Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-03
2003-09-23
Robinson, Greta (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06625626
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and recording method, reproducing apparatus and reproducing method, and recording medium; and particularly relates to a recording apparatus and recording method, reproducing apparatus and reproducing method, and recording medium which are suitable for use in recording and/or reproducing data while managing the recording area of a recording medium on a predetermined block basis.
2. Description of the Related Art
The assignee of this application has already proposed a system which transfers data such as video, audio, character, computer program, and other likewise data, particularly digital data, from an information providing apparatus to portable user terminals equipped with a recording medium such as semiconductor memory, thereby providing various types of service, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-131371, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-215010, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-301601, etc., for example.
According to such a system, for example, the user can carry a user terminal, go to a location where an information providing apparatus is set up, receive audio data or the like from the information providing apparatus, receive the data in the recording medium, and reproduce the data with the user terminal thereby listening to music in this case. In other words, in this case, the user does not need to purchase a CD (compact disk) or magnetic tape with audio data recorded therein in order to be provided with the music. Also, in the event that the user grows tired of that piece of music, the user can be provided with audio data for a new piece of music, and listen to the new music.
Since portability is required for such user terminals, non-volatile memory such as flash memory which is capable of holding data even without back-up of a battery or the like, is preferably used for the recording medium.
However, flash memory has a problem in that the program time necessary for writing input data into the flash memory is relatively longer in comparison to the data input time necessary for inputting the data therein, so in the event that the amount of data to be written is greater than the amount of data which can be input to the flash memory at once, a wait time consisting only of program time occurs between completion of input of data to the flash memory to input of the next data. Allowing such a wait time to occur means that more time is required for providing data to each user. On the other hand, the information providing apparatuses are used by a great number of users, so required a greater amount of time for each user results in making the other users wait, consequently resulting in fewer users being able to receive the service.
Accordingly, the present assignee has already proposed a recording method wherein a plurality of flash memory chips are used, and data is written thereto in a parallel manner, thereby reducing the amount of time required to write the data (hereafter referred to as the “parallel recording method”).
The parallel recording method is an arrangement wherein, for example, data is input to one chip of a plurality of pieces of flash memory, and when that input is completed, the next data is input to another chip, and when that input is completed, the next data is input to yet another chip, and so on. That is to say, while the data input to one chip is being written thereto, the next data is being input to another chip, thereby allowing the next data to be input without waiting for the program time of the first chip, thereby reducing the amount of time necessary for writing data.
Now, data is written to and read from flash memory in units called pages, and data is deleted therefrom in units of blocks, which are comprised of several pages. Thus, the pages are finer units than blocks.
Accordingly, with the parallel recording method, data is managed in units of blocks, to enable efficient writing, deleting, and so forth. More specifically, block management information for managing each of blocks is formed for each of the blocks, and each block is managed based on its peculiar block management information.
Similarly, the parallel recording technique employs file management information which is formed for each of the files. Each file is managed based on the associated file management information.
In the above-described parallel recording technique proposed by the present assignee, the block management information lacks any information concerning the file of the data stored in the block managed by the block management information. In other words, information concerning the file is contained only in the file managing information. This poses a risk that the access to the file is impeded in the event of destruction of the file managing information due to, for example, accidental drop of the voltage of the electric power supplied to the apparatus, even if the date of the file and the block management information managing the block storing the data are alive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in light of the above state, and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to ensure accessibility to files even when file management information is destructed.
To these ends, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus for recording data in a recording medium by managing a recording area in the recording medium on a block basis, comprising: file management information storing means for storing file management information for managing logical sequential order of each of files stored in the recording medium; block management information storing means for storing block management information including information for identifying each of the files, information indicative of the logical sequential order of the block in which the data of each file is recorded, and information indicative of the size of the data recorded in the block; and record controlling means for recording a file in the recording medium and for forming the file administration information and the block management information concerning the file.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording method for recording data in a recording medium by managing a recording area in the recording medium on a block basis, comprising: a file management information storing step for storing file management information for managing logical sequential order of each of files stored in the recording medium; a block management information storing step for storing block management information including information for identifying each of the files, information indicative of the logical sequential order of the block in which the data of each file is recorded, and information indicative of the size of the data recorded in the block; and a record controlling step for recording a file in the recording medium and for forming the file administration information and the block management information concerning the file.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproducing apparatus for reproducing data from a recording medium by managing a recording area in the recording medium on a block basis, comprising: file management information storing means for storing file management information for managing logical sequential order of each of the files stored in the recording medium; block management information storing means for storing block management information including information for identifying each of the files, information indicative of the logical sequential order of the block in which the data of each file is recorded, and information indicative of the size of the data recorded in the block; and reproduction controlling means for reproducing one of the recorded files based on the file administration information and the block management information concerning the file.
In accordance with a fourth asp
Rayyan Susan
Robinson Greta
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