CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus with clipping memory

• US 5,363,355 A
• Filed: 04/07/1993
• Issued: 11/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, TAN X
• Application Number:
  US08/043,570
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 369/32, 369/33, 369/14, 369/15, 369/20, 369/22, 369/75.1, 369/75.2, 369/77.1, 369/77.2, 369/47, 369/48
• US Class Current: 369/30.23
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence

Abstract

A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus having a search function and a display apparatus (10) which can display data representative of searched results comprises a nonvolatile clipping RAM (12) for storing searched data and a clipping key (13) for allowing a desired data portion of data searched by this apparatus to be freely written on the clipping RAM (12), wherein the data written in the clipping RAM (12) can be accessed at any time and displayed in the display apparatus (10). Therefore, a desired information can be read out arbitrarily with ease and displayed.

Claims

1. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus comprising:

a) disc drive means for reproducing data from a CD-ROM disc;

b) control means coupled to the disc drive means for controlling operations of the disc drive means;

c) user controllable input means coupled to the controlling means for entering data and command signals to the control means, including search commands for finding and reproducing data from the CD-ROM disc;

d) display means for displaying at least the data reproduced from the CD-ROM disc by the disc drive means; and

e) clipping memory means coupled to the control means for selectively storing at least a portion of the data reproduced from the CD-ROM disc upon entry of a clipping command by the user through the input means.

2. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the input means includes clipping means for supplying the clipping command to the control means in order to store a desired portion of the data reproduced and displayed on the display means into the clipping memory means.

3. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the clipping memory means is a semiconductor memory having a predetermined memory capacity.

4. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 3, wherein the semiconductor memory is a random access memory having a back-up battery.

5. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the clipping memory means further stores header information relating to the portion of the reproduced data.

6. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 5, wherein the header information stored in the clipping memory means includes a type of the data, a top address of the stored data in the clipping memory means, and the number of total bytes of the stored data.

7. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the input means includes read out means for supplying a read out command to the control means in order to read out the data stored in the clipping memory means and display the same on the display means.

8. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 2, wherein the clipping memory means is a semiconductor, non-volatile memory having a predetermined memory capacity.

9. A CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus as cited in claim 7, wherein the data stored in the clipping memory means is greater than can be displayed at one time on the display means and wherein the display means includes means for scrolling an image displayed by the display means from data read out from the clipping memory by the read out means.