;

a storage for storing a second decoding program according to a second format;

a determiner for determining whether or not said first format of said sound signal is coincident with said second format of said second decoding program;

a validater for validating one of said first decoding program and said second decoding program on the basis of determination of result of said determiner;

a decoder for decoding said sound signal by the decoding program validated by said validater; and

an outputter for outputting a decoded sound signal decoded by said decoder;

wherein

said decoder carries out a first number-of-bit operation,

said recording medium records said first decoding program corresponding to said first number-of-bit operation and said second decoding program corresponding to a second number-of-bit operation,

said validater loads said first decoding program corresponding to said first number-of-bit operation from said recording medium when said determination result represents disagreement,

wherein said second decoding program is not recorded on said recording medium.