Recording/reproduction apparatus and recording/reproduction method

• US 6,920,278 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2000
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Hiroaki, Yano, Hajime, Fujino, Toyomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vent, Jamie
• Application Number:
  US09/655,231
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 386 94- 95, 386/83, 386/46, 345/721, 360/15, 710/38, 725/46, 725/86, 725/87, 725101-102, 725 38- 40, 725/47, 348/721
• US Class Current: 386/252
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums

Abstract

A recording/reproduction apparatus and a recording/reproduction method are adapted to information on the recording area of a recording medium without intervention of the operator if the recording medium is short of capacity necessary for recording the information to be recorded. If information not recorded on a magnetic tape is supplied to DTR 9 and central control section 2 determines that the magnetic tape does not have a recording capacity sufficient for recording the information, the central control section 2 causes the DTR 9 to record said information not recorded on the magnetic tape in the storage area of the magnetic tape storing one or more than one pieces of information with the oldest time and date of recording.

Claims

1. A recording/reproduction apparatus comprising:

a first information recording means for recording information, including information of a time and date of recording on a first recording medium from a recording starting point of said first recording medium in an order of time and date of recording;

a recording capacity determining means for judging if said first recording medium has a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information;

an oldest information detecting means for detecting one or more pieces of information having an oldest time and date of recording out of a plurality of pieces of information recorded on said first recording medium;

a recording control means for controlling an operation of recording information not recorded on said first recording medium in a recording area of said first recording medium and for storing said one or more pieces of information having the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said oldest information detecting means if the information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and said recording capacity determining means judges that said recording medium does not have said remaining recording capacity; and

an erasure prohibiting means for specifying one or more pieces of information recorded by said first information recording means on said first recording medium for prohibition of erasure;

wherein the oldest time and date of recording of said one or more pieces of information having been specified for the prohibition of erasure by the erasure prohibiting means are changed to have a current time and date of recording when said first recording medium is filled to capacity.

2. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said recording control means is adapted to control said first information recording means so as to cause the recording control means to record the information not recorded on said first recording medium in the recording area on said first recording medium and adapted to store the one or more pieces of recorded information having the oldest time and date of recording except said one or more pieces of recorded information specified by said erasure prohibiting means.

3. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second information recording means for recording information on a second recording medium; and

a specification cancelling means for cancelling a specification of said one or more pieces of recorded information for prohibition of erasure as specified by said erasure prohibiting means;

said recording control means is adapted to control said first information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said recording capacity determining means that said first recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said first information recording means to reproduce the one or more pieces of information stored on said recording medium with the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said oldest information detecting means out of the recording area of said first recording medium to be used for recording said information not recorded on said first recording medium and record the reproduced information on said second recording medium; and

said specification cancelling means is adapted to cancel the prohibition of erasure of said one or more pieces of recorded information as specified by said erasure prohibiting means after a completion of recording said information reproduced by said second information recording means on said second recording medium.

4. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second information recording means for recording information on a second recording medium; and

a specification cancelling means for cancelling a specification of said one or more pieces of recorded information for prohibition of erasure as specified by said erasure prohibiting means;

said recording control means is adapted to control said first information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said recording capacity determining means that said first recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said first information recording means to reproduce the one or more pieces of information stored on said recording medium with the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said oldest information detecting means out of the recording area of said first recording medium to be used for recording said information not recorded on said first recording medium; and

said specification cancelling means is adapted to cancel the prohibition of erasure of said one or more pieces of recorded information as specified by said erasure prohibiting means after a completion of recording said information reproduced by said second information recording means on said second recording medium.

5. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second information recording means for recording information on a second recording medium; and

a specification cancelling means for cancelling the specification of said one or more pieces of recorded information for prohibition of erasure as specified by said erasure prohibiting means;

said recording control means is adapted to control said first information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said recording capacity determining means that said first recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said first information recording means to reproduce the one or more pieces of information stored on said recording medium with the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said oldest information detecting means out of the recording area of said first recording medium to be used for recording said information not recorded on said first recording medium; and

said specification cancelling means is adapted to cancel the prohibition of erasure of said one or more pieces of recorded information as specified by said erasure prohibiting means after a completion of recording said information reproduced by said second information recording means on said second recording medium.

6. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second information recording means for recording information on a second recording medium; and

a specification cancelling means for cancelling the specification of said one or more pieces of recorded information for prohibition of erasure as specified by said erasure prohibiting means;

said recording control means is adapted to control said first information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said recording capacity determining means that said first recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said first information recording means to reproduce said one or more pieces of information specified by said erasure prohibiting means and stored on said recording medium out of the recording area of said first recording medium to be used for recording said information not recorded on said first recording medium; and

said specification cancelling means is adapted to cancel the prohibition of erasure of said one or more pieces of recorded information as specified by said erasure prohibiting means after a completion of recording said information reproduced by said second information recording means on said second recording medium.

7. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a second recording capacity determining means for judging if said second recording medium has a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information; and

a second oldest information detecting means for detecting one or more pieces of information having an oldest time and date of recording out of a plurality of pieces of information recorded on said second recording medium;

said second information recording means is adapted to record said information to be recorded as accompanied by the information on the time and date of recording on said second recording medium in an order of scheduled time and date of recording from a starting point for recording on said second recording medium; and

said recording control means is adapted to control said second information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said second recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said second recording capacity determining means that said second recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said second information recording means to record said information not recorded on said second recording medium in the recording area said second recording medium and to store said one or more pieces of information having the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said second oldest information detecting means.

8. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second recording capacity determining means forjudging if said second recording medium has a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information; and

a second oldest information detecting means for detecting one or more pieces of information having an oldest time and date of recording out of the plurality of pieces of information recorded on said second recording medium;

said second information recording means is adapted to record said information to be recorded as accompanied by the information on the time and date of recording on said second recording medium in an order of scheduled time and date of recording from a starting point for recording on said second recording medium; and

said recording control means is adapted to control said second information recording means, when a piece of information not recorded on said second recording medium is supplied and when it is determined by said second recording capacity determining means that said second recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, so as to cause said second information recording means to record said information not recorded on said second recording medium in the recording area on said second recording medium and to store said one or more pieces of information having the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said second oldest information detecting means.

9. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the time and date when the reproduced information is recorded by said second information recording means on said second recording medium is treated as if the time and date when said information is recorded by said first information recording means on said first recording medium.

10. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the time and date when the reproduced information is recorded by said second information recording means on said second recording medium is treated as if the time and date when said information is recorded by said first information recording means on said first recording medium.

11. The recording/reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section for displaying the one or more pieces of recorded information with the oldest time and date of recording as detected by said oldest information detecting means except said one or more pieces of recorded information specified by said erasure prohibiting means.

12. A recording/reproduction method comprising the steps of:

first recording information to be recorded in a first information recording means, including information of a time and date of recording on a first recording medium from a recording starting point of said first recording medium in an order of time and date of recording;

judging if said first recording medium has a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information;

detecting one or more pieces of information having an oldest time and date of recording out of a plurality of pieces of information recorded on said first recording medium;

second recording of information not recorded on said first recording medium in a recording area of said first recording medium;

storing said one or more pieces of information having the oldest time and date of recording as detected in said detecting step if the information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and it is judged in said determining step that said recording medium does not have said remaining recording capacity; and

specifying one or more pieces of information recorded by said first information recording means on said first recording medium for prohibition of erasure;

wherein the oldest time and date of recording of said one or more pieces of information having been specified for the prohibition of erasure are changed to have a current time and date of recordings when said first recording medium is filled to capacity.

13. The recording/reproduction method according to claim 12, wherein

the information not recorded on said first recording medium is recorded in the recording area on said first recording medium and one or more pieces of recorded information having the oldest time and date of recording except said one or more pieces of recorded information specified in said second recording step are stored.

14. The recording/reproduction method according to claim 12, wherein when a piece of information not recorded on said first recording medium is supplied and when it is determined in said judging step that said first recording medium does not have a remaining recording capacity sufficient for recording said information to be recorded, the one or more pieces of information stored on said recording medium with the oldest time and date of recording as detected in said detecting step are reproduced out of the recording area of said first recording medium to be used for recording said information not recorded on said first recording medium and the reproduced information is recorded on said second recording medium in said second recording step.