Data storage and generation device having improved storage efficiency

A data generation device comprising:

• memory means for storing plural items of data each representing a single data value and having a desired variable number of bits, each item of data being stored in a memory location corresponding to at least one memory address, with each memory address corresponding to a predetermined plurality of bits;
• data length designation means for designating the number of bits corresponding to each item of data to be retrieved in sequence from the memory means, wherein the designated number of bits may include a number other than a multiple of the number of said predetermined plurality of bits;
• reading means for reading a predetermined number of bits from said memory means in accordance with an address signal;
• and
• takeout means for selectively taking out necessary items of data from said data read out from the memory means in accordance with the designated number of bits, so that a sequence of said items of data, whose number of bits changes in lapse of time, is reproduced, wherein:
• said memory means has a plurality of memory addresses of fixed bit length, the items of data having a variable bit length are number of bits being stored at the memory addresses, and each of the memory addresses is accessed by an address signal;
• said takeout means comprises:
• (a) address generation means for generating an address signal, in response to a data readout command, by determining at least one address for reading a necessary item of data from said memory means in accordance with the designated bit length number of bits, data stored in said memory means being read out from said memory means by the generated address signal;
• and
• (b) data adjustment means for taking out data of a number of bits corresponding to the designated bit length number of bits from output data of said memory means which has been read out by the address signal;
• and
• said data adjustment means includes means for adding, when the number of bits of the data which has been taken out is less than a predetermined reference bit length number of bits, a data bit or bits corresponding to the deficiency with respect to the reference bit length number of bits to thereby ultimately take out data having a fixed bit length number of bits corresponding to the reference bit length.

A data generation device comprising:

• memory means for storing a single-value item of data having a plural number of bits in a particular memory location corresponding to plural addresses of the memory means, a memory area identified by each address of the memory means having a capacity corresponding to a predetermined number of bits, wherein the most significant bit of the item of data may be located at any bit position within a particular address;
• point out means for pointing out a bit position within an address of most the significant bit or a least significant bit of a data item to be taken out of the memory means;
• and
• takeout means for taking out the item of data having said plural number of bits from the memory location in accordance with the position which has been pointed out by said point out means.

A data generation device comprising:

• memory means for storing first data items and a second data item, said second data item comprising plural bits and being divided into plural sections, each of the sections being stored in said memory means separately from each other and connected with a different one of said first data items;
• reading means for reading out data stored in said memory means address by address;
• data separation means for separating the first data items and the sections of the second data item from the data which has been read out by said reading means;
• and
• reproduction means for reproducing completed second data item by assembling the respective sections of the second data item which has been separated by said data separation means.

A data storage and reconstruction system for providing plural items of data each having a predetermined common number of bits, comprising:

• memory means for storing plural bits corresponding to each of the plural items of data, wherein the plural bits form a first predetermined portion of each respective data item and wherein the number of bits stored for different data items is variable;
• readout means for reading stored data items;
• bit number means for indicating the number of bits stored for each readout data item;
• MSB determining means for determining the value of a most significant bit of the bits stored for each readout data item;
• and
• combining means for prefixing the read out bits for each data item with a number of additional bits equal in number to the difference between said common number of bits and the number of bits contained in the particular data item, wherein each additional bit has a value equal to the value determined by the MSB determining means for the particular data item, thereby providing a data item having the common number of bits.

A method of storing and retrieving n-bit items of data, comprising the steps of:

• dividing at least some of the items of data into a first predetermined portion and a second predetermined portion, wherein a point of division is chosen such that all bits of the second predetermined portion and a most significant bit of the first predetermined portion have the same value;
• storing in a memory the first predetermined portion of each data item and information indicating the point of division for each data item;
• reading the stored portions and division information from the memory;
• and
• reconstructing the second predetermined portions of data items corresponding respectively to the read out first predetermined portions by detecting the value of a most significant bit of each read out portion and prefixing a number of bits of said value to the read out portions on the basis of the read out division information so that the total number of bits is equal to n, thereby providing the n-bit items of data.

A data generation device comprising:

• memory means having plural addresses each of which has a predetermined number of bit positions, said memory means being provided for storing a single-value item of data of a given number of bits in a certain memory location corresponding to at least two adjacent ones of said plural addresses, said item of data being divided into at least two data portions in correspondence with said at least two adjacent addresses in such a manner that each of said data portions is stored in at least a part of the bit positions of the respective adjacent addresses;
• point out means for pointing out a particular bit position within in said predetermined number of bit positions of an address so as to designate a most significant bit or a least significant bit of the item of data to be taken out, wherein the most significant bit or the item of data may be located at any bit position within a particular address;
• and
• takeout means for taking out the item of data from the memory location in accordance with the bit position which has been pointed out by said point out means.