Recording and reproducing apparatus and method for accessing data stored on a randomly accessible recording medium, and for managing data thereon

• US 6,341,278 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tsutomu, Fujita, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/568,713
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/205, 707/100, 707/4, 707/200, 707/2, 709/100, 709/303, 709/208
• US Class Current: 711/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0674 Disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0677 Optical disk device, e.g. CD-ROM, DVD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 11/10563 Access of indexed parts
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1252 for discontinuous data, e.g. digital information signals, computer programme data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1265 Control data, system data or management information, i.e. data used to access or process user data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 : directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 : Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9261 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 : Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 : Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 : File allocation

Abstract

A system for managing data including at least a randomly accessible recording medium, comprised of a data area in which recordal data is recorded in one or more variable length recording blocks by file and a management data area in which file entries and recording entries for each recording block of the files are recorded, the file entries including name data showing the names of the recordal data recorded in the files and identification data showing the record entries of the first recording blocks in which the recordal data are recorded, the record entries including head position data showing the heads of the recording blocks, link data showing the recording blocks in which continuations of the recordal data are recorded, and recording length data showing the recording lengths of the recording blocks.

Claims

1. A recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a data file recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium, comprising:

recording and reproducing means for recording the data file in one or more variable length recording blocks on the recording medium, and for reproducing the data file from the recording medium; and

a memory for storing a file entry and a record entry of the data file recorded on the recording medium, the file entry including name data representing the file name of the data file recorded on the recording medium and identification data representing the record entry of the first block of the data file, the record entry including head position data representing the head position of the data file on the recording medium and recording continuation length data representing a recording continuation length of the data file on the recording medium, wherein said recording and reproducing means reproduces the data file in accordance with the file entry and the record entry stored in the memory.

2. The recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the record entry further includes link data representing data for linking from said record entry to a next record entry if the data file is recorded to a next continuous recording block of the recording medium.

3. A recording and reproducing method for recording and reproducing a data file recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium, comprising the steps of:

recording the data file on the recording medium;

generating a file entry and a record entry, the file entry including name data representing the file name of the data file recorded on the recording medium and identification data representing the record entry of the data file recorded on the recording medium, the record entry including head position data representing the head position of the data file on the recording medium and recording continuation length data representing a recording continuation length of the data file on the recording medium;

storing the file entry and the record entry in a memory; and

reproducing the data file from the recording medium in accordance with the file entry and the record entry read out from the memory.

4. The recording and reproducing method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the record entry further includes link data representing data for linking from said record entry to a next record entry if the data file is recorded to a next continuous recording block of the recording medium.