Method and apparatus for displaying indications of instructions in previously recorded messages

Claim 2

In a device wherein messages are recorded on and/or played back from a storage medium which contains signals comprising end-of-message signals representing the end of one message and/or the beginning of a succeeding message and instruction signals representing the occurrences of instructions, display apparatus comprising instruction detecting means for detecting and displaying an indication of said instruction signals recorded on said storage medium; an instruction indicator display; and instruction signal indicating means including first means responsive to said instruction detecting means for displaying on said instruction indicator display a first indication representing the occurrence of an instruction within the message then in position to be played back, and second means responsive to said instruction detecting means for displaying on said instruction indicator display a second indication different and distinct from said first indication representing the occurrence of an instruction within a subsequent message remaining to be played back.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said instruction signal indicating means includes third means responsive to said instruction detecting means for displaying on said instruction indicator display a further indication representing the absence of recorded instructions within any of said subsequent messages remaining to be played back.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said instruction detecting means comprises scanning means for scanning said storage medium to detect the presence of said instruction signals; and sensing means for sensing a stored one of said instruction signals.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising means for sensing an end-of-message signal stored in the scanned storage medium.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising memory means for storing in addressable storage locations representations of each sensed end-of-message signal and each sensed instruction signal.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said memory means includes write means for writing into one of said storage locations a representation of a sensed end-of-message signal and further writing into one of said storage locations a representation of an instruction signal sensed within the message whose ending is represented by the last-mentioned end-of-message signal.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said instruction signal indicating means comprises memory read means operable when messages are played back from said storage medium for reading out from said memory means at least a portion of the contents of a storage location in which is stored a representation of the end-of-message signal representing the end of the message which has been reached for play back, and means for detecting a representation of an instruction signal in the contents of the storage location then being read out.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said memory read means reads out from said memory means at least a portion of the contents of those storage locations in which are stored representations of end-of-message signals representing the ends of messages which have not yet been reached.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said memory read means includes means responsive to the absence of a detected representation of an instruction signal in the contents read out of the last-mentioned storage location to read out at least a portion of the contents of those storage locations in which are stored representations of end-of-message signals representing the ends of messages which have not yet been reached, and said means for detecting detects a representation of a read out instruction signal to cause said instruction signal indicating means to display said second indication.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising location indicating means for generating a location signal indicative of the location in said storage medium of each sensed end-of-message signal; and wherein said write means writes into said respective storage location the location signal generated when the end-of-message signal is sensed.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said location indicating means generates a present location signal indicative of the location in said storage medium at which is stored that portion of a message conditioned to be played back; and further comprising comparator means for comparing said present location signal to location signals stored in said memory means, thereby detecting when the end of a message has been reached and determining which message is in condition to be played back.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a memory address generator incremented successively during the scanning of said storage medium when end-of-message signals are sensed for addressing the storage locations in said memory means, and means for decrementing said memory address generator when messages are played back from said storage medium and said present location signal corresponds to a stored location signal, whereby the representation of an instruction signal in the storage location addressed by said memory address generator is detected, causing said first indication to be provided.

Claim 14

In a device wherein previously recorded messages are played back by a transducer from a bi-directionally movable record medium on which end-of-message and instruction signals are recorded, display apparatus comprising: scanning means for scanning said record medium in a first direction to detect the recorded end-of-message signals and instruction signals; memory means for storing a representation of each detected end-of-message signal and for storing a representation of each detected instruction signal recorded on said record medium within a message whose end is marked by one of said end-of-message signals; sensing means cooperable with said memory means for sensing whether said message recorded on the record medium juxtaposed said transducer contains one of said instruction signals, and for further sensing whether any subsequent message recorded on said record medium to be reached when said record medium is moved in a second direction contains an instruction signal; and indicating means for producing and displaying a first indication when the message juxtaposed said transducer contains one of said instruction signals and displaying a second indication when a subsequent message remaining to be played back contains an instruction signal.

Claim 15

In a device wherein previously recorded messages are played back by a transducer from a bi-directionally movable record medium on which end-of-message and instruction signals are recorded, display apparatus comprising: scanning means for scanning said record medium in a first direction to detect the recorded end-of-message signals and instruction signals; memory means for storing a representation of each detected end-of-message signal and for storing a representation of each detected instruction signal recorded on said record medium within a message whose end is marked by one of said end-of-message signals; sensing means cooperable with said memory means for sensing whether said message recorded on the record medium juxtaposed said transducer contains one of said instruction signals, and for further sensing whether any subsequent message recorded on said record medium to be reached when said record medium is moved in a second direction contains an instruction signal; and indicating means for producing and displaying a first indication when the message juxtaposed said transducer contains one of said instruction signals and displaying a second indication when a subsequent message remaining to be played back contains an instruction signal.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising counting means incremented when said record medium moves in said first direction and decremented when said record medium moves in said second direction, the count of said counting means corresponding to an end-of-message signal being stored in said memory means when is detected while said record medium is being scanned; and comparator means operable after said record medium has been scanned to compare the count of said counting means to the stored counts in said memory means to determine when an end of a message has been reached.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said scanning means is responsive to the stopping or reversal of the direction of movement of said record medium to terminate a scanning operation and thereby prevent further scanning of said record medium.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising memory address means incremented during the scanning of said record medium in response to each detected end-of-message signal for generating a memory address into which said count of said counting means and said instruction signal representation is stored, said memory address means being decremented in response to said comparator means when said record medium moves in said second direction; and wherein said sensing means includes means for sensing an instruction signal representation in said memory means at the address to which said memory address means has been decremented, whereby said first indication is produced.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said memory address means is incremented when said record medium moves in said first direction after the completion of a scanning operation, and wherein said means for sensing senses an instruction signal representation in the memory means at the address to which said address means has been incremented, whereby said first indication is produced.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 16 or 17 wherein said sensing means further includes means responsive to the absence of an instruction signal representation at the address then provided by said memory address means for sensing an instruction signal representation in the membry means at any address less than said provided address, whereby said second indication is produced.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said indicating means includes means responsive to the absence of a sensed instruction signal representation at any address less than said provided address to produce a third indication that none of the messages to be reached contains an instruction signal.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said end-of-message signal comprises a single frequency burst and said instruction signal comprises a double burst of frequency; wherein said scanning means includes frequency burst detecting means for detecting each burst of frequency recorded on said record medium and for incrementing said memory address means upon detection of each of said single frequency burst; and wherein said apparatus further comprises means for determining if said burst detecting means detects a second burst of frequency within a predetermined time duration following the detection of a first burst and, if so, for clearing the count which had been stored in said memory address, means for decrementing said memory address means, and means for storing upon detection of said double frequency burst said instruction signal representation in the memory address now provided by said memory address means.

Claim 23

In an audio playback device wherein previously recorded audio messages are played back from a movable record medium, and wherein end-of-message signals are recorded designating the end of one message and the beginning of another, and instruction signals are recorded designating the location of an instruction message, display apparatus for indicating the presence of an instruction signal within a message positioned for playback and for indicating the presence of an instruction signal within a subsequent message to be played back, comprising: drive means for driving said record medium in a reverse direction for scanning said record medium to detect said end-of-message and instruction signals, and for driving said record medium in a forward direction to play back said messages and to advance said record medium from one message location to another; detecting means operable at least during the scanning of said record medium for detecting said end-of-message and instruction signals; count means for generating a count as said record medium is driven, the count representing the relative present position of said record medium; and programmed processor means operable during the scanning of said record medium to store at an addressed memory location the count of said count means when an end-of-message signal is detected, to store at said addressed memory location an instruction signal representation when an instruction signal is detected, and to increment the memory location address prior to the storage of said count and said instruction signal representation, said programmed processor means being operable after said record medium has been scanned to sense an instruction signal representation stored in the memory location at which is stored the count representing the end of the message which is in position to be played back, whereby a first indication is provided of the presence of an instruction signal within said message in position to be played back, and to sense an instruction signal representation stored in any memory location at which is stored the count representing the end of a message that has not yet been in position to be played back, whereby a second indication is provided of the presence of an instruction signal within a subsequent message to be played back.

Claim 24

In an audio playback device wherein previously recorded audio messages are played back from a movable record medium, and wherein end-of-message signals are recorded designating the end of one message and the beginning of another, and instruction signals are recorded designating the location of an instruction message, display apparatus for indicating the presence of an instruction signal within a message positioned for playback and for indicating the presence of an instruction signal within a subsequent message to be played back, comprising: drive means for driving said record medium in a reverse direction for scanning said record medium to detect said end-of-message and instruction signals, and for driving said record medium in a forward direction to play back said messages and to advance said record medium from one message location to another; detecting means operable at least during the scanning of said record medium for detecting said end-of-message and instruction signals; count means for generating a count as said record medium is driven, the count representing the relative present position of said record medium; and programmed processor means operable during the scanning of said record medium to store at an addressed memory location the count of said count means when an end-of-message signal is detected, to store at said addressed memory location an instruction signal representation when an instruction signal is detected, and to increment the memory location address prior to the storage of said count and said instruction signal representation, said programmed processor means being operable after said record medium has been scanned to sense an instruction signal representation stored in the memory location at which is stored the count representing the end of the message which is in position to be played back, whereby a first indication is provided of the presence of an instruction signal within said message in position to be played back, and to sense an instruction signal representation stored in any memory location at which is stored the count representing the end of a message that has not yet been in position to be played back, whereby a second indication is provided of the presence of an instruction signal within a subsequent message to be played back.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said processor means is programmed to sense when the count of said count means is equal to the count stored in a memory location and then to decrement the memory location address if said record medium is driven in the forward direction or to increment the memory location address if said record medium is driven in the reverse direction, said processor means being further programmed to detect an instruction signal representation stored in the memory location then being addressed whereby said first indication is provided, and in the absence of a detected instruction signal representation in the addressed memory location to detect an instruction signal representation stored in any lesser addressed memory locations whereby said second indication is provided.

Claim 28

The method of claim 23 wherein said step of storing indications of those messages in which instructions are included comprises changing the count of a counter in a first direction as said record medium is scanned; storing the count of said counter when an end-of-message signal is reached, thereby storing an end-of-message count; and storing in association with said end-of-message count an instruction signal representation.

Claim 29

The method of claim 24 wherein said step of providing a first display indication if a message in condition to be played back includes an instruction comprises changing the count of said counter in a second direction as messages are played back; sensing when the count of said counter becomes substantially equal to a stored end-of-message count; and providing said first display indication if an instruction signal representation is stored in association with the next succeeding stored end-of-message count.

Claim 30

The method of claim 25 wherein said step of providing a second display indication comprises sensing the absence of an instruction signal representation stored in association with said next succeeding stored end-of-message count; and providing said second display indication if an instruction signal representation is stored in association with any remaining stored end-of-message counts.

Claim 31

The method of claim 26 wherein said step of storing ends-of-message counts comprises changing in a first direction a memory address when an end-of-message signal is reached while said record medium is being scanned and storing in the memory address said end-of-message count and said instruction signal representation; and wherein said step of providing said first display indication comprises changing in a second direction said memory address when the count of said counter becomes substantially equal to a stored end-of-message count and sensing an instruction signal representation stored at the changed memory address; and wherein said step of providing said second display indication includes sensing an instruction signal representation stored at any of the remaining memory addresses.

Claim 32

The method of claim 27 wherein said record medium is movable in a reverse direction for scanning and in a forward direction for message playback and for reaching a subsequent message, and wherein the count of said counter is changed in said second direction when said record medium is moved in the forward direction, and wherein said memory address changes in said first direction if said record medium is moved in the reverse direction and said memory address changes in said second direction if said record medium is moved in the forward direction.