FR2917883A1 - SYSTEM FOR MAKING AUTONOMOUS AN AUTOMATIC ELECTRONIC MACHINE WITH READING TAPE FOR SOUND AND / OR AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDINGS. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system enabling an automatic toll machine to reproduce / read sound recordings and / or audio-visual recordings - "jukeboxes" - to function independently of any network and any external server, while removing all mechanical equipment in its internal operation.This system makes it possible to operate directly on the machine, in masked time with respect to the operation of changing the coin mechanism, the loading operation of the programmable pieces. It consists of a card specific managing a USB interface (or memory card), which performs the loading and storage of songs, card coupled to a CPU card managing the system devices. The display of available songs is done on a touch screen, becoming active for selection after insertion of the appropriate coins into the coin mechanism. The machine equipped with this system can be called electronic in the strict sense of the term, since its internal operation, from the activation of the system by the insertion of coins in the coin mechanism, operates without any mechanical equipment for the selection, the loading and reading of the programmed pieces.This system applies to a machine or apparatus specifically intended for the reproduction / reading of sound and / or audio-visual recordings and equipped with a coin mechanism, regardless of the other form given to him: portable box to be placed, or to be fixed against a wall, or desk or piece of furniture resting on the ground.

Description

1

  The present invention relates to a device consisting of electronic and computer elements and parts, the association of which in an original system, allows an automatic toll machine to reproduce / read sound and / or audio-visual recordings, to operate independently of any network and any external server, while removing any mechanical equipment in its operation. This kind of machine normally responds to the name of jukebox. But this term is nowadays frequently applied to products and / or applications or methods of loading, selection, reproduction / reading of recordings, free or paying according to different modes, which may have nothing to do with Phonographs anymore. Automatic Coin-Operated Phonographs, which existed before the Juke-Box appeared in the 1930s. It should be noted that the invention in question here, applies to an automatic machine or apparatus specifically intended for the reproduction / reading of sound and / or audio-visual recordings and equipped with a coin mechanism, whatever the name given to it or its form: portable box to pose, or to fix against a wall, or desk or piece of furniture resting on the ground. This type of automatic device is most often installed in a public place (bar, café, brewery, games room, camping, fireplace ...). It worked with 78 rpm discs until replacement of these by 45 rpm at the time of the appearance of the microsillon disc. At the time of the disappearance of the microgroove in favor of the compact disc with laser reading at the turn of the years 1980 and 90, the biggest manufacturers of jukeboxes there quickly adapted their machines, and several brands still produce jukeboxes to CD. But the diffusion of these laser disc jukeboxes became extremely confidential compared to the diffusion of jukeboxes at 45 rpm, for a technical reason and a closely related commercial reason, which are related to the nature itself. musical programming support: between the old 33 rpm and its declination in 45 rpm with only two titles for mass distribution, the nature of the object and the difference in price were considerable; between the album CD and the CD two or three titles, the object is identical, but especially the difference of 30 prices is proportionally minimal, so much so that the diffusion of CDs two or three titles is much more confidential than that of the old ones 45 turns. To this aspect of additional cost of the CD compared to 45 rpm, is added a practical and structural aspect as important, and that completes to make it very incompatible with the public jukebox: the programming of these devices represented, according to the models, a total of one hundred to two hundred and 35 pieces on average, including not only the novelties and successes of the moment, but also and necessarily a very important proportion (sometimes even a large majority) of 10 15 20 2

  successes of all times, variable in number and type according to places, their customers, the atmosphere required. All things that exist on CDs only on albums or compilations often containing more than twenty pieces, so at the same time much too expensive and very little adapted, since the musical material which they contain is with the eight or nine tenths useless with look at any specific programming needs. Questioned confidentially on the question of why they no longer have, or very little, jukeboxes, some large operators of automatic devices spontaneously mention these incompatibilities of the CD with this type of device. In the course of the 1990s and 2000 systems were developed - and patents filed - digital jukeboxes that remove CDs from the devices. For example: a system consisting of a central server for downloading pieces, via a network, on local servers connected to jukeboxes. This kind of system certainly has the advantage of solving the maladjustment of the CD to the jukebox. But each device remains dependent on a network, either physical (telephone line, cable ...), or non-physical (radio waves, GSM, Wi-Fi ...), which must connect it to a central server, via or intermediary servers, for its programming and some aspects of its operation, while the operator of the device, whoever it is, is in any case obliged to a frequent physical intervention on the machine to raise the coin mechanism. The system according to the invention in question here, eliminates any dependence of the device on a network, makes it autonomous and able to operate anywhere, while allowing the programming / loading of the pieces to be performed in masked time compared to the operation of recovery of the coin mechanism. Here is its operating diagram and its architecture: the display of available songs is done via a touch screen, becoming active for selection after insertion into the coin of the, or room (s) appropriate (s). The storage and reading of the pieces implements a USB key (or a memory card): the management of the peripherals of the system is carried out by a central unit card, which can be a standard model of the trade, or not; a second card, anyway specific, this time, is responsible for grouping the particular functions of the device. These are the inputs / outputs, in particular the reception of the remote control, the amplification function, the sound volume adjustment function, and the USB serial interface (or memory card). The coin mechanism and all components are combined in a box, under or behind the touch screen according to the shape given to the device. It is accessed by a security lock hatch that overlooks the coin mechanism and a USB port (or memory card). Within a few seconds, after inserting the USB stick (or the memory card) containing the files, into the interface, and while it raises the coin mechanism, the operator has loaded the programmable pieces into the machine, and initialized or re-initialized their registration on the screen. The machine can be called electronic in the strict sense of the term, since from the activation of the 3

  system by inserting parts into the coin mechanism, its internal operation takes place without any mechanical equipment for the selection, loading and reading of programmable pieces. 10 15

Claims (2)

  1) System to make independent of any network connected to one or more servers - Whether this network is physical (telephone line, cable ...) or non-physical (radio waves, GSM, Wi-Fi ...) - An automatic machine electronic toll-payment system for reproducing / reading sound and / or audio-visual recordings, characterized in that all loading, storage, initialization or re-initialization operations of the available programming are carried out directly on the machine by a USB interface (or memory card), managed within the machine by a specific card coupled to a CPU card.   2) System according to claim 1, characterized in that the internal operation of the machine, from the loading of the programming by the USB interface (or memory card) and the activation of the system by inserting the parts in the coin mechanism, operates exclusively by a set of parts and electronic and computer components - touch screen / CPU card / card specific function amp, sound volume and USB interface (or memory card) - and therefore without any equipment mechanical for all operations of selection, loading, reproduction / reading of programmable pieces.