Cincinnati Electronics Corporation

Clement W Munninghoff

Robert P Bosche

Clock and binary NRZ signals are derived from a data track of a magnetic tape. The data track includes a pattern having a substantially constant wave length of magnetic flux variations along its length. The variations are in the form of a carrier wave having only three predetermined envelope levels. One of the levels is provided for clock pulses and the other two levels are provided for the magnitudes of the binary NRZ signals. A replica of the variations is transduced by a head into an electrical signal. First and second signals are derived in response to the electric signal to respectively indicate the carrier wave having amplitudes above first and second values of the levels. The first level is greater than the level of one of the binary signals, while the second level is greater than the first level and the level of the clock pulses. In response to the first and second signals, flip-flop circuitry derives an NRZ signal, and the clock signal is derived in response to a predetermined common level for the first and second signals. The medium is susceptible to being driven at different speed ranges, and to this end, a signal indicative of a tape speed range is derived. Retriggerable one shots are selectively enabled, depending upon the speed range. The one shots which are enabled have time periods such that they are retriggered by the first and second signals while the medium is moving in a speed range associated with enablement of the particular retriggerable one shots.

Programmed presentation system

A system for automatically supplying information to an operator, such as a student being taught to repair a piece of equipment, includes a magnetic tape storage medium having audio and video information storage tracks. A coded data signal track having indicia for locations of the information on the video and audio tracks is provided. An operator station includes keys for entering answer and command signals that control movement of the tape, so that the tape is advanced at a normal speed whereby the audio and video information is presented to the operator at a normal rate, the medium is advanced at a high speed to minimize the time that no meaningful information is presented to the operator, the medium is reversed at high speed, or stopped. Indexing of the tape can be performed by the operator selecting predetermined location indicia or in response to the operator selecting certain commands or answers in response to the audio and video information presented to the operator. For example, the operator can request certain portions of the audio and video information to be repeated or skipped, in which cases the tape is rewound or advanced at high speed to portions of the tape indicated on the tape itself. In response to questions presented to the operator by the audio information and answers given by the operator, branching to different portions of the tape is performed by advancing or rewinding the tape at high speed to areas of the tape designated by the signal track indicia. Supervisory control of the actions taken by the operator is provided to selectively prevent or allow the skipping, repeating, fast forward, rewind, play or indexing operations. Pauses in the presentation of the audio visual information can be selectively inserted by the operator independent from signals from the data track.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Clement W Munninghoff