File management method, content recording/playback apparatus and content recording program

• US 7,003,533 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hiroyuki, Sato, Mitsuhiro, Shimojima, Takashi, Noguchi, Naohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): GODDARD, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US10/004,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/1, 707/2, 707/10, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A package management information recording section 131 creates and records on a recording medium 120 package management information for managing packages recorded on the recording medium 120. A content file recording section 132 records on the recording medium 120 content files of content file groups included in packages, and also creates and records on the recording medium 120 content file group management information for managing these content file groups. A content/metadata correspondence information recording section 133 creates and records on the recording medium 120 information on correspondence between content files and metadata files within a package or correspondence between a package itself and metadata files. By this means, the correspondence between content files and metadata files can always be maintained correctly when they are recorded separately.

Claims

1. A file management method, comprising:

recording on a recording medium and managing a distributed object and a metadata file, the metadata file being an individual file comprising information related to the object and used to retrieve, categorize, and organize the object,

wherein correspondence between an identifier of the metadata file and an identifier of the object corresponding to the metadata file is managed by a metadata correspondence management file;

creating a directory for a package when the object is a package file;

recording, on the basis of the directory, a content file contained in the corresponding package and a metadata file corresponding to the content file;

assigning to the directory a directory name that corresponds to a package directory number assigned uniquely to the package;

managing, with a package management file, correspondence between the package directory number and a package identifier assigned to the package;

assigning to the content file and to the metadata file a name that corresponds to a content number assigned in package units when the content file and the metadata file are recorded on the recording medium;

managing, with a content file group management file, correspondence between the content number and an identifier of the content file or correspondence between the content number and an identifier of the metadata file; and

managing correspondence between an identifier of a content file contained the package and a corresponding identifier of a metadata file, using the metadata correspondence management file.

2. A content recording apparatus, comprising:

a data recorder that records a distributed object and a metadata file on a recording medium, the metadata file being an individual file comprising information related to the object and used to retrieve, categorize, and organize the object; and

a metadata correspondence information recorder that creates and records, on the recording medium, a metadata correspondence management file according to a correspondence between the object and the metadata file;

a service management information recorder that creates a directory corresponding to a service, assigns to the directory a directory name that corresponds to a service directory number uniquely assigned to said service, and creates and records, on the recording medium, a service management file indicating correspondence between the service directory number and a service identifier assigned to the service; and

a package metadata file recorder that assigns a file name to and that records on the recording medium, a metadata file corresponding to a metadata file number uniquely assigned in each service directory, and creates and records on the recording medium, a metadata file group management file indicating correspondence between the metadata file number of the file and an identifier of the file.

3. The content recording apparatus of claim 2, wherein said service management file indicates correspondence between the service directory number and the service identifier assigned to the service when content is distributed in package units in which content is collected.

4. A file management method, comprising:

recording on a recording medium and managing a distributed object and a metadata file, the metadata file being an individual file comprising information related to the object and used to retrieve, categorize, and organize the object, wherein correspondence between an identifier of the metadata file and an identifier of the object corresponding to the metadata file is managed by a metadata correspondence management file;

creating a directory for a service when content is distributed in package units in which related content is collected;

creating, on the basis of the directory, a subdirectory for each package distributed from a related service and recording a metadata file corresponding to the related package;

assigning to the directory a directory name that corresponds to a package directory number uniquely assigned to the package;

managing, with a package management file, correspondence between the package directory number and a package identifier assigned to the package;

recording, on the basis of the subdirectory, a file of content contained in the related package, and a file of metadata corresponding to the related content;

assigning to the content file and to the metadata a file name that corresponds to a content number assigned in package units when the content file and the metadata file are recorded on the recording medium;

managing, with a content file group management file, correspondence between the content number and an identifier of the content file or correspondence between the content number and an identifier of the metadata file;

assigning to the directory a directory name that corresponds to a service directory number uniquely assigned to the service;

managing, with a service management file, correspondence between the service directory number and a service identifier assigned to the service;

assigning to the metadata file, a filename that corresponds to a metadata file number uniquely assigned in each service directory, when the metadata file is recorded on the recording medium;

managing, with a metadata file group management file, correspondence between the metadata file number and an identifier of the metadata file, when the metadata file is recorded on the recording medium; and

managing, with the metadata correspondence management file, correspondence between the service identifier and an identifier of the metadata file corresponding to the service identifier, correspondence between an identifier of the package and an identifier of the metadata file corresponding thereto, and correspondence between an identifier of the content file and an identifier of the metadata file corresponding thereto.

5. A content playback apparatus, comprising:

a metadata correspondence resolution device, that, when content is played back from a recording medium on which files of content, distributed from a plurality of services, and file management information are recorded on a directory created for each service, uses the file management information and acquires respective metadata files corresponding to a content file and corresponding to a service,

wherein the file management information comprises a service management file that indicates correspondence between a service directory number uniquely corresponding to a directory name of the directory and a service identifier assigned to the service, a metadata file group management file indicating correspondence between a metadata file number uniquely corresponding to a name of a metadata file corresponding to the service and an identifier of the relevant metadata, and, a metadata correspondence management file containing correspondence between an identifier of the service and an identifier of a metadata file corresponding thereto and correspondence between an identifier of a content file and an identifier of a file of metadata corresponding thereto.

6. The content playback apparatus according to claim 5 that, when content is distributed in package units in which related content is collected, using a metadata correspondence management file containing correspondence between an identifier of the package and an identifier of a metadata file corresponding to the package, acquires a metadata file corresponding to the package.