Recording and playback system for self-clocking digital signals

Claim 1

A signal recording and reproducing system comprising: a recording means for recording on a record medium including insertion means controlled by a control clock signal applied to said recording means to periodically insert synchronizing words in a data bit stream of a succession of data words to be recorded on the record medium and reproducing means for reproducing the recording produced by said recording means including means for recognizing said periodically inserted synchronizing words and means for removing said synchronizing words from a reproduced succession of data words in response to an output signal from said means for recognizing, said means for removing including means for concurrently producing said control clock signal synchronized with said synchronizing words, wherein said insertion means for inserting synchronizing words includes a digital register having a length equal to a predetermined number of digital data words plus the number of bits in said synchronizing words and means for concurrently reading out said register with the synchronizing words forming a data bit stream with the predetermined number of data words for recording by said recording means.