Sony Corporation

Noriyuki Koga

Kenichi Iida

Yoshimichi Minakata

Shinjiro Akiha

Eiichi Yamada

Mitsuru Ida

Mari Sugiura

Shuji Obayashi

Jun Ishikawa

Hisashi Hanzawa

Noboru Nakagawa

Masakatsu Hosoya

Takeyoshi Takashima

A device, including a first storage unit configured to store a first plurality of files and a first management data corresponding to the first files; a connector configured to connect to an external storage device, the external storage being configured to store a second plurality of files and second management data corresponding to the second files; a controller configured to generate new management data by merging the first management data and the second management data, and to store the new management data in a memory; and a display unit configured to display contents of the first and second plurality of files based on the new management data without indicating to the user where the respective files are stored.

Recording/reproducing apparatus

A control method for controlling a recording/reproducing apparatus having plural storage units and an equipment to which the recording/reproducing apparatus is connected. The recording/reproducing apparatus has first and second storage units in which data and management data are stored. The equipment, to which is connected the recording/reproducing apparatus, has a third storage unit in which are stored the data and the management data. It is detected whether the equipment to be connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus has been connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus. If such connection is detected, the management data are read out from the first and second storage units. Based on the read-out management data and the management data stored in the third storage unit of the equipment, connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus, new management data, supervising the first to third storage units as one storage unit, is generated. The writing and readout for the plural storage units are controlled based on the generated new management data.

Recording/reproducing apparatus having plural memories and method for controlling an equipment connected thereto

A control method for controlling a recording/reproducing apparatus having plural storage units and equipment to which the recording/reproducing apparatus. The recording/reproducing apparatus is connected has first and second storage units in which data and management data are stored. The equipment, to which is connected the recording/reproducing apparatus, has a third storage unit in which are stored the data and the management data. It is detected whether the equipment to be connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus has been connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus. If such connection is detected, the management data are read from the first and second storage units. Based on the read management data and the management data stored in the third storage unit of the equipment, connected to the recording/reproducing apparatus, new management data, supervising the first to third storage units as one storage unit, are generated. The writing and reading for the plural storage units are controlled based on the generated new management data.

A memory controller for reading data stored in a nonvolatile memory that includes a number of erasable blocks containing a number of pages. A logical/physical address control table stored in a logical/physical address control table block of the nonvolatile memory is searched, read, and manipulated in the nonvolatile memory.

Memory controller and method for managing a logical/physical address control table

A non-volatile memory including a logical/physical address control table for controlling data recorded discretely in the non-volatile memory composed of a plurality of blocks each serving as a data deletion unit and including adjacent pages which each have a fixed length and serve as a data read/write unit. An operand data block includes operand identification data that indicates data stored in the operand data block is, in fact, operand data. The logical/physical control table block located in the non-volatile memory includes control-table identification data that indicates that data that is stored therein is, in fact, control table data that includes logical addresses and physical addresses.

Non-volatile memory storing address control table data formed of logical addresses and physical addresses

A transmitter for transmitting an audio signal derived from an audio appliance to an FM (frequency modulation) radio includes a transmitter circuit for converting the audio signal derived from an audio appliance into an FM signal within an FM broadcasting band to thereby transmit the FM signal, a receiver circuit having at least a tuner unit; a display for displaying thereon a frequency; and a control circuit for controlling a transmission frequency of the transmitter circuit and a reception frequency of the receiver circuit. The control circuit causes the receiver circuit to detect an unused frequency within the FM broadcasting band and to set a frequency corresponding to the detected unused frequency to the transmission frequency, and also causes the display to display thereon the set transmission frequency.

Transmitter and automobile audio apparatus using the same

A cassette accommodating type electronic equipment having an electronic equipment housing which comprises a cassette accommodating portion for accommodating therein a tape cassette in which a recording medium is accommodated, an opening portion through which the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette accommodating portion, a driving device for driving the recording medium accommodated within the cassette accommodated in the cassette accommodating portion, and a lid for opening and closing the opening portion, wherein the housing includes transparent windows formed through surfaces of at least two different portions so that two different portions of the tape cassette accommodated in the cassette accommodating portion can be visually confirmed.

Cassette accommodating type electronic device having a plurality of

A mode changing over mechanism for a tape player which can change over the mode of operation of the tape recorder with a simple structure and can be constructed in a small size and thickness at a low cost. The mechanism comprises a direction slider movable among normal and reverse mode positions and a stopping position, a trigger member having an engaging portion movable between arresting and non-arresting positions, and a rotatable cam gear having a cam section having normal and reverse mode pressing faces for pressing a control portion of the direction slider in the opposite directions. When the engaging portion is at the arresting position, the cam gear is inhibited from rotating at a position when a play mode or a stop mode is established. When the engaging portion is moved once to the non-arresting position in a stop mode, the normal mode pressing face presses the control portion to move the direction slider to the normal mode position, but when movement of the engaging portion to the nonarresting position is performed twice at a predetermined interval of time, the reverse mode pressing face presses the control portion to move the direction slider to the reverse mode position.

Mode changing over mechanism for tape player

A cam gear controlling mechanism is simple in structure, small in overall size and high in reliability of operation. The controlling mechanism comprises a cam gear having toothed and non-toothed portions and a cam groove, a trigger lever having a projection fitted in the cam groove and movable between arresting and non-arresting positions, a spring biasing the trigger lever to the non-arresting position, and electromagnetic means for releasably holding the trigger lever at the arresting position. When the cam gear is engaged with a driving gear, it is rotated in one direction by the latter, but when the driving gear is opposed to the non-toothed portion, a stopper projection on the cam gear is abutted with the engaging projection to lock the cam gear there. When the trigger lever is released from the electromagnetic means, it is moved to the non-arresting position to release the cam gear while the projection operates the cam groove to rotate the cam gear into engagement with the driving gear, and then, the cam groove operates the projection to return the trigger lever to the arresting position.

Cam gear controlling mechanism

The present invention resides in a rotation detecting mechanism for a tape recorder including a movable shut-off lever for setting at least a reproducing lever or a head base at a stop state position, with the reproducing lever or the head base being previously set to the reproducing state position, a movable changeover lever for interchangeably setting the normal reproducing direction or the reverse reproducing direction of a magnetic tape, a switching device for selectively shifting and setting the shut-off lever or the changeover lever, a movable trigger lever for selectively triggering the switching device a detecting lever rotationally biased in a direction which is in accordance with the rotation and the rotational direction of a reel block, and a cam gear rotated perpetually in one direction including in turn a first cam surface guiding one end of the detecting lever when the detecting lever is rotationally biased in one direction, a second cam surface guiding one end of the detecting lever when the detecting lever is rotationally biased in the other direction, a detecting pawl protuberantly formed between and independently of the first cam surface and the second cam surface, and a center ring section responsive to the cessation of rotation of the reel block to guide one end of the detecting lever released from rotational biasing towards a rotational trajectory of the detecting pawl. The detecting pawl thrust the one end of the detecting lever so that the other end of the detecting lever actuates the trigger lever.

Rotation detecting device for a tape recorder

A cassette type recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a chassis in which a cassette is mounted on an upper surface thereof. An upper surface of the chassis is formed with a recess in whcih a pair of reels and a gear machanism including a plurality of gears to actuate the pair of reels to rotate are mounted from an above direction, thus reducing a height dimension of the entire apparatus and achieving an easy assembly operation with fewer parts and less labor time for the assembly of the apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Noriyuki Koga