Recording and/or reproducing apparatus, portable recording and reproducing apparatus, data transfer system, data transfer method, and data recording and reproducing method

• US 6,675,179 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morohashi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US09/774,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20010030827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/7, 707/104.1, 707/5, 707/200, 707/202, 707/204, 846/01, 700/94, 705/51, 705/57, 711/154, 711/219, 369/93
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• 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 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/007 reproducing continuously a part of the information, i.e. repeating
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• 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: 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: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 : Archiving or backup

Abstract

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data to and/or from a recording medium having a data area in which data are stored and a management data area in which management data for managing these data are stored. The apparatus according to the invention has a selecting circuit, a reading circuit, and a transfer circuit. The selecting circuit selects, in accordance with a user operation, group management data to be stored in the recording medium. The group management data are stored in the management data area and manage, as a data group, plural data stored in the data area. The reading circuit reads the selected group management data and the data group managed thereby. The transfer circuit transfers the read group management data and the read data group managed thereby to an external device.

Claims

1. A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

recording/reproducing means for recording/reproducing data to/from a rewritable recording medium having a data area in which data are stored and a management data area in which management data for managing said data are stored;

selecting means for selecting group management data to be stored in said rewritable recording medium in accordance with a user operation, said group management data being stored in said management data area for managing as a data group a plurality of data to be stored in said data area;

reading means for reading said selected group management data and said data group managed by said group management data; and

transfer means for transferring said group management data and said data group read by said reading means to an external apparatus, wherein said recording/reproducing means rewrites said group management data stored in said management data area of said rewritable recording medium in response to said transfer operation.

2. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said group management data include data group transfer count information indicative of a number of times said data group has been transferred to said external apparatus, said recording/reproducing apparatus further comprising:

control means for controlling said transfer means so as to transfer said data group to said external apparatus on a basis of said data group transfer count information and for incrementing said data group transfer count information.

3. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said transfer means transfers each piece of data managed by said group management data to said external apparatus,

said group management data includes data transfer count information indicative of a number of times said each piece of data managed by said group management data has been transferred to said external apparatus, and

said control means controls said transfer means so as to transfer said each piece of data to said external apparatus on a basis of said data transfer count information and for incrementing said data transfer count information.

4. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said each piece of data to said external apparatus on said basis of said data transfer count information.

5. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said each piece of data when a value of said data transfer count information is greater than a predetermined value.

6. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said group management data transferred by said transfer means to said external apparatus include list management data for managing a plurality of data groups, a plurality of group management data which are managed by said list management data and include a plurality of audio identifiers, and a plurality of audio management data which are managed by said group management data and include a single audio identifier; and

in response to a user request for a transfer of each piece of audio data managed by said transferred management data from said external apparatus to said recording/reproducing apparatus, said control means compares an audio identifier corresponding to said each piece of audio data with an audio identifier stored in said recording/reproducing apparatus, deletes audio management data and said each piece of audio data from said external apparatus in accordance with a result of said comparison, and decrements said data transfer count information corresponding to said each piece of audio data stored in said recording/reproducing apparatus.

7. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said data group to said external apparatus on said basis of said data transfer count information corresponding to said each piece of data managed by said group management data.

8. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said group management data to said external apparatus when a value of at least one piece of said data transfer count information each corresponding to said each piece of data managed by said group management data is greater than a predetermined value.

9. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said control means control said transfer means so as to transfer, to said external apparatus, data managed by said group management data, said data being lower in said data transfer count information than a predetermined value.

10. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said data group to said external apparatus on said basis of said data group transfer count information.

11. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said data group to said external apparatus when a value of said data group transfer count information is greater than a predetermined value.

12. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

said group management data transferred by said transfer means to said external apparatus include a session number indicative of an identifier of said recording/reproducing apparatus; and

in response to a user request for a transfer of said data group from said external apparatus to said recording/reproducing apparatus, said control means compares a session number of said group management data corresponding to a data group with said session number of said recording/reproducing apparatus, deletes said group management data and said data group from said external apparatus in accordance with a result of said comparison, and decrements said data group transfer count information stored in said recording/reproducing apparatus.

13. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

said group management data transferred by said transfer means to said external apparatus include list management data having list identifiers pointing at a plurality of data groups one to one, a plurality of group control data which are managed by said list management data and include a plurality of audio identifiers, and a plurality of audio management data which are managed by said group management data and include a single audio identifier; and

in response to a user request for a transfer of said data group managed by said group management data from said external apparatus to said recording/reproducing apparatus, said control means compares a list identifier corresponding to said data group with a list identifier stored in said recording/reproducing apparatus, deletes list management data and group management data and audio data corresponding to list management data from said external apparatus in accordance with a result of said comparison, and decrements said data group transfer count information corresponding to said list management data stored in said recording/reproducing apparatus.

14. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said group management data include edit information indicative of whether said data group managed by said group management data has been edited, said recording/reproducing apparatus further comprising:

control means for controlling said transfer means so as to transfer said data group to said external apparatus on a basis of said edit information.

15. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said storage medium stores a plurality of data groups;

said management data area stores a list management data for managing said plurality of data groups, a plurality of group management data managed by said list management data, and a plurality of audio management data managed by said group management data;

said data area stores audio data managed by said audio management data; and

said control means controls said transfer of said plurality of data groups on said basis of said edit information associated with one of said plurality of group management data and said plurality of audio management data.

16. The recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said control means controls said transfer means so as not to transfer said data group to said external apparatus when said data group is found edited on said basis of said edit information.

17. A data transfer method for a recording/reproducing apparatus for transferring data from a rewritable recording medium having a data area in which data are stored and a management data area in which management data for managing said data are stored, comprising the steps of:

recording/reproducing data to/from said rewritable recording medium;

selecting group management data to be stored in said rewritable recording medium in accordance with a user operation, said group management data being stored in said management data area for managing, as a data group a plurality of pieces of data to be stored in said data area;

reading said selected group management data and said data group managed by said group management data; and

transferring said read group management data and said read data group to an external apparatus and, in response to said transferring step, rewriting said group management data stored in said management data area of said rewritable recording medium.