Patent ID: 6125428
Filing Date: 2000-09-26
Classification: G06F,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A multimedia data reproduction apparatus including a library unit which contains a plurality of recording media each having at least one multimedia title comprising a series of multimedia data, and at least one reproduction unit that mounts an arbitrary one of the recording media and reproduces multimedia data of a multimedia title of the recording medium, said apparatus being connected through a communication mediating means to a plurality of terminal units and, when receiving a request to read multimedia data of a multimedia title from an arbitrary one of the terminal units, said apparatus reading multimedia data of the requested multimedia title from a recording medium in the library unit using the reproduction unit and then transmitting the read data to the terminal unit that requests the multimedia title;said apparatus including:a file management unit managing which recording medium contains which multimedia title;a media management unit managing whether each of the recording media is being used for reproduction of multimedia data;a reproduction management unit managing which reproduction unit is being used for reproduction of multimedia data from which recording medium;wherein, when a request to start reading of multimedia data of the requested multimedia title is issued, a recording medium containing the requested multimedia title is obtained from said file management unit, whether the obtained recording medium is being used for reproduction of multimedia data is obtained from said media management unit, and whether a reproduction unit not being used for reproduction of multimedia data is available is obtained from said reproduction unit management unit;when the obtained recording medium is not being used and a reproduction unit not being used is available, reading of the multimedia data of the requested multimedia title is carried out; andwhen the obtained recording medium is being used or when a reproduction unit not being used is unavailable, the request to start reading is rejected,said file management unit storing information about which recording medium contains which multimedia title;said media management unit storing information about whether each of the recording media is being used for reproduction of multimedia data; andsaid reproduction unit management unit storing information about which reproduction unit is being used for reproduction of multimedia data from which recording medium; andsaid apparatus further including:an open processing unit which processes said request to start reading of multimedia data of the requested multimedia title in the following manner:receiving the request to start reading, said open processing unit obtains a recording medium containing the requested multimedia title from said file management unit, obtains whether the obtained recording medium is being used for reproduction of multimedia data from said media management unit, and obtains whether a reproduction unit not being used for reproduction of multimedia data is available from said reproduction unit management unit;when the obtained recording medium is not being used and a reproduction unit not being used is available, said open processing unit sets the obtained recording medium to ""being used"" in the storage of said media management unit and sets the unused reproduction unit to ""being used"" for the obtained recording medium in the storage of the reproduction unit management unit, and makes the reproduction unit perform reading of multimedia data of the requested multimedia title; andwhen the obtained recording medium is being used or when a reproduction unit not being used is unavailable, said open processing unit posts that the request to start reading is rejected; anda close processing unit which processes a request to end reading of multimedia data of the multimedia title in the following manner:receiving the request to end reading, said close processing unit sets the recording medium containing the multimedia title for which the request to end reading is issued to ""not used"" in the storage of said media management unit, and sets the reproduction unit which has been used for reproduction of the recording medium to ""not used"" in the storage of the reproduction unit management unit.