# US 5,708,637 A · Method and apparatus for enhanced writing and reading data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,708,637 A - Document ID: US5708637A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/565,720 - Filed: 1995-11-30 - Granted: 1998-01-13 - Earliest claimed: 1994-11-30 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Kojiro Umemura; Masakazu Suzuoki; Teiji Yutaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5708637A ## CPC - G06F 3/0601: {Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems} - G11B 20/10: Digital recording or reproducing - G06F 3/0656: {Data buffering arrangements} - G11B 2020/10666: {Ring buffers, e.g. buffers wherein an iteratively progressing read or write pointer moves back to the beginning of the buffer when reaching the last storage cell} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract Data of a recording medium in a storage device is read out for every sector and is stored in a ring buffer under the control of a CPU which can vary the speed of readout from the buffer as the load on the system varies. Data stored in the ring buffer is read out for every frame and is outputted to an output device. When data read out from the recording medium is to be reproduced in real time, the data can be reproduced substantially at a speed corresponding to a reading speed of the data from the recording medium, with a minimum of data loss and enhanced temporal quality. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A signal reproducing apparatus, comprising: (a) first reading means for reading out frame data by a sector from a recording medium; (b) writing means for writing the data read out from the first reading means in memory; (c) second reading means for reading out the data written in said memory; and (d) controlling means for controlling when said writing means stops writing said data, so that said first reading means can start reading the frame data next to the frame data being read out, said writing means being resetable to a predetermined position whereby data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said memory includes a ring-shaped address means. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sector has a sector header indicating sector number and the total number of sectors of frame data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said writing means stops writing when the reading address of said second reading means coincides with the writing address. ### Claim 5 A signal reproducing system, comprising: (a) first reading apparatus which reads out frame data by a sector from a recording medium; (b) writing apparatus which writes the data read out from said first reading means in memory; (c) second reading apparatus which reads out said data written in said memory; and (d) apparatus which controls when said writing apparatus stops writing said data, so that said first reading apparatus can start reading the frame data next to the frame data being read out, said writing apparatus being resetable to a predetermined position whereby data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said memory includes a ring-shaped address apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said sector has a sector header indicating sector number and the total number of sectors of frame data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said writing apparatus stops writing when the reading address coincides with the writing address. ### Claim 9 A method for processing a signal, comprising the steps of: (a) reading out frame data by a sector from a recording medium; (b) writing the data read out in said reading step in a memory; (c) reading out the data written in the memory; and (d) controlling the writing of said data, so that the first reading can start reading the frame data next to the frame data being read out, and said writing step may be reset to a predetermined position whereby data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said writing step stops writing when a specified reading address coincides with a specified writing address. ### Claim 11 A signal reproducing system for performing reproduction by reading data recorded in a recording medium, the apparatus comprising: a recording medium having data sequentially stored therein for every frame as a data processing unit composed of at least one sector as a physical read-out unit of data; a ring-shaped memory for storing said data read out from said recording medium; and data control apparatus for sequentially reading frame data from said recording medium for every sector and storing the frame data in said ring-shaped memory, and, separately therefrom, reading the data stored in advance in said ring-shaped memory for every frame; whereby when sector data read out from said recording medium cannot be written into said ring-shaped memory, frame data next to data of a frame including the read-out sector is stored following preceding frame data in said ring-shaped memory so that data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A signal reproducing system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said sector includes an additional information area having a data format of a frame in which this sector is included, a sector number indicating the sequence of sectors constituting the frame and the total number of sectors constituting the frame, and a data area, whereby said data control apparatus uses the sector number and the total number of sectors in the frame to detect a final sector of that frame. ### Claim 13 A signal reproducing method, comprising: a data reading step for reading frame data for every sector from a recording medium which has data sequentially stored therein for every frame as a data processing unit composed of at least one sector as a physical read-out unit of data, and storing the frame data in a ring-shaped storage means; and a frame data processing step for reading data stored in advance in the ring-shaped storage means for every frame, separately from the data reading step; whereby when sector data read out from the recording medium cannot be written in the ring-shaped storage means, frame data next to data of a frame including the read-out sector is stored following frame data preceding the frame including the read-out sector in the ring-shaped storage means so that data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A signal reproducing method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said sector is composed of an additional information area having a data format of a frame in which this sector is included, a sector number indicating the sequence of sectors constituting the frame and the total number of sectors constituting the frame, and a data area, whereby said data control means uses the sector number and the total number of sectors in the frame to detect a final sector of the frame including the sector. ### Claim 15 A method for processing a data stream more efficiently, comprising the steps of: reading data from a recording medium; writing said data to a buffer memory; reading said data from said buffer memory; stopping said writing of said data to avoid pile up of data when the rate of reading said data from said memory is insufficient to keep pace with said writing of said data; and subsequently restoring said writing of said data to said buffer memory when said reading of said data has caught up sufficiently to said writing of data whereby data is selectively abandoned to match writing and reading for minimizing data loss. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said buffer memory is a ring memory. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15, 16) A method as set forth in either of claims 15 or 16, wherein the speed of said writing is at a constant rate of speed during writing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15, 16) A method as set forth in either of claims 15 or 16, wherein the speed of said reading is variable. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15, 16) A method as set forth in either of claims 15 or 16, wherein the speed of said writing is at a high constant rate during writing, and the speed of said reading is varied in accordance with data processing load.