Recovering and playing back selected audio messages from a block of messages on a recording medium

Claim 1

A method for recording a sequential series of digitally encoded audio data signals onto a recording medium along with associated video data such that predetermined message portions of said audio data can be selectably recovered for separate decoding and playback with selectable portions of said video data, comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of address data signals representative of a corresponding plurality of messge portion initial data in said audio data series; combining said plurality of address data signals with said audio data signals in a predetermined relative relationship therewith to form a block of composite data; and recording said block of composite data along with said video data onto said recording medium such that said composite data is recoverable from said recording medium for storage at predetermined addressable storage locations, whereby said addresses of said predetermined storage locations are correlated with said address data signals.

Claim 2

A method for recording a sequential series of digitally encoded audio data signals onto a recording medium along with associated video data such that predetermined message portions of said audio data can be selectably recovered for separate decoding and playback with selectable portions of said video data, comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of address data signals representative of a corresponding plurality of messge portion initial data in said audio data series; combining said plurality of address data signals with said audio data signals in a predetermined relative relationship therewith to form a block of composite data; and recording said block of composite data along with said video data onto said recording medium such that said composite data is recoverable from said recording medium for storage at predetermined addressable storage locations, whereby said addresses of said predetermined storage locations are correlated with said address data signals.

Claim 3

A method for recovering a message portion of audio data from a block of composite digital data recorded as a sequential series of digitally encoded audio data signals and a plurality of address data signals corresponding to the places in said audio data series of a corresponding plurality of message portion initial data, recorded along with associated video data on a recording medium, comprising the steps of: retrieving said block of composite digital data signals from said recording medium; storing said block of composite digital data signals at a plurality of addressable storage locations in a predetermined sequence such that said address data signals are correlated by way of a predetermined relationship to the addresses of said addressable storage locations and said address data signals are stored at predetermined storage locations among said plurality of addressable storage locations; retrieving from a selected predetermined storage location selected address data corresponding to a selected message portion; retrieving said message portion audio data by accessing a sequentially addressed series of said storage locations the initial address of which corresponds to said selected address; and decoding and playing said retrieved message portion along with a selected portion of said video data.

Claim 4

A method for recovering a message portion of audio data from a block of composite digital data recorded as a sequential series of digitally encoded audio data signals and a plurality of address data signals corresponding to the places in said audio data series of a corresponding plurality of message portion initial data, recorded along with associated video data on a recording medium, comprising the steps of: retrieving said block of composite digital data signals from said recording medium; storing said block of composite digital data signals at a plurality of addressable storage locations in a predetermined sequence such that said address data signals are correlated by way of a predetermined relationship to the addresses of said addressable storage locations and said address data signals are stored at predetermined storage locations among said plurality of addressable storage locations; retrieving from a selected predetermined storage location selected address data corresponding to a selected message portion; retrieving said message portion audio data by accessing a sequentially addressed series of said storage locations the initial address of which corresponds to said selected address; and decoding and playing said retrieved message portion along with a selected portion of said video data.

Claim 5

A method for recording, onto a recording medium, along with associated video data, a plurality of digitally encoded audio data message portions as a single block of data for later retrieval and selectable separate decoding and playback with selected portions of said video data, comprising the steps of: combining said audio data message portions to form a serial stream of digitally encoded audio data; generating address data corresponding to a plurality of addresses in said serial stream of the initial data of said message portion; combining said address data with said serial stream of data to form said single block of data; and recording said single block of data along with said associated video data onto said recording medium. 4. A method for recovering from a recording medium and playing a selected portion of a block of recorded, digitally encoded audio data along with a selected portion of video data, recorded with said audio data on said recording medium, wherein address data corresponding to the relative positions in said block of audio data of a plurality of separate portions of said audio data is recorded along with said audio data, comprising the steps of: recovering said block of audio data from said recording medium; storing said recovered block of audio data at a plurality of addressable storage locations; accessing from a selected storage location a portion of said address data corresponding to a selected one of said plurality of separate portions of audio data; accessing said selected portion of audio data by using said accessed address data to address selected ones of said storage locations; decoding said selected portion of audio data; and playing the audio represented by said selected portion of audio data as a selected portion of the video represented by said video data is played.

Claim 6

A method for recording, onto a recording medium, along with associated video data, a plurality of digitally encoded audio data message portions as a single block of data for later retrieval and selectable separate decoding and playback with selected portions of said video data, comprising the steps of: combining said audio data message portions to form a serial stream of digitally encoded audio data; generating address data corresponding to a plurality of addresses in said serial stream of the initial data of said message portion; combining said address data with said serial stream of data to form said single block of data; and recording said single block of data along with said associated video data onto said recording medium. 4. A method for recovering from a recording medium and playing a selected portion of a block of recorded, digitally encoded audio data along with a selected portion of video data, recorded with said audio data on said recording medium, wherein address data corresponding to the relative positions in said block of audio data of a plurality of separate portions of said audio data is recorded along with said audio data, comprising the steps of: recovering said block of audio data from said recording medium; storing said recovered block of audio data at a plurality of addressable storage locations; accessing from a selected storage location a portion of said address data corresponding to a selected one of said plurality of separate portions of audio data; accessing said selected portion of audio data by using said accessed address data to address selected ones of said storage locations; decoding said selected portion of audio data; and playing the audio represented by said selected portion of audio data as a selected portion of the video represented by said video data is played.

Claim 7

A method for recording a sequential series of digital audio data signals, encoded at a predetermined variable sampling rate, onto a recording medium along with associated video data signals, such that said audio data signals are recoverable for decoding at said predetermined variable sampling rate and playback with said video data, comprising the steps of: generating a predetermined digital signal representative of said predetermined sampling rate; combining said predetermined digital signal with said audio data signals in a predetermined relative relationship therewith to form a composite group of digital signals; recording said group of digital signals along with said video data signals such that said predetermined digital signal is recoverable from said group of digital signals for setting the sampling rate for decoding said encoded audio to said predetermined variable sampling rate.

Claim 8

A method for recording a sequential series of digital audio data signals, encoded at a predetermined variable sampling rate, onto a recording medium along with associated video data signals, such that said audio data signals are recoverable for decoding at said predetermined variable sampling rate and playback with said video data, comprising the steps of: generating a predetermined digital signal representative of said predetermined sampling rate; combining said predetermined digital signal with said audio data signals in a predetermined relative relationship therewith to form a composite group of digital signals; recording said group of digital signals along with said video data signals such that said predetermined digital signal is recoverable from said group of digital signals for setting the sampling rate for decoding said encoded audio to said predetermined variable sampling rate.

Claim 9

A method for recovering from a recording medium and decoding at the appropriate rate for playback along with the playback of associated video data signals, a sequential series of digital audio data signals, encoded at at predetermined variable sampling rate, combined with a predetermined digital signal representative of said predetermined variable sampling rate to form a composite group of digital signals, and recorded along with said video data signals, comprising the steps of: recovering said composite group of digital signals from said recording medium; storing said recovered group of digital signals in a storage element; accessing said predetermined digital signal; and decoding sequential series of digital audio data signals at the sampling rate represented by said accessed digital signal.

Claim 10

A method for recovering from a recording medium and decoding at the appropriate rate for playback along with the playback of associated video data signals, a sequential series of digital audio data signals, encoded at at predetermined variable sampling rate, combined with a predetermined digital signal representative of said predetermined variable sampling rate to form a composite group of digital signals, and recorded along with said video data signals, comprising the steps of: recovering said composite group of digital signals from said recording medium; storing said recovered group of digital signals in a storage element; accessing said predetermined digital signal; and decoding sequential series of digital audio data signals at the sampling rate represented by said accessed digital signal.