Information processing system operable with a detachable recording medium

• US 5,757,749 A
• Filed: 06/27/1997
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Misawa, Seiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CORCORAN, PETER JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US08/884,041
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 369/47, 369/53, 369/58
• US Class Current: 711/164
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/10595 Control of operating function
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/09 Digital recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0037 with discs

Abstract

An information processing system can have a portability of personal operation environment set information or the like to use an information processing apparatus and can also protect a copyright. A control command is transmitted from a CPU 11 to a system bus 18. An RAM 12, a non-volatile memory 13, a display 2, and an input/output control apparatus 15 are connected to the system bus 18. The system bus 18 and an I/O bus 19 are connected to the I/O control apparatus 15 and a signal of a control line is bidirectionally supplied to the I/O control apparatus 15. The I/O control apparatus 15, a keyboard 3, a mouse 4, an optical disc drive apparatus 5, and optional apparatuses 21 are connected to the I/O bus 19. The optional apparatuses 21 are constructed by a fixed magnetic recording apparatus 21a, a floppy disk drive 21b, a tape device 21c, and the like.

Claims

1. A system for processing information, comprising:

means for processing information having a central processing unit and a memory;

means for receiving a command and supplying said command to said means for processing;

a portable recording medium comprising a writable area and a read only area, said writable area adaptable for storing at least a user generated file and personal operation environment set information of a user, and said read only area having stored thereon as a file at least a boot program, an operating system, an application program which is made operative in response to said operating system, and management information for managing said operating system and said application program;

means for recording information on and reproducing information from said portable recording medium in response to said command received from said means for processing;

wherein said central processing unit of said means for processing controls said means for recording and reproducing to reproduce said operating system information from said portable recording medium and to store said operating system reproduced from said portable recording medium in said memory in response to said boot information and operates said application program in response to said operating system stored in said memory such that said system is operative from said portable recording medium without installing files from said portable recording medium to said system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said central processing unit is operable to control said means for recording and reproducing in response to said application program so as to record and reproduce said user generated file information from said writable area.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said management information includes attribute data indicating whether each of said operating system and said application program is readable;

wherein said means for receiving is operable to receive a command to reproduce a desired file from said portable recording medium;

wherein said system further comprises means for detecting said attribute data corresponding to said desired file; and

wherein said central processing unit is operable to control said means for recording and reproducing to reproduce said desired file from said portable recording medium if said detected attribute data indicates that said desired file is readable.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said command comprises a command name and an argument annexed to said command name, said argument identifying a file stored in said portable recording medium;

wherein said means for detecting is operable to detect said attribute data corresponding to said stored file identified by said argument; and

wherein said central processing unit is operable to control said means for recording and reproducing to reproduce said stored file identified by said argument if said detected attribute data indicates that said desired file is readable.

5. A method of selectively inhibiting reproducing apparatus from reproducing a file stored in a recording medium having a writable area and a read only area, comprising the steps of:

providing in said read only area as a file at least a boot program, an operating system, an application program which is made operative in response to said operating system, and management information for managing said program information and including attribute data indicating whether each of said operating system and said application program is reproducible;

recording at least a user generated file onto said writable area;

receiving an input command comprising a command name corresponding to said application program and an argument annexed to said command name, said argument identifying a stored file;

detecting said attribute data of said management information for the stored file identified by said argument; and

inhibiting said reproducing apparatus from reading the stored file identified by said argument from said recording medium if said detected attribute data indicates that the stored file identified by said argument is not reproducible.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said attribute data further includes information indicating whether a password is required to reproduce said operating system and said application program.

7. A portable recording medium for use with an information processing system having a fixed hard disk, said portable recording medium comprising a writable area and a read only area, said writable area being adaptable for storing at least a user generated file and personal operation environment set information of a user, and said read only area having stored thereon as a file at least a boot program, an operating system, an application program which is made operative in response to said operating system, and management information for managing said operating system and said application program such that said information processing system is operative from said portable recording medium without installing files from said portable recording medium to said system.

8. The recording medium of claim 7, wherein said management information includes attribute data indicating whether each of said operating system and said application program is readable.

9. The recording medium of claim 8, wherein said attribute data further includes information indicating whether a password is required to read said operating system and said application program.

10. The recording medium of claim 8, wherein a stored file represents said operating system;

wherein said management information further includes information indicating whether said stored file requested by a user is readable from said portable recording medium using a command comprising a command name and an argument annexed to said command name, said argument identifying said stored file; and

wherein said stored file corresponding to said argument is not readable from said portable recording medium if said attribute data corresponding to said argument indicates that the stored file representing said operating system is not readable.

11. The recording medium of claim 8, wherein a stored file represents said application program;

wherein said management information further includes information indicating whether said stored file requested by a user is readable from said portable recording medium using a command comprising a command name and an argument annexed to said command name, said argument identifying said stored file; and

wherein said stored file corresponding to said argument is not readable from said portable recording medium if said attribute data corresponding to said argument indicates that the stored file representing said application program is not readable.

12. The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said portable recording medium is a magneto-optic disc.

13. The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said application program is made operative only in response to said operating system stored on said portable recording medium.