Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Condition indicating – monitoring – or testing – Including radiation storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-02
2003-02-04
Tran, Thang V. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Condition indicating, monitoring, or testing
Including radiation storage or retrieval
C369S047130, C369S053210, C369S030070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06515950
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information recording medium for enabling information to be reproduced and recorded thereon, a method for reading and writing information on the information recording medium, and an information read/write system.
VTRs (Video Tape Recorders) have become widespread as an information read/write system which enables information to be reproduced and recorded thereon. The VTR is for reading and writing information on a magnetic tape employed as an information recording medium. Thus, the property of the magnetic tape has made it impossible for users to access randomly or search quickly the information desired by the users.
To solve such problems of the VTR as mentioned above, information recording media of disc type such as CDs (Compact Disc) or DVDs (Digital Video Disc OR Digital Versatile Disc) have been developed. In addition, rewritable DVDs have received attention as an information recording medium of the next generation. The rewritable DVD not only allows reading and writing information thereon but also allows re-recording new information by erasing the information previously recorded thereon.
However, for example, consider a case where the information which has been already recorded on the information recording area in the aforementioned rewritable DVD is overwritten with other information. In this case, it was necessary for the user to have the recorded information read, then check and determine whether the recorded information can be overwritten, and then specify an information recording area which can be overwritten.
Thus, this raised such a problem that the aforementioned complicated procedures had to be repeated every time the rewritable DVD was used by rewriting the rewritable DVD.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in view of the aforementioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording medium, and a method and system for reading and writing information thereon, which makes it possible to facilitate recording by rewriting.
An information recording medium, and a method and system for reading and writing information thereon according to the present invention are adapted as follows to achieve the aforementioned object. That is, when one piece of or a plurality of pieces of program information having already been recorded is reproduced, history management information indicating that the program information has been reproduced is recorded in a predetermined management information recording area of the information recording medium, corresponding to the aforementioned one piece of or the aforementioned plurality of pieces of the program information. In addition, when other program information is recorded, the aforementioned other program information overwrites the program information, having been already recorded, corresponding to the aforementioned history management information.
According to the present invention, when other program information is recorded, the other program information overwrites automatically the program data which may be overwritten. Accordingly, without being bothered by complicated operation, the user is allowed to erase unnecessary program data to record other program information.
In addition, when the aforementioned other program information is recorded, the aforementioned other program information is adapted to overwrite the program information having been already recorded, and reproduced at the earliest time, corresponding to the aforementioned history management information.
According to the present invention, program data which are unnecessary for the user is overwritten in chronological order. This enables the user to erase unnecessary program data without being bothered by complicated operation to record other program information.
Furthermore, protect management information indicating a setting of disabling erasing of the aforementioned program information is recorded in the aforementioned management information recording area, and when the aforementioned other program information is recorded, the aforementioned other program information is not allowed to overwrite the program information corresponding to the protect management information indicating the aforementioned setting of disabling erasing.
According to the present invention, the program information is excluded from overwriting even if the program information has been reproduced and if the program information is under the control of the protect management information.
This makes it possible to prevent such a problem as to accidentally erase the program information which is de sired to remain unerased by the user.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5107481 (1992-04-01), Miki et al.
patent: 5422871 (1995-06-01), Nakashima et al.
patent: 5774434 (1998-06-01), Arataki et al.
patent: 5907446 (1999-05-01), Ishii et al.
patent: 6204985 (2001-03-01), Ono et al.
patent: 6256453 (2001-07-01), Takano
Ishii Hidehiro
Noguchi Tadashi
Tanikawa Toshiro
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Pioneer Corporation
Tran Thang V.
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