Information retrieval system with serial access data storage and random access data retrieval
US5699547A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 30, 1995 |
| Grant date | Dec 16, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 30, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2220/90
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An information retrieval system in which information is stored in digital form in a serial access device such as a digital VCR, the information being organized as a library of successive albums, each album having successive tracks of individually identifiable items of information, such as audio performances, subjects or events. A random access device, such as a compact disc player or magnetic hard disc drive, has stored therein a portion of a preselected track of each album and a brief introductory portion of each of the remaining tracks in each album. Both devices are coupled to a common data bus and are controlled by a programmable processor so that during search intervals of the serial access device to access a selected album or track read-out thereof is initiated by the random access device. When the serial access device is ready to access selected track or album, read-out is switched over thereto. In this way the required storage capacity of the random access device is minimized while still providing random access to any album and to any track in an already designated album.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.