An interface apparatus between a video tape recorder and a disc drive having a non-removable magnetic storage medium and a controller is disclosed. The video tape recorder provides memory back-up to data stored on the disc drive. The interface apparatus comprises a data bus for transferring the data between a shift register in the interface to the controller of the disc drive. The shift register transforms the parallel data from the controller to serial data when data is being written onto the VTR, and transforms the serial data from the VTR to parallel format when data is being read into the disc drive. The interface appartus has a clock for generating video signals. In addition, a circuit separates the sync and data portions of the video signal when the video signal is read from the tape of the VTR into the controller. A CRC generator checks for errors in the transmission of data to and from the video tape recorder. A control state machine which is responsive to the read/write signal from the controller generates a start bit, a data clock and shift signal to shift the shift register in its appropriate timing. The start bit is used when data is being written from the disc drive to the tape recorder. The apparatus can also be used in a computer system.

A 2-dimension scanning device scans picture information. When one-page picture information is stored into a page buffer, it is displayed by a display unit. Thereafter, when an operator depresses an abandon key, the picture information is abandoned. When the operator depresses a record key, the picture information is recorded on a recording medium. The picture information is read out and displayed by the display unit, whenever necessary. The picture information is deleted from the recording medium when a delete key is operated. When a recognition key is operated, a retrieval title corresponding to the picture information is recorded on the recording medium.

A center-to-end type information service system utilizing the public telephone networks that are fundamental communication media of nation-wide scale is disclosed in which desired information is requested from the terminal side to the center by means of a telephone set or simplified keyboard and then delivered to and received by a TV receiver. A part of the center functions is transferred together with the exchange function to a subcenter located near the terminal. Thus, the length of transmission path connecting the center to terminals becomes shorter and the cost of the whole system can be cut down. A simplified character generator is provided in the subcenter, thereby diminishing traffic of the video network.

A word processing system is provided which includes a processing apparatus for processing textual information and for controlling a plurality of controlled units. The processing apparatus further includes a memory apparatus for storing such textual information. The system also includes a first controlled unit comprising a data entry device for entering textual and command information into the processing apparatus and a second controlled unit responsive to the processing apparatus for printing the textual information. The processing apparatus is responsive to the command information to perform editing operations, including insertion and deletion of characters on the textual information, to store in the memory apparatus the edited textual information and information defining the inserted and deleted characters and to select and print either the edited information, the information as originally stored in the memory apparatus or the edited information with the deletions restored. In a preferred embodiment, the edited information with the deletions restored may be printed with additional characters to set off the insertions and deletions so that the inserted and deleted characters may be readily identified by inspection.

Title information, which contains management information representing the kind or class of document information be recorded and index information representing the title and recording position of each document information, is provided for the recording and retrieving of the document information. When recording document information, title information is reproduced from an index information recording track of a magnetic tape and written in a title memory. A CPU executes an auxiliary decision as to if the management information of the reproduced title information corresponds to any of various management information preliminarily memorized, a first decision as to if the management information of document information newly applied from a keyboard corresponds to the various management information, and a second decision as to if the title applied from the keyboard coincides with a title in the title memory. The CPU inhibits the recording of document information at least one of the auxiliary decision and the first decision is unsatisfied and/or the second decision is satisfied.