Apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a compact disc onto a recording medium having two running directions

In order to record information from a compact disc apparatus to an automatic reversing cassette tape recorder without any loss of the information, the compact disc player (22) and the cassette tape recorder (13) are synchronously started by a reproducing start control means (21). When the cassette tape comes to one end, a tape end detection means (10) issues a pulse, making the compact disc player pause for a 1-2 sec. time period. This period is longer than the time period required for reversing the cassette tape recorder so the compact disc player (22) does not reproduce the information direction change, by the cassette tape recorder (13), while the tape continues. This prevents loss of information reproduced by the compact disc player (22) during the tape reversing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an information reproducing and recording 
apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus which can record 
information from an information reproducing apparatus to an information 
recording apparatus without any omission of the information while 
reversing the driving direction of the recording medium in the recording 
apparatus. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
The information reproducing and recording apparatus of the prior art has 
been configurated as shown in FIG. 5. An information reproducing apparatus 
A, such as a compact disc player, is shown including a disc reproducing 
apparatus 2 and a reproducing start control means 1 for controlling the 
starting of the disc reproducing apparatus 2. Also, an information 
recording apparatus B is shown including a recording apparatus 4 and a 
recording start control means 3 for controlling the starting of the 
recording apparatus 4. In the prior art, the information reproducing 
apparatus A and the information recording apparatus B are connected such 
that an output signal of the disc reproducing apparatus 2 is given to the 
recording apparatus 4, and a control signal from the reproducing start 
control means 1 is given to the recording start control means 3. 
The operation of the above-mentioned conventional example is as follows. 
First, the user handles the reproducing start control means 1 to make the 
information reproducing apparatus 2 start a reproducing of the disc 
reproducing apparatus 2, and at the same time the signal from the 
reproducing start control means 1 is given to the recording start control 
means 3, thereby to start the recording apparatus 4 such as a cassette 
tape recorder. Then, the information signal reproduced by the disc 
recording apparatus 2 of the information reproducing apparatus A is given 
to the recording apparatus 4 of the information recording apparatus B, and 
the information is recorded on the cassette tape. 
The above-mentioned conventional combination of the information reproducing 
apparatus A and the information recording apparatus B have the following 
problem. When one side or one track of the cassette tape of the recording 
apparatus 4 comes to an end during the process of the reproducing and 
recording, the recording operation is discontinued by apparatus B while 
the reproducing operation of apparatus A continues. Thus, the information 
reproduction by the disc reproducing apparatus 2 is made continuously even 
after the recording function of the recording apparatus 4 stops. To remedy 
this problem, another embodiment of the prior art includes a recording 
apparatus 4 with an automatic cassette tape reversing feature wherein upon 
coming to the end of the cassette tape, the running direction of the 
cassette tape and connection of the recording heads are automatically 
reversed. This embodiment continues the recording operation by reversing 
the running direction of the tape when the cassette tape comes to one end. 
However, in the prior art recorder, the recording apparatus 4 requires a 
predetermined time period, for instance, 1 to 2 seconds, to start the 
reverse direction recording during which, no recording can occur. During 
such time period, the information reproduced by the disc reproducing 
apparatus 2 continues even though the recording function is temporarily 
inoperative. Accordingly, the recorded information on the cassette tape 
does not contain the full information reproduced by the information 
reproducing apparatus A. 
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved information 
reproducing and recording apparatus, wherein information reproduced by an 
information reproducing apparatus can be fully recorded without loss of 
information for the time period required to reverse the running direction 
of the recording medium. 
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the information reproducing 
and recording apparatus in accordance with the present invention 
comprises; 
a disc reproducing apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a 
disc, 
a recording apparatus for recording the information reproduced from the 
disc on a recording medium having at least two running directions 
(cassette tape), 
recording start control means for controlling the start of the disc 
reproducing apparatus synchronously with the start of the recording 
apparatus, 
end detection means for detecting the end of the recording medium, 
reversing the running means for reversing direction of the recording medium 
in the recording apparatus, 
pause control means for pausing the reproducing of information from the 
disc reproducing apparatus when the end detection means detects the end of 
the recording medium unitl the reversing means reverses the recording 
direction of the recording medium. 
According to the above-mentioned configuration of the apparatus, when one 
side of the recording medium or one track of the recording medium comes to 
the end during the pendency of the reproducing of the information in the 
information reproducing apparatus, the disc player or the like information 
reproducing apparatus is stopped for a predetermined time to wait for the 
restarting of the recording apparatus on another side or another track of 
the recording medium. This invention eliminates the omission of loss of 
reproduced information inherent in the prior art, thereby enabling 
complete recording of the information from the compact disc to the 
recording medium. 
While the novel features of the invention are set forth particularly in the 
appended claims, the invention, both as to organization and content, will 
be better understood and appreciated, along with other objects and 
features thereof, from the following detailed description taken in 
conjunction with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference 
to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 1, an information 
reproducing apparatus 6 comprises a compact disc reproducing apparatus 22 
having a light pickup 23. The information reproducing apparatus 6 also 
contains edge detection means 5 for detecting edges of an input pulse 
thereto and outputting timing signals to the reproducing start control 
means 21 and pause control means 24. The reproducing start control means 
21 outputs control signals to the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22 
and recording start control means 7 in the information recording apparatus 
13, to synchronize the reproduction and recording functions and to start 
the information recording apparatus 13 prior to the start of the 
information reproducing apparatus 6. The pause control means 24 outputs a 
signal pausing the operation of the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22. 
The information recording apparatus 13 also comprises a recording head 9 
and a tape driving means 8. When a start control signal, from the 
reproducing start control means 21, is input to the recording start 
control means 7, the control means 7 signals the recording head 9 and the 
tape driving means 8 to reverse their driving direction. The information 
recording apparatus 13 further comprises tape end detection means 10 which 
issues a tape end signal at detection of the tape end to driving reversing 
means 11, which reverses the driving direction of the tape driving means 8 
and the recording head 9. The tape end detection means 10 further issues a 
signal to a pulse signal generation means 12, which after a predetermined 
time period, issues a pulse signal to the edge detection means 5 in the 
information reproducing apparatus 6. Tape end detection means 12 is, for 
instance, a reflection type photocoupler or the like sensor means. 
FIG. 2 is a front view showing front panels of the information reproducing 
apparatus 6 which is a CD player and the information recording apparatus 
13 which is an auotmatic reversing cassette tape recorder. The information 
reproducing apparatus 6 has a function key 16 which can serve as a key for 
the reproducing start control means 21 and also as the pause control means 
24. That is, when the information reproducing apparatus 6 is not yet 
started for the information reproducing, the apparatus is started by 
pushing the key 16, by a function of a known relay switch (not shown), 
thus functioning as the reproducing start control means 21. When the 
information reproducing apparatus 6 is in a reproducing state, a push of 
the key 16 enables the functioning of the pause control means 24. Further, 
a key 17 on the information recording apparatus 13 enables the functioning 
of the recording start control means 7. The cable 18 contains connections 
from the reproducing start control means 21 to the recording start control 
means 7, from the light pickup 23 to the recording head 9 and from the 
pulse signal generation means 12 to the edge detection means 5. 
The operation of the above-mentioned embodiment is as follows: First a 
compact disc or an optical disc having suitable information thereon is 
installed in the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22, and a cassette 
tape is installed in the information recording apparatus 13. Then, by 
pushing the key 16, a start control signal is issued from the reproducing 
start control means 21 to the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22. Then, 
the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22 starts reproducing the 
information stored on the compact disc by the light pickup 23, after 
0.4-0.5 sec. from the reception of the start control signal. 
Simultaneously with the reception of the start control signal by the 
compact disc reproducing apparatus 22, the start control signal is given 
to the recording start control means 7. The recording start control means 
7 starts the head 9 and the tape driving means 8. Thus, the starting time 
of the recording on the cassette tape, in the information recording 
apparatus is set 0.4-0.5 sec. prior to the start of information leading by 
the light pickup 23. Accordingly, the information which is picked up by the 
light pickup 23 from the optical disc is recorded to the cassette tape 
without fear of omitting its starting part, as a result of the 
above-mentioned 0.4-0.5 sec. delaying of the start of the compact disc 
reproducing apparatus. 
When the cassette tape comes to one end, the tape end detection means 10 
detects the end of the cassette tape, and issues the end detection signal 
to the driving reversing means 11. At reception of the tape end detection 
signal from the tape end detection means 10, the pulse signal generation 
means 12 issues a falling edge pulse to the edge detection means 5. The 
edge detection means 5 issues a signal to the pause control means 24, 
which makes the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22 pause for a 
predetermined time period. At that time, the light pickup 23 may be 
stopped at that position or may go back by a predetermined number of 
tracks and stopped. The information reproducing apparatus 6 thus pauses 
the information reproducing operation when the cassette tape of the 
information recording apparatus comes to the end. 
On the other hand, the driving reversing means 11 which receives the end 
detection signal from the tape end detection means 10 makes the tape 
driving means 8 and the recording head 9 reverse the driving direction to 
the opposite one, or to another track or another cassette tape. Since the 
time period necessary for reversing the state of head 9 and the direction 
of running of the tape by the tape driving means 8 is several hundred 
milli to one thousand milli seconds, the pulse signal generation means 12 
is designed to issue a rising edge pulse signal to the edge detection 
means 5 after about 1.5 seconds from the reception of the end detection 
signal from the tape end detection means 10. Upon reception of the rising 
pulse signal from the pulse signal generation means 12, the edge detection 
means 5 issues a restart signal which enables the reproducing start control 
means 21, to input a start signal to the compact disc reproducing apparatus 
22 to resume reproducing. Then, the compact disc reproducing apparatus 22 
turns to the reproducing state after 1.5 second from the generation of the 
rising pulse signal. Though the start control signal, which is issued from 
the start control means 21, is also given to the recording start control 
means 7, the information recording apparatus 13, which is already in the 
recording state, neglects the start control signal and continues the 
recording state. 
After reversing (or shifting) the recording state of the information 
recording apparatus 13 by reversing (or shifting) the position (or track) 
of the recording head 9 and the direction of the tape driving means 8 in 
the reversed (or shifted) running state, the recording of the information 
on the compact disc in the information reproducing apparatus 6 to the 
cassette tape in the information recording apparatus 13 is restored and 
carried out. 
As has been described above, since the compact disc reproducing apparatus 
22 reproduces only during the recording operation of the information 
recording apparatus 13, the information recorded on the cassette tape is 
not omitted even at the location where the tape driving of the information 
recording apparatus 13 was reversed. Therefore, a complete recording of the 
information from the compact disc to the cassette tape is accomplished by 
detecting the tape end and subsequently pausing the information 
reproducing apparatus 6 for a predetermined time, which is longer than the 
time period necessary for reversing the driving direction of the cassette 
tape. 
Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a 
certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present 
disclosure of the preferred form has been changed in the details of 
construction and the combination and arrangment of parts may be resorted 
to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as 
hereinafter claimed.