Patent ID: 6529458
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A method for managing a defective area on an optical recording medium being read by a recording/reproducing device, the optical recording medium having a user area thereon, the recording/reproducing device being controlled by a control unit, the recording/reproducing device reproducing data from the optical recording medium and providing the data to the control unit, the method comprising:(A) returning information on a newly-discovered defective area to the control unit when the defective area is encountered during reading by the recording/reproducing device of data recorded on an optical recording medium; (B) causing the data intended for the defective area to be written by the recording/reproducing device in any part of the user area that is unused, under the control of the control unit; and (C) causing positional information about the defective area to be written by the recording/reproducing device in the user area under the control of the control unit, wherein the step (B) includes determining randomly one part of the user areas that is unused as an area to which the data intended for the defective area is to be written by the recording/reproducing device.