Digital display for dictation transcriber for indicating remaining tape

Abstract

A display for a record playback apparatus where the record medium includes end and instruction indicia signals recorded thereon, of which the end signals delimit segments of dictation on the medium, including displays for the time remaining in the present segment (15), the number of segments yet to be reached going in the forward direction (11), the number of instruction indicia signals within the present segment (12) and the playback time remaining until the next instruction signal is reached (16). A counter (31) counts the end signals and also provides an address to an addressable memory (30) in which the number of instruction signals counted by a second counter (29) is stored. During movement of the record medium in a forward direction, the number stored in the addressable memory (30) are loaded back into the counter (29). The time remaining until next indicia signal segments are controlled by up/down counters (66, 67) which count pulses (60) corresponding to movement of increments of the record medium past a transducer. The contents of the counters (66, 67) are written into and read out of addressable memories (68, 69) during movement of the record medium. Also shown is apparatus which latches (166) an advance signal (170) which will fast wind the record medium in a particular direction until it is within a predetermined distance of the next indicia signal as detected by a comparator (160). Also shown is a counter (172) which may be preset (23) to skip a particular number of the indicia signals until the advance signal (170) is removed.