MUSIC MAKING MACHINE FOR PLAYING SELECTED PRE-RECORDED RECORD DISCS

Abstract: A music making machine comprises a disc store (21) from which discs may be selected to be played by playing means (22). Playing means supplies data from the disc at a rate greater than the rate needed to hear the music. The information extracted from a disc during playing is written into memory (23). By means of the memory, it is possible to ensure that music is played continuously without a break occurring between the end of one piece of music and the start of the next.

Description: MUSIC MAKING MACHINE FOR PLAYING SELECTED PRE-RECORDED RECORD DISCS This invention relates to a machine for playing selected pre-recorded record discs chosen from a store of record discs. The particular disc played is selected by a user. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively to coin or token operated machines known generally as juke boxes. As is very well known, a juke box is often located in a public area such as a public house, and a disc or a track from a disc may be played by paying the fee in coins or tokens, and selecting a piece of music by, for example, pressing an appropriate button. A known juke box comprises a store of pre recorded record discs, means for playing a selected disc, and means for selecting a selected disc from the store and transferring the disc to the playing means where it is played. Typically, a juke box has a store of discs, one or more of which are selected by the user in exchange for cash or tokens. Selections are played successively either in order of selection, or in numerical serial number sequence. Selections could be the whole of the disc, or one or more tracks from a disc. In addition to the selected music, juke boxes can sometimes be programmed to play random or background music to either promote the use of the juke box or to give atmosphere. A problem with known juke boxes is that typically discs have to be selected and transferred to the play means and transferred back again mechanically, and there is therefore a delay between the end of one music selection. According to the invention there is provided a music making machine for playing selected pre-recorded record discs comprising a store of discs; a playing device for playing a selected disc from the store; selection means for selecting a disc from the store and transferring it to the playing device, characterised in that the playing device comprises: a memory for storing data from the disc; playing means for writing data from the disc into the memory; and reading means for reading the data from the memory. The data from a selected disc may thus be played after it has been played by the playing means. The tiny lapse between the disc being played by the playing means, and the data of it being read from the memory depends on the size of the memory, and on the rate at which data is written into the memory. Once the data from the selected disc has been written into the memory, the disc may be replaced in the disc store leaving the playing means available to play a second selected disc. Data from the second disc may similarly be written- into the memory, while the data from the first disc is being read from the memory. It is thus possible to ensure that music is played continuously without a break occuring between the end of one piece of music and the start of the next. Advantageously, the machine further comprises control means for controlling the rate at which data from the selected disc is written into the memory. The data from the selected disc may be written into the memory at any suitable rate, and may be a fixed rate or a variable rate. Preferably, the rate at which data is written into the memory is faster than the rate at which data is read from the memory, until a first pre-determined level of memory space has been used. At this point, the rate of writing may be slowed down or even stopped ^ while data may continue to be read. When the memory space available reaches a second pre-determined level, the original rate of writing may be resumed. This ensures that the memory does not become ful1. Preferably, the memory comprises a plurality of separate memories, for ease of control. Conveniently, the machine further comprises a digital to analogue convertor for converting the digital data read from the memory into analogue from such that the data may then be passed to an audio system connected with the juke box to be played to the customer. The machine according to the invention is particularly suitable for use with compact discs, in which data is stored in digitial form. However, the machine may also be used to play records, in which the data is stored in analogue form. If the machine is to be used with records, the machine will further comprise an analogue to digital convertor for converting the analogue signal from the record into digital form before the data is stored in the memory. The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures in which Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a known music making machine. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a machine according to the present invention. Referring to Figure 1 a known juke box is shown comprises a disc store 5 which can be rotated to bring any disc in the store into line with a disc moving device 3. The disc moving device 3 can then move the disc onto the playing device 1. The playing device can then play the selected disc or track from that disc. Referring to Figure 2, a music making machine according to the invention is shown. The described machine relates to a machine used to play music from a compact disc containing data in digital form, but discs containing analogue information can also be played using a machine according to the invention, by the addition of an analogue to digital convertor which converts the analogue signal from the analogue disc into digital form. In the machine of Figure 2, a disc can be moved from a disc store 21 and played by playing means 22. The playing means has been adapted or adjusted to supply data from the disc at a rate greater than the rate needed to hear the resultant music. The digital information extracted from the disc during playing by the playing means 22 is written into memory 23. The memory is shown as a single unit, although it may comprise a number of separate memories for ease of control. The rate at which the information is written into the memory 23 is controlled by control computer 4 and can be faster than the speed necessary to hear the resultant music. This speed can be fixed or variable under the control of the computer 4. The memory 23 is read, and data is removed, mainly at a speed necessary to hear music at the correct speed and the data is passed via a read control 27 to a digital to analogue convertor 25. The resulting signals are passed into the normal audio system 26. If the speed of the writing of the data into the memory 23 was always faster than the speed of reading out of the memory 23, then the memory 23 would become full. This is avoided by the slowing of the rate of, or the stopping of the rate of writing into the memory 23 once a preset level of memory space is used. Data continues to be read and removed from the memory when this preset level of memory space has been used, and eventually, when a second preset level of memory space is available, the writing can be recommenced, or recontinued at the original rate. In use, a selected disc is taken from the disc store 21 and placed on the disc playing means 22. The selected track is played at twice the speed normally required to convert the data extracted into music. The data extracted is written into the memory 23 which can hold the data necessary to play 2 minutes of music. This transfer of data will therefore take 1 minute in total. The speed could be any speed greater than the rate required to convert the data into music. During this process, the data first written into the memory 23 is extracted and converted into an analogue signal to be passed to the audio system and be played to the customer. The rate of writing in of the data into the memory 23 is now slowed to the same rate of the extraction of data. This rate is variable under control of control computer 24 to keep the memory space at the desired level. When all the data has been extracted from the selected track on the disc, the disc is changed in the normal way and replaced with a second selected disc. During this time, music is still being heard which originated from the original selected disc. Data is now extracted from the second selected disc and placed in the memory 23 in locations following on from those used from the first selected disc. As the reading of the stored data from the first selected disc nears its end, the speed of reading is increased. However the data being fed to the convertor 25 is maintained at a constant speed. This gives enough data held in the read control to supply a pre-determined amount of music. Typically, this would be 1 second of music. At the end of the data being read originating from the first selected disc, the reading continues without break onto the data from the second selected disc. The last moments, typically a half second of data from the first disc and the first moments, typically a half second of data from the second disc, are now respectively progressi ely reduced in value for the first selected disc and progressively less reducing value for the second selected disc to give the effect when played as music of a fade down to zero and a fade up from zero respectively and the data mixed to give a resulting signal which when converted to an analogue signal and passed through the audio system gives a fade up/down and mixed found previously described. An alternative method of fade and mix can be achieved by changing the value of the data from the later part of the first selected disc by a controlled processing and mixing with process data from the first part of the second selected disc. Alternatively, it is possible to process both digital signals separately and then cross fade and mix resulting analogue signal. At the end of the selection from the second selected disc the above process is repeated until all selections are played.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A music making machine for playing selected pre¬ recorded record discs comprising: a store of discs; a playing device for playing a selected disc from the store; selection means for selecting a disc from the store and transferring it to the playing device, characterised in that the playing device comprises a memory for storing data from a disc; playing means for writing data from the disc into the memory; and reading means for reading the data from the memory. 2. A machine according to claim 1 further comprising control means for controlling the rate at which data from the selected disc is written into the memory. 3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the control means controls the rate at which data is written, such that the rate at which data is written into the memory is faster than the rate at which data is read from the memory, until the first predetermined level of memory space has been used. 4. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the memory comprises a plurality of separate memories. 5. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a digital analogue convertor. 6. A machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: BLAKEWAY IAN, HOLMES FRANK, BLAKEWAY, IAN, HOLMES, FRANK
Applicants: BLAKEWAY IAN, HOLMES FRANK, BLAKEWAY, IAN, HOLMES, FRANK
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G11B17
IPC codes: G07F17, G11B17, G11B27