A SYSTEM FOR MAKI~G "PERSONALIZED" TAPE CARTRIDGES FOR
AUDIO AND TAPE CARTRIDGES FOR VID~O
Well known to all are the tape cartridges for audio and video ~aking it possible to reproduce various pieces such as songs, melodies, reportages, shows, recitals~ docu-mentaries, teaching material, extracts from films from television shows and anything generally that people want to hear or see.
Frequently the user would prefer pieces other than those on sale and especially one or more of those recorded on tape cartridges for audio or for video which oblige him to purchase undesired pieces. On the other hand the maker clearly cannot put tape cartridges on sale with pieces so assorted as to please everyone because too much storage space would be needed and costs become prohibitive. The present in~ention offers a solution to the problem together with many other advantages as will be explained here below.
The invention consists of a system whereby tape cartridges for audio and f~r video~ or equivalent means, can be recorded with pieces chosen by the purchaser, name-ly "personalized" tape cartridges. The purchaser chooseshis pieces from a catalogue published periodically by the organization which makes and sells the tape cartridges.
The catalogue gives the titles of the musical and video pieces available, the names of those executing them (singers, orcXestras, actors~ speakers, lecturers, perform-ers generally), the code number belonging to each title and the exact time taken fvr playing the tape and for each single piece.
The equipment for recording the tape cartridges with pieces chosen by the user includes a central memory store, a computer with punched card reader, and a recorder itself.
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-2 The computer comprises a transit memory unit, a logic-mathematical unit, another constit~ting the working memory store and a further one for control and operation.
The central memory store operates by a set of magnetic tape discs, or their eq~ivalent. On these are recorde~, according to their code, all the pieces inclu-ded in the computer with all the data needed for control-ling the recordings.
The recording equipment consists of a set of box-plates for recording tape cartridges for audio or forvideo~ each of which is connected to a peripheral memory.
-The-user makes his choice of the pieces he wants to have recorded on a single tape cartridge, naturally allowing for the performance time of each one, and, by letter or by some other meansg makes the code number known to the manufacturer who then prepares the user's - punched card accordingly.
Having prepared the punched card~ the manufac-turer puts it into the card reader. The computer notes the information and passes it on to the transmit memory controlled by the control unit which, aided by the logic-mathematical unit and by the working memory, searches for the requested pieces in the central memory store.
The computer then passes these pieces to the peripheral memories connected to thc recording units.
The pieces are then recorded on the tape cartridge in accordance with the orders sent t`hrough the punched card.
Prom the time the punched card is placed in the card reader the whole process is entirely automatic and ?
is handled at each stage by the computer.
An aspect of the invention is as follows:
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z An automatic electronic and mechanical system for the manufacture of audio and video ~ape cartridges for a user, comprisin~:
a central memory store which, by means of magnetic memory tapes, makes and stores pieces of musical works, or sets of films of television shows, recitals, films, and works generally used for video tape cartridges;
equipment for recording on tape cartridges for audio and video, said pieces being stored on said magnetic memory tapes of said central memory store;
a plurality of punched cards, each arranged to be punched in accordance with an order given by a user for making a cartridge including a selected sequence of record-ings; and a computer with a unit for reading said punched cards, said computer searching said magnetic memory tapesof said central memory store according to the signals given by said punched cards for the respective sequence of said pieces and sending them to said recording equip ment which pr~ceeds with recording on the tape cartridges of the selected sequence of said pieces corresponding to those indicated by said p-unched cards in accordance with the order given by said punched card, so that the produc-tion of personalized tape cartridges for audio and video, namely one fulfilling the personal wishes and choices of the user, is made possible.
The characteristics and the purpose of the inven-tion will appear even more clearly by the examples of its actuation that follow, illustrated by diagrammatic figures-Fig, l is a view of a room in which the personali-zed tape cartridges for audio are recorded by the present invent}on;
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Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the main pieces of equipment o~ the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a view of a catalogue oi pieces avail-able for recording by the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a view of a punched card used by the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a view of a room in which the personali-zed tape cartridges for video are recorded by the present invention.
Fig. 1 shows the set of equipment for recording the personalized tape cartridges for audio (10) and Fig.
2 shows the e,lectronic layout of the system.
The cabinet (11) contains the computer (12) and the reader unit (13) for the punched cards (14). (See l; also Fig. 4.) The computer (12) has a transit memory unit (16)~ a logic-mathematica] unit (17), a working memory unit (1~) and an operation and control unit (19).
By means of a set of indica~or lights (20), the various operational stages can be followed from the out-side. The card reader unit (13) has two compartments (21~ and (22) to hold the incoming cards (14', and the OUtgOihg cards (14"), respectively.
Reading of the cards (14) is controlled by the - hand-operated selector buttons (23) and (24). '~he cabinet (25) contains the data store (26).
A cabinet ~25) contains a set of magnetic tapes (27). The manual controls (28) are arranged on the out-side of the cabinet 2; and has a set of indicator lights (29) showing ~he operative stages.
A cabinet (30) has a series o~ ~ox-plates (31) for recording the tape cartridges ~or audio ~10), each of which is connected to a circuit ~32) constituting a peripheral memory.
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The upper surface of each box (31) is designed to accommodate the cartridges in a recess (33), a visualizer (34) for recording control, push buttons ~35) for opera-tion and (36) for putting the tape cartridge in and taking it O~lt.
The three cabinets ~ , (25) and (30) are connect~
ed -to each other by cables (38), (39) and (40).
Fig. 5 illustrates an arrangement similar to the one described above with the exception of a cabinet (30') which, in this case, is composed of a box-plate (41) for recording tape car~riges for a video (423 connected to a circuit of peripheral memories.
On the upper surface of the box plate (41) there is a recess (43) for holding the cartridges, push buttons (45) for operation and (46) for putting the cartridges in and taking them out. Above the upper surface is a monitor (44) for controlling the recording, and a display (47) showing the customer's code. A cata~
logue (48) giving the musical repertoire prepared by ~he makers and made available to the user (Fig. 3) is divided into three parts. These parts are "pieces" (49), "singers"
(50) and "orchestras" (51). Each sec~ion is divided into three columns and lists for each piece, title and performer (52), code number (53) and performallce time (54) in minutes and seconds.
Being that he tape (10) recording time and also - the time for each piece are known, the user makes his choice on this basis and decides the number of pieces which the tape cartridge ~10) for audio must contai-~, after which he forwards his request to the manufacturer listing, tape by tape, the preferred recordings and the code number for each~piece.
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~6-On receiving the order, the manufacturer has a card (14) specially punched ~or insertion into the computer.
The first line on the card is used for pu~ching the code number (55) distinguishing the customer's order, while the subsequer~t lines are used for punching codes (53) for the requested pieces (Fig. A).
The card reader (13) takes the details from the card (14) and transfers them to the transit memory (16) controlled by the control unit (19) which, with the aid o~
the lo~ic mathematical unit (17) and the working memory (18) make a search for the requested pieces in the data store (26)~
In accordance with the code (53) all the pieces listed in the catalogue (48), with all the data for control-ling their recording, are recorded on the tapes in the data store (26).
Each group of pieces, constituting one tape cartridge for audio (10), is sent to the peripheral memories (32)g (32') etc., w~ich in turn control the work of the recording boxes (31), (31') etc.
The customer's order code number (55) ls ~hown in the display (37) of each respective recording box plate (31).
The process is thus entirely autcmatic and is operated throughout all its stages by the computer (12). All that has to be done manually is to pl~t the cards ~14) into the input compartment (21) and also to replace the tape cartridge for audio (10) with another one.
The arrangement for recording tape cartridges for video (42) (~ig. S) works on the same principle as that described for audio (10). Obviously, in this case the contents of the data store (2~) and the catalogue (48) consists of pieces ~r video such as parts of recitals, films, television shorts, etc., and o~ recording generally for video tape cartridges.
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In a like manner the computer will contain the parameters for controlling recordings of tape cartridges for video instead of tape cartrid~es for audio.
The advantages of the invention are clear. In practice, integrity is established be~ween production and sale on the part of the manufacturer and also satisfaction of the user's preferences is established.
The user, practically speaking without any increased cost to himself, can have a tape recorded in accordance with his own wishes and thus hear pieces specially chosen and in the desired order. --As the applications of the invention have bee.n described as ex~mples and are not limited to these, it is understood that any equivalent application of the inven-tive concepts explained and any present product andJorone operating in accordance with the characteristics of . the invention, will be covered by its field of protection~