e.Digital

MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 1996---NCI
formerly Norris Communications Corp.) (NASDAQ:NCII) Thursday announced a new version of its Flash operating system, Micro OS, for use with CompactFlash.
The Micro OSCF is a compact operating system with logic specifically designed to interface with CompactFlash, a flash memory card about the size of a matchbook that was originally developed by SanDisk and is now supported by a number of manufacturers.
Micro OSCF is the only operating system for flash memory that has a data transfer rate limited only by the flash memory write speed. The operating system therefore supports the recording speeds required to write directly to primary memory without intermediary memory. This reduces overall hardware costs significantly, especially for imaging applications.
Written in highly compact and optimized C code, the Micro OSCF operates in 14K of ROM and requires only 300 bytes of RAM.
"Flash memory can be difficult to integrate into multimedia products for developers who are not experienced with its complexity," said Bob Root, president and chief executive officer of NCI.
"Micro OS is a transparent, time-saving solution for merging non-volatile flash memory into multimedia products, facilitating superior functionality while reducing development time and providing a faster time to market. This operating system was designed for use in our next generation product, and our OEM products, which are all based on CompactFlash."
The operating system provides a file and storage structure to maintain, manipulate and distribute compressed voice, video or data using a file manager. Micro OSCF can be used to manipulate, edit, delete and insert audio, video, data and/or text in a wide variety of products that use CompactFlash, including digital voice recorders, digital cameras, solid-state data recorders and Flash cards.
NCI is a pioneer in the digital voice recorder market and has a patent on the use of removable Flash memory for digital audio applications. The Flashback recorder stores up to 36 minutes of recording time on removable and interchangeable SoundClips, and incorporates sophisticated data management and editing techniques using Flash memory.
By removing the SoundClips and inserting them into the Flashback VoiceLink, a card that plugs directly into a Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot of a notebook computer, voice messages can be attached and sent via Internet E-mail or embedded in Windows application software.
Besides CompactFlash, the Micro OS is also available for the Intel Miniature Card format, NAND/NOR Flash and IDE hard drives. Product developers interested in the Micro OSCF or any other Micro OS products should contact Roxanne Hoffert, OEM Technical Sales Manager. For further information contact NCI at 619/679-1504 or http://www.ncivoice.com. -0-
NCI (Formerly Norris Communications Corp.) is a Delaware-based publicly traded corporation. It trades on the NASDAQ (small cap) stock market under the symbol NCII. It markets branded products worldwide through distributors, resellers, value added resellers, government resellers, catalogs and chain stores.
The OEM division markets the NCI MicroOS imbedded systems software operating system, Multichip modules, private label products and custom-designed products to computer, dictation systems, computer peripheral and telecommunications companies worldwide.
The company has patented the Flashback Digital Voice Recorder, sound recording techniques and features, which position it as the world leader in digital flash memory audio recording. The company operates out of its world headquarters in Poway, Calif. (San Diego) and through NCI Ltd. in the United Kingdom.
CONTACT: NCI, San Diego
Roxanne Hoffert (OEM Technical Sales Manager)
Janice Kall (Media Contact)
619/679-1504

Everything stated above has now advanced. Everything stated above is detailed in the patents.

The patents are capable of non-contiguous (analog or digital) and contiguous (analog)... data issues.

Each of those issues are the field of use considerations...now, how do they manage them?.....it involves for both issues " 300 bytes of RAM" and 737.

737 is the rudimentary method....now advanced.

The court ruled on the field of use issues as it interpreted specific published claim terms.....there is a balance to the published phrasing that has yet to be considered by the court....and it is in e.Digitals claims construction.

I have a fairly good idea of what FlashR is and what the court feels of the case.

The court ruled on "flash memory" and not "recording medium" as the defendants wanted...for both data types...giving e.Digital the leg up....with that, the difference is understood by the court.

IMO, defendants do not want it to go any further than that. The court understands that in order to maintain analog data on non analog media requires a bit of trickery.....especially in non-contiguous form and being able to edit that data!!!

doni