Digital audio signal reproducing apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for reproducing audio signals digitally recorded on a disc shaped recording medium comprising: driving means for rotating a disc shaped recording medium; reading means for reading in bursts from the recording medium digitally recorded audio signals, the reading means generating at a first transfer rate playback data corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals; memory means for sequentially storing the playback data; readout means for sequentially reading at a second transfer rate playback data stored in the memory means, the second transfer rate less than the first transfer rate; playback control means operative to cause the reading means to generate playback data when the volume of playback data stored in the memory means is less than a predetermined volume; selection input means for generating access data representative of selected digitally recorded audio signals; and control means operative, in response to access data representative of newly selected digitally recorded audio signals, to terminate reading by the reading means of the digitally encoded audio signals from a first location of the recording medium, to delete playback data read from the first location and stored within the memory means, to sequentially store within the memory means data representative of substantially silent audio signals, and to commence reading by the reading means of digitally encoded audio signals from a second location of the recording medium, the second location corresponding to the newly selected digitally recorded audio signals.

Claim 2

An apparatus for reproducing audio signals digitally recorded on a disc shaped recording medium comprising: driving means for rotating a disc shaped recording medium; reading means for reading in bursts from the recording medium digitally recorded audio signals, the reading means generating at a first transfer rate playback data corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals; memory means for sequentially storing the playback data; readout means for sequentially reading at a second transfer rate playback data stored in the memory means, the second transfer rate less than the first transfer rate; playback control means operative to cause the reading means to generate playback data when the volume of playback data stored in the memory means is less than a predetermined volume; selection input means for generating access data representative of selected digitally recorded audio signals; and control means operative, in response to access data representative of newly selected digitally recorded audio signals, to terminate reading by the reading means of the digitally encoded audio signals from a first location of the recording medium, to delete playback data read from the first location and stored within the memory means, to sequentially store within the memory means data representative of substantially silent audio signals, and to commence reading by the reading means of digitally encoded audio signals from a second location of the recording medium, the second location corresponding to the newly selected digitally recorded audio signals.

Claim 7

An apparatus for reproducing audio signals digitally recorded on a disc shaped recording medium comprising: driving means for rotating a disc shaped recording medium; reading means for reading in bursts from the recording medium digitally recorded audio signals, the reading means generating at a first transfer rate playback data corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals; memory means for sequentially storing the playback data; readout means for sequentially reading at a second transfer rate playback data stored in the memory means, the second transfer rate less than the first transfer rate; playback control means to operative to cause the reading means to generate playback data when the volume of playback data stored in the memory means is less than a predetermined volume; selection input means for generating access data representative of selected digitally recorded audio signals; and control means operative, in response to access data representative of a selection of repeated digitally recorded audio signals, to sequentially store within the memory means, between playback data representative of each repeat of digitally recorded audio signals, data representative of substantially silent audio signals.

Claim 8

An apparatus for reproducing audio signals digitally recorded on a disc shaped recording medium comprising: driving means for rotating a disc shaped recording medium; reading means for reading in bursts from the recording medium digitally recorded audio signals, the reading means generating at a first transfer rate playback data corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals; memory means for sequentially storing the playback data; readout means for sequentially reading at a second transfer rate playback data stored in the memory means, the second transfer rate less than the first transfer rate; playback control means to operative to cause the reading means to generate playback data when the volume of playback data stored in the memory means is less than a predetermined volume; selection input means for generating access data representative of selected digitally recorded audio signals; and control means operative, in response to access data representative of a selection of repeated digitally recorded audio signals, to sequentially store within the memory means, between playback data representative of each repeat of digitally recorded audio signals, data representative of substantially silent audio signals.