US 4,766,581 AGranted

Information retrieval system and method using independent user stations

AssigneeJustin Korn

InventorsJustin Korn, Stephen F. Schmelzer

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Abstract

An information retrieval system is disclosed which provides for user stations and disk readers or tape players. The storage units, such as video disks or cassettes, may be stored oriented vertically in a storage rack. One or more servo-arms on a carriage move along a track to retrieve disks from the storage rack. One of the servo-arms removes a disk from the storage rack and rotates it before inserting it into one of the disk players. The track may extend vertically, so that the players can all be loaded by any of the servo-arms. The storage rack may move past the track to select the disk to be loaded. A control device controls the operation of the servo-arms, the movement of the storage rack, the operation of the readers and the user stations. In addition, the control device selectively connects the readers to the user stations to display selections requested by users. The control device includes an interface for connecting a service console which can change operating parameters stored in the control device or which candown load accounting information gathered by the control means. Each disk may include menu information which the control device processes and displays on a menu display station. The control device may keep a count of the number of times each selection is requested or paid for, so that the menu may include only the most popular selections. The user may choose a category, artist or subject whose selections will then be included in the menu display. In another embodiment, the user may respond to each selection with a response selecting another selection, and the responses may be stored and evaluated.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An information system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of storage units;
a plurality of operating means, each operable for retrieving information stored in a respective storage unit, the information in each of such storage units including at least one selection, at least one of the user units comprising selection input means for receiving inputs from a user requesting one of the selections and for providing a selection input signal to the control means indicating the selection requested;
a plurality of user units for presenting information to users, at least one of the user units being a menu display unit for displaying menu information to a user, the control means being further operable for providing menu information for display on the menu display unit;
the information in each of such storage units including stored menu information;
control means for selectively connecting at least one of the operating means to at least one of the user units for presenting information, retrieved from such respective storage unit by each selectively connected operating means, to a user;
the control means further operable for controlling the respective operating means to provide the selection requested to the user unit in response to the selection input signal;
the control means comprising accounting memory means for storing accounting data, the accounting data including a count of the selection input signals for each selection, the control means being further operable for incrementing the count for each selection whenever a selection input signal for that selection is received;
the control means being further operable for controlling each operating means to retrieve the stored menu information from all storage units of such plurality of storage units for integrating and updating the menu information provided to the menu display unit, prior to display of menu information by the menu display unit of stored menu information from such plurality of storage units;
the control means being further operable for controlling the respective operating means to provide the selection requested to the user unit in response to the selection input signal.

6 more elements

An information system, comprising:

a plurality of operating means, each operable for interacting with information stored on a respective storage unit, each operating means comprising loading means for loading the respective storage unit into, and unloading the respective storage unit from, that operating means, and each operating means being operable for retrieving information stored on a respective storage unit;
a storage rack near the operating means for storing a plurality of such storage units;
a plurality of user units for presenting the retrieved information and control means for selectively connecting the operating means to the user units for presenting the information retrieved by each operating means from such respective storage unit on at least one of the user units;
carrying means for carrying such respective storage unit between the storage rack and the respective operating means and for inserting such storage unit into, and removing such storage unit from, the storage rack and the loading means of the operating means, the carrying means comprising support means movable relative to the storage rack for moving such storage unit between the storage rack and the respective operating means, and holding means on the support means for holding such storage unit while such storage unit is being carried;
the information in each of such storage units including stored menu information,
the control means being further operable for controlling each operating means to retrieve the stored menu information from each respective storage unit,
at least one of the user units being a menu display unit for displaying menu information to a user, and
the control means further comprising selection memory means for storing selection data relative to the selections in such storage units, the stored menu information from all storage units of such plurality of storage units being retrieved, for integrating and updating the menu information provided to the menu display unit from the selection memory means, prior to display by the menu display unit of stored menu information from such plurality of storage units.

5 more elements

A method of displaying stored information to at least one user, comprising:

selecting an operating unit from a plurality of operating units for retrieving stored information from a storage unit;
selecting at least one user unit from a plurality of user units to display information to at least one user;
connecting the selected operating unit to each selected user unit to provide the stored information from such storage unit to each selected user unit;
displaying the stored information on each selected user unit;
receiving an input from a user to one of the user units indicating a selection from the stored information to be displayed to the user from one of a plurality of storage units including such first-mentioned storage unit;
retrieving menu information from each of the plurality of storage units, the menu information from each storage unit indicating the selections in that storage unit;
processing the menu information to provide a formatted menu;
and
displaying the formatted menu on a menu display unit to provide the menu information to a user.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/638,401Filed 7 Aug 1984
Granted: 23 Aug 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

G11B 27/329
Table of contents: on a disc [VTOC]
G07F 17/16
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the…
G11B 17/225
From random access magazine of disc records: wherein the disks are transferred from a fixed magazine to a fixed playing unit using a moving carriage
G11B 27/002
Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel: programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record…