Record information reproducing method with content identifiers

Abstract: A method of playing back the information recorded on an optical disk whereby the read-in area of the disk is read for a predetermined period of time, or until completion, and then a plurality of program informations from the disk are reproduced in sequence.

Description: The present invention relates to a reproducing method for recorded information and, more particularly to a reproducing method for recorded information by which each of a plurality of pieces of program information recorded in a recording medium is allocated in advance to have its address information stored in a memory so that the pieces of program information may be reproduced in the order of storage in response to the operation of a memory play key. There is known a method for reproducing a recording medium, which is recorded with a plurality of pieces of program information, such as a digital audio disk. According to the known method, arbitrary program information is allocated in advance to have its address information stored in a memory so that the pieces of program information are reproduced in the order of storage. In this reproducing method, according to the prior art, the reproduction is not started from other than the program information corresponding to the address information stored first in the memory, when that memory play mode is selected. As a result, the same program information is started every time the memory play mode is selected so that reproduction of the same program information is always repeated. The present invention has been conceived in view of the point described above and has an object to provide recorded information reproducing method in which program information to be first reproduced can be changed sequentially each time a memory play mode is selected. In the recorded image reproducing method according to the present invention, the order of address information to be called from a memory is stored in a memory play mode so that, in case the memory play mode is released and selected again, a reproduction is started from the program information which corresponds to the address information next to the last called address information in the preceding memory play mode. GB-A-2107106 which is considered to represent the closest prior art discloses a recording medium reproduction method with track scanning. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method of reproducing information recorded on a recording disk or tape, the method comprising the steps of: previously specifying each of plural pieces of program information stored in said recording disk or tape; storing address information thereof in a memory; and reproducing said program information according to the order stored in said memory, wherein a portion of each piece of program information, the portion being the head or beginning part of the program information, is successively reproduced for a given period of time; characterised by the steps of: judging whether a reproduced program information has been selected on the basis of a user key operation during said reproduction; and storing in said memory the address information of said specified program information selected by the key operation during said period of reproduction the newly stored information being stored for use in a subsequent reproduction method. In the drawings:- Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system employing the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the control system shown in Fig. 1. The present invention will now be described in connection with an auto-loading disk player with reference to the accompanying drawings. Upon commencement of playing a disk, it is firstly judged on the basis of the output of the detecting switch 110 whether or not the pickup 117 (as shown in Fig. 1) is in its home position. If YES, the pickup 117 is focused to start its reading operation. Then, an information recording start position or the read-in area of the disk 5, i.e., the TOC (which is the abbreviation of "Table of Contents") position is calculated on the basis of address information obtained by the pickup 117. The TOC is recorded with pieces of formatting information such as the number or total absolute time of pieces of music stored in the disk or the play time of each piece of music. It is preferable to read out the recorded information of the TOC at the start of the play. For the method for calculating the TOC position (or a target address) from the present address, an exemplary method has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58 - 202994 by one of the present applicants. This method repeatedly calculates the distance to a target address to move the pickup 117 until the distance to the target address comes to a constant value, by making use of the fact that the distance to the target address can be more accurately obtained as the target address is more closely approached. In case it is judged that the pickup 117 is not in its home position, the pickup 117 is brought to the home position by the carriage mechanism 13. The digital audio disk is recorded with plurality of separate pieces of program information (such as music passages) so that the player is given a memory play function to store the addresses of arbitrary pieces of music in the memory while allocating it in advance to thereby play the addressed pieces of music sequentially in the order their addresses are stored in that memory. The procedure for storing those allocated pieces of music in the memory will be described in accordance with the flow chart of Fig. 2. A scan mode is initiated by momentarily depressing (or turning on) a scan key (which is one of the grouped control buttons 6 of Fig. 1, although not shown by itself). In this scan mode, the head or beginning of each piece of music is played for a constant time (e.g., 10 seconds). If the lapse of 10 seconds is determined at step 11, a next piece of music is searched (at step 12). These operations are conducted for all the pieces of music recorded. In case, in this scan mode, it is judged at step 11 that the time of 10 seconds has not yet elapsed and at step 13 that the scan key has once again been depressed (or turned on), the operation is advanced to step 14 so as to store the address of that piece of music in the memory. Otherwise, the operation is returned again to step 11. If the number of pieces of music that can be stored in the memory is denoted as N, it is judged at step 14 whether or not the memory has stored a number (N - 1) of addresses for pieces of music. If NO, it is subsequently judged at step 15 whether or not the memory has stored a number N (i.e., the storable number) of pieces of music. If NO at step 15, the address information (e.g., a track number) of that music is stored (at step 16) in the memory, and a next piece of music is then searched (at step 17), until the operation is returned to step 11. In case it is judged at step 14 that the number of addresses of the pieces of music stored in the memory has reached the value (N - 1), it is displayed (at step 18) on the display 116 that the number of pieces of music to be stored in the memory is going to reach its limit value, and the operation is then returned to step is so that the address information of that musical piece is stored in the memory. In case it is judged at step 15 that the number of addresses for musical pieces stored in the memory has reached the value N, on the other hand, the address information of the oldest piece of music is erased (at step 19), and the operation is then returned to step 16 so that the address information of the latest piece of music is stored in the memory. In these ways, the allocated information on the music is stored in the memory. According to this method, the contents of the pieces of music to be stored in the memory can be confirmed, and the scan key can also be used for storing an address for a piece of music in the memory. Incidentally, this method should not be limited to the application to the digital audio disk but can be applied to a digital audio tape or further to a conventional audio tape if the count value between two pieces of music is used as the address information or if that tape has stored thereon the address information. As has been described hereinbefore, according to the recorded information reproducing method of the present invention, the order of the address information to be called from the memory is stored in the memory play mode so that, in case the memory play mode is released and selected again, reproduction is started from the program information which corresponds to the address information next to that last called in the preceding memory play mode. As a result, the program information to be reproduced at first is sequentially changed even if the selection and release of the memory play mode are repeated, so that no identical information is called each time the memory play mode is selected.

Claims: A method of reproducing information recorded on a recording disk or tape (5), the method comprising the steps of: previously specifying each of plural pieces of program information stored in said recording disk or tape; storing address information thereof in a memory (111); and reproducing said program information according to the order stored in said memory, wherein a portion of each piece of program information, the portion being the head or beginning part of the program information, is successively reproduced for a given period of time; characterised by the steps of: judging whether a reproduced program information has been selected on the basis of a user key operation during said reproduction; and storing in said memory the address information of said specified program information selected by the key operation during said period of reproduction the newly stored information being stored for use in a subsequent reproduction method. A method according to claim 1, wherein each head of said program information is successively reproduced for 10 seconds. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each head of said program information is successively reproduced for a given period of time on operation of a scan key (6). A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the specified program information is selected by operating said scan key (6) again.

Inventors: ABE HIROYUKI, AOYAGI YOSHIO, HAENO AKIRA, IIJIMA TAKAYUKI, KIMURA TOSHIYUKI, KOBAYASHI KIMITO, MATSUMOTO ISAO, NAGASHITA TSUNEYOSHI, NAMIKI AKIO, NOMURA ISAMU, SHIMOKAWA KAZUTO, WATANABE YOSHIHIKO, ABE, HIROYUKI, AOYAGI,YOSHIO, HAENO,AKIRA, IIJIMA, TAKAYUKI, KIMURA,TOSHIYUKI, KOBAYASHI, KIMITO, MATSUMOTO,ISAO, NAGASHITA, TSUNEYOSHI, NAMIKI,AKIO, NOMURA, ISAMU, SHIMOKAWA,KAZUTO, WATANABE, YOSHIHIKO, Abe, Hiroyuki, c/o Pioneer Electronic Corp., AOYAGI,YOSHIO,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONICS CORP., HAENO,AKIRA,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP., IIJIMA, TAKAYUKI, C/O PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP., KIMURA,TOSHIYUKI,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONICS CORP., Kobayashi, Kimito, c/o Pioneer Electronic Corp., MATSUMOTO,ISAO,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONICS CORP., Nagashita, Tsuneyoshi, c/o Pioneer Electronic Corp, NAMIKI,AKIO,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONICS CORP., Nomura, Isamu, c/o Pioneer Electronic Corp., SHIMOKAWA,KAZUTO,C/O PIONEER ELECTRONICS CORP., Watanabe, Yoshihiko, c/o Pioneer Electronic Corp.
Applicants: PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP, PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G11B21
IPC codes: G11B27, G11B19, G11B17, G11B7, G11B21