Write-once optical disc, and method and apparatus for allocating spare area on write-once optical disc

• US 7,764,581 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Sung Dae, Park, Yong Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow; Van N
• Application Number:
  US12/242,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20090028015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 369/53.17
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1873 Temporary defect structures for write-once discs, e.g. TDDS, TDMA or TDFL
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers

Abstract

A write-once type optical disc and a method and apparatus for allocating a spare area on the write-once type optical disc are provided. The method includes allocating a data area on a recording medium of write-once type, and allocating a user data area and at least one spare area within the data area on the recording medium, the at least one spare area having a variable size, wherein a maximum recording capacity of the at least one spare area on the recording medium is less than a maximum recording capacity of at least one variable spare area on a rewritable type optical disc.

Claims

1. A method for recording defect management information on a recording medium, the recording medium including an inner zone and a data area, the method comprising:

recording temporary defect management information into temporary management areas allocated to the inner zone and the data area until the recording medium is finalized, the temporary management areas being allocated to the inner zone and the data area when a plurality of the temporary management areas are provided,

wherein the data area includes a spare area and a user data area, the spare area including a temporary management area for recording the temporary defect management information associated with a defective block, the spare area having a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value, and

wherein the inner zone includes a temporary management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the temporary management area of the spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined; and

recording the latest temporary defect management information included in the temporary management areas into a defect management area in the inner zone when the recording medium is to be finalized.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

recording final defect management information into at least one management area allocated to the inner zone when the recording medium is finalized.

3. A recording medium, comprising:

an inner zone,

a data area,

temporary management areas storing temporary defect management information until the recording medium is finalized, which are allocated to the inner zone and the data area when a plurality of the temporary management areas are provided,

wherein the data area includes a spare area and a user data area, the spare area including a temporary management area for recording the temporary defect management information associated with a defective block, the spare area having a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value, and

wherein the inner zone includes a temporary management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the temporary management area of the spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined, and

a defect management area, in the inner zone, for storing the latest temporary defect management information from the temporary management areas when the recording medium is finalized.

4. The recording medium as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

at least one management area storing final defect management information when the recording medium is finalized, which is allocated to the inner zone.

5. A method for allocating an area to a recording medium of write-once type, the recording medium including an inner zone and a data area, the method comprising:

allocating, to the data area, at least one spare area with a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value; and

allocating, to the at least one spare area, at least one temporary defect management area for storing temporary defect management information associated with a defective block until the recording medium is finalized,

wherein the temporary defect management area is allocated to the spare area when a plurality of the temporary defect management areas are provided,

wherein the inner zone has a defect management area for storing defect management information when the recording medium is to be finalized, and

wherein the inner zone includes the defect management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the at least one temporary defect management area of the at least one spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein if two spare areas are allocated to the data area, a ratio of a total size of the two spare areas to a size of a user data area within the data area is less than a predetermined value.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a size of the temporary defect management area is variably allocated based on a size of the allocated spare area.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the data area includes an inner spare area, a user data area and an outer spare area in order, and temporary defect management areas are allocated at an inner side of the inner spare area and an outer side of the outer spare area, respectively.

9. A recording medium, comprising:

a data area including a user data area and at least one spare area, the spare area including a temporary defect management area for storing temporary defect management information associated with a defective block, the spare area having a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value, the temporary defect management area being allocated to the spare area when a plurality of the temporary defect management areas are provided; and

an inner zone including a defect management area for storing defect management information when the recording medium is finalized,

wherein the inner zone includes the defect management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the temporary defect management area of the spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined.

10. The recording medium of claim 9, wherein if the data area includes two spare areas, a ratio of a total size of the two spare areas to a size of the user data area is less than a predetermined value.

11. The recording medium of claim 9, wherein the recording medium is of write-once type.

12. An apparatus for allocating an area to a recording medium including at least an inner zone and a data area, the apparatus comprising:

a pickup configured to record/reproduce data on/from the recording medium; and

a controller operatively coupled to the pickup and configured to allocate at least one spare area to the data area, the spare area having a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value, configured to allocate a temporary defect management area, to the spare area, for storing temporary defect management information until the recording medium is finalized, the temporary defect management area being allocated to the spare area when a plurality of temporary defect management areas are provided, and configured to control the pickup to store defect management information in a defect management area within the inner zone when the recording medium is to be finalized,

wherein the inner zone includes the defect management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the temporary defect management area of the spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the controller allocates two spare areas to the data area, a ratio of a total size of the two spare areas to a size of a user data area within the data area is less than a predetermined value.

14. An apparatus for recording defect management information on a recording medium, the recording medium including an inner zone and a data area, the apparatus comprising:

a pickup configured to record/reproduce data on/from the recording medium; and

a controller operatively coupled to the pickup and configured to control the pickup to record temporary defect management information in temporary management areas allocated to the inner zone and the data area until the recording medium is finalized, the temporary management areas being allocated to the inner zone and the data area when a plurality of the temporary management areas are provided,

wherein the data area includes a user data area and at least one spare area, the spare area including a temporary management area for recording the temporary defect management information associated with a defective block, and the spare area having a size of 0 to a predetermined maximum value, and wherein the inner zone includes a temporary management area allocated with a predetermined fixed size, and the temporary management area of the spare area is allocated with a size that is not predetermined, and the controller configured to control the pickup to record the latest temporary defect management information included in the temporary management areas into a defect management area in the inner zone when the recording medium is to be finalized.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the pickup to record final defect management information in at least one management area within the inner zone when the recording medium is finalized.