Tinker,
Spent from the end of the UConn until about 20 minutes ago looking for the 'missing link', reading almost every article written about the Gemstar-TiVo licensing agreement. The eyes start to blur around the 20th page of Google. I know I must have read it somewhere but then I didn't link anything ... so maybe the missing link is somewhere between my ears which manifested itself in an assumption. I just don't know. Every article I just read (actually reread) states simply that TiVo licensed Gemstar.
FWIW, here is part of Levine patent referenced before which appears very broad in scope:
United States Patent 5,701,383
Russo , et al. December 23, 1997
Inventors: Russo; James (Ann Arbor, MI); Levine; Michael R. (Boca Raton, FL
Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Pasadena, CA)
Appl. No.: 388345
Filed: February 14, 1995
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward a video time-shifting system including storage means, disposed in a video path between a video input and output, and configured as a continuous recording track accessed by separate, asynchronous read and write facilities. Broadly, under operator control, reading may occur at any point on the continuous recording track, and playback of the program may begin therefrom, thus simulating VCR-like program control features such as PAUSE/RESUME, REVIEW, REWIND, and FAST FORWARD. The system may be disposed in a separate housing or form part of a video cassette recorder, television receiver, monitor, personal computer, or any other piece of equipment associated with the viewing of video-based programming.
In the preferred embodiment, the video storage means takes the form of a magnetic disk drive having multiple, asynchronous read and write heads, and a controller which links separate recording tracks which may be present on separate recording surfaces, into a single, continuous recording track. More specifically, a dual-sided disk is used with a pair of write heads directly above and below one another, and the positioning system which moves them as an integral unit inwardly and outwardly along a radial path. A pair of read heads are further provided and mechanically linked above and below one another to access the upper and lower surfaces of the disk for playback purposes, using separately controlled actuators so that the write and read heads do not interfere mechanically. With such a configuration, the disk may spin at constant speed, with the write heads moving slowly as a unit between the inner and outer edges associated with their respective disk surfaces, with one of the write heads recording information representative of the incoming video program as a continuous spiral track. When the writing head reaches an innermost or outermost extent of its associated track, recording is immediately switched to the other write head, and movement of the heads is reversed, thereby linking the tracks present on the upper and lower surfaces into a single, continuous track, without the need for extensive buffering of the program as received. Switching of the read heads, being similarly joined into a physical unit, may also immediately switch at such turnaround points, to ensure that readout may likewise occur on a smooth, continuous basis. Although, in the preferred embodiment, a pair of read and write heads are used in conjunction with a two-sided recording surface, different write and read heads may be used in conjunction with different recording surfaces, so long as the system controller is able to perform the necessary switching to link separate recording tracks into a single track so as to avoid discontinuities in the reading and writing program. |
