Sony Corporation

Kazuyuki Ogawa

Hisato Shima

Harumi Kawamura

Teruhiko Kori

Makoto Sato

Hiroshi Yamazaki

Kayo Sugimoto

Yuji Takimoto

Kenji Nakano

Hajime Inoue

Takashi Kojima

Masaki Oguro

Ichiro Okamoto

Hiroyuki Ishimaru

Hirotsugu Ohkubo

A communications system and method, an information processing apparatus and method, an information management apparatus and method, a recording medium and a program make it possible to efficiently and comfortably make use of contents, which are stored in one server, from a plurality of devices connected via a network. In a case in which the playing of content is stopped, bookmark information including a time stamp representing the stopped position of the content is stored in association with predetermined identification information. The bookmark information is available for various apparatuses transmitting the identification information. When playing the content from a position designated by the information from a predetermined apparatus, the time stamp included in the bookmark information is referred to and the playing of the content from the stopped position is started. The present invention can be applied to various apparatuses such as a personal computer, audio equipment, a PDA, a mobile phone and the like.

Communications system and method, information processing apparatus and method, information management apparatus and method, recording medium and program

A communications system and method, an information processing apparatus and method, an information management apparatus and method, a recording medium and a program make it possible to efficiently and comfortably make use of contents, which are stored in one server, from a plurality of devices connected via a network. In a case in which the playing of content is stopped, bookmark information including a time stamp representing the stopped position of the content is stored in association with predetermined identification information. The bookmark information is available for various apparatuses transmitting the identification information. When playing the content from a position designated by the information from a predetermined apparatus, the time stamp included in the bookmark information is referred to and the playing of the content from the stopped position is started. The present disclosure is applicable to a personal computer, audio equipment, a PDA, a mobile phone and the like.

A recording medium cartridge includes a memory circuit for storing information concerning signals recorded on the recording medium within the cartridge. The information is stored in the memory circuit in the form of a hierarchic data structure which includes a plurality of data packets having a predetermined form and length. Each data packet includes a code indicative of a level in the data structure to which the data packet belongs. At least some of the data packets include data indicative of starting and ending positions on the recording medium of recorded signals which the data packet represents. The hierarchic (or 'tree') data structure facilitates rapid retrieval and reproduction of the signals recorded on the recording medium, particularly when the recording medium is a magnetic tape. The tree structure also facilitates storage of information in connection with recording of additional signals on the recording medium.

Recording medium cartridge with memory circuit employing a hierarchical data structure

A recording medium cartridge includes a memory circuit for storing information concerning signals recorded on the recording medium within the cartridge. The information is stored in the memory circuit in the form of a hierarchic data structure which includes a plurality of data packets having a predetermined form and length. Each data packet includes a code indicative of a level in the data structure to which the data packet belongs. At least some of the data packets include data indicative of starting and ending positions on the recording medium of recorded signals which the data packet represents. The hierarchic (or &ldquo;tree&rdquo;) data structure facilitates rapid retrieval and reproduction of the signals recorded on the recording medium, particularly when the recording medium is a magnetic tape. The tree structure also facilitates storage of information in connection with recording of additional signals on the recording medium.

Method for reproducing information from media which incorporate separate memory circuits

Recording medium cartridge with memory circuit for storing directory

A recorded data securing mechanism secures data recorded on a recording medium cassette provided with a memory and a data recording enable/disable tab at a predetermined position on the cassette. Breaking the recording enable/disable tab provided on the memory-based recording medium cassette prevents data recorded on the cassette from being written over and ensures that there will be no mismatch between the recording information stored in the memory of the cassette and the data recorded on the recording medium of the cassette. In one embodiment, rewriting is enabled but a memory mismatch flag is set if rewriting results in a mismatch.

Mechanism for securing recorded contents of recording medium cassette

A network system wherein any device in all networks can be represented using addresses set in the individual networks without relying upon the concept of a network number is disclosed. A first network (1) includes first to third devices (A, B, C) to which the addresses of '1', '2' and '3' are allocated, respectively. A second network (2) includes first to third devices (D, E, F) to which the addresses of '1', '2' and '3' are allocated, respectively. A third network (3) includes first and second devices (G and H) to which the addresses '1' and '2' are allocated, respectively. The first and second networks (1, 2) are connected to each other by way of a gateway (GW1) for which the address 4 in the first network (1) and the address 5 in the second network (2) are allocated. The second and third networks (2 and 3) are connected to each other by way of another gateway (GW2) for which the address 4 in the second network (2) and the address 3 in the third network (3) are allocated to build up a network system. A pass from within a network to another device in another network is represented in a compound representation using the addresses set in the individual networks. For example, the pass from the first device (A) in the first network 1 to the second device (H) in the third network (3) is represented as '4.4.2'.

Audio-visual network connection system and method using gateways

In order to achieve check and adjustment of electronic apparatus such as a VTR from a remote location, a tone dialer in a service company converts commands and data into tone signals for checking and adjusting a VTR in a user's house, which tone signals are transmitted by a telephone over a telephone line and input to a telephone in the user's house. The tone signals received by the user's telephone are converted into the commands and data by a gateway and input to the VTR.

System for performing at least one of a checking and adjusting

A method of dubbing compressed digital video signals adopted for an apparatus for efficient coding and subsequent recording/playback of video signals. In the method of dubbing compressed digital video signals, on a playback unit side, after padding error data by an error processing circuit with respect to an error uncorrectable in error correction by an ECC circuit of playback, the digital video signal is provided with a parity for transmission by a parity generating circuit and is then transmitted to a recording unit side. On the other hand, on the recording unit side, after padding error data by an error processing circuit with respect to an error uncorrectable in error correction by an ECC circuit of transmission, the digital video signal is provided with a parity for recording by a parity generator and is then recorded in a recording medium.

Method of dubbing digital video signals

A signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder or the like, records and/or reproduces an information signal indicating a date of recording, a video signal and a PCM signal from a helical track on a record medium, such as a magnetic tape. The track has first and second portions which respectively record the PCM signal and the video signal. In certain advantageous embodiments, the information signal is recorded in a guard band area between the first and second portions of the track. The apparatus has the capability of selectively superimposing the date information on the video signal for display. A record medium in which a plurality of such helical tracks are formed may be searched to locate signals recorded on a selected date, thus providing a convenient search capability which is implemented in a simple and straightforward manner.

Apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an information signal, a PCM

A monitor apparatus for an audio-visual system enables a user to select a program to be displayed without being aware of audio-visual units constituting the audio-visual system. A first control window for selecting one of audio-visual units of the audio-visual system and a second control window for designating an operation mode of the selected audio-visual unit are displayed on a screen of a monitor unit. Designations of the audio-visual units are displayed in the first window, and when one of the designations is pointed by a selected device to select a corresponding audio-visual unit, available operation modes of the selected audio-visual unit are displayed in the second window. Then, when one of the operation modes is selected by the pointing device the selected audio-visual unit is put into the selected operation mode. Also an improved control menu displaying apparatus is provided.

Monitor apparatus for selecting audio-visual units and operating modes

A VTR incorporating a video printing controller comprising at least one rotary magnetic head for scanning recording tracks formed on a magnetic tape to reproduce a video signal recorded on a recording track specified by a marker signal, a marker signal detector for detecting the marker signal specifying the recording track carrying the video signal to be printed, and a system controller connected to the marker signal detector and to a video printer connected to the VTR. The system controller gives a video printer control signal to the video printer upon receipt of a marker signal detection signal from the marker signal detector to control the video printer for printing out in a hard copy the video image reproduced from the recording track specified by the marker signal. Thus, the recording track storing the video image desired to be printed is located automatically by searching the recording tracks for the marker signal, and then the desired video signal is printed out automatically.

Video tape recorder with a video printing controller

In an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an information signal in successive slant tracks on a record tape; an information signal is recorded by a rotary head in only a part of a respective slant track scanned by the head on the tape, coded index data formed of a plurality of blocks is generated to identify a respective recorded information signal, such as, by an absolute tape-position address counted from an end or other reference position on the record tape, a '0' index signal is provided with a predetermined number of bits representing consecutive '0' values which can be detected for identifying the beginning of an event or program defined by the information signals recorded in a number of the slant tracks, and the '0' index signal and at least one block of the coded index data are supplied to the rotary head for recording by the latter in an index area of a slant track where no information signal is recorded.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kazuyuki Ogawa