Recording medium, recording apparatus and reproduction apparatus with reproduction path flag information

• US 6,351,442 B1
• Filed: 06/01/1999
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tagawa, Kenji, Kozuka, Masayuki, Minami, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Huber, Paul W.
• Application Number:
  US09/323,796
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 369/32, 369/33, 369/53.2, 369/53.24, 369/53.41, 369/47.13, 369/47.46, 369/47.22, 369/275.3, 369/47.47
• US Class Current: 369/53.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00869 wherein the remote server can deliver the content to a receiving device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2512 Floppy disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2529 Mini-discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• 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 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 : Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/87 : Producing a motion picture film from a television signal standard conversion therefor H04N7/0112
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

The recording medium of this invention is recorded with a plurality of digital data and a plurality of reproduction path information defining a reproduction order of the plurality of digital data, wherein the plurality of reproduction path information includes first reproduction path information defining a reproduction order of all of the plurality of digital data recorded on the recording medium and second reproduction path information defining a reproduction order of at least one of the plurality of digital data recorded on the recording medium.

Claims

1. A recording medium for recording a plurality of digital data and reproduction path information defining a reproduction order of a plurality of digital data,

wherein at least one of the plurality of digital data is digital data which has not been recorded on the recording medium, and

the reproduction path information includes flag information indicating whether or not each of the plurality of digital data has been recorded on the recording medium.

2. A recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction path information includes address information indicating a location from where the digital data will be obtained.

3. A recording apparatus for recording information on the recording medium according to claim 1, comprising:

a controller for controlling obtaining the reproduction path information; and

a recorder for recording the reproduction path information on the recording medium.

4. A recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the flag information indicates that the digital data has not been recorded on the recording medium, the controller controls obtaining the digital data from outside the recording apparatus in accordance with the address information.

5. A recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an editing section for editing the reproduction path information.

6. A reproduction apparatus for reproducing information from the recording medium according to claim 4, comprising:

a retrieval section for retrieving the reproduction path information recorded on the recording medium;

a controller for determining whether or not the digital data has been recorded on the recording medium based on the flag information in the reproduction path information; and

a reproduction section for reproducing the digital data when the digital data has been recorded on the recording medium, or skipping reproduction of the digital data when the digital data has not been recorded on the recording medium.

7. A program storage medium for storing a program which makes a computer record information on the recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the program includes the steps of:

controlling obtaining the reproduction path information;

recording the reproduction path information on the recording medium; and

obtaining the digital data from outside the recording apparatus in accordance with the address information when the flag information indicates that the digital data has not been recorded on the recording medium.