Patent ID: 7656754

Claim:
An optical disk player for reproducing information recorded on an optical disk, comprising: a system controller having: an available term setting section operable to set an available term of use of the player in terms of the number of dates and a playing time; a lock-setting determining section operable to determine whether or not the player is locked when a first optical disk is loaded into the player; a message displaying section operable to display a message requesting to load a second optical disk into the player when the lock-setting determining section determines that the player is locked; a lock releasing section operable to unlock the player when the second optical disk is loaded into the player; an available term determining section operable to determine whether or not the available term expires when the player is unlocked; a reproducing processing section operable to start reproducing the first optical disk; and a lock setting section operable to lock the player; wherein when the available term determining section determines the available term expires, the system controller determines whether or not to extend the available term; wherein when the system controller determines not to extend the available term, the lock setting section locks the player; wherein when the available term determining section determines that the available term does not expire or the system controller determines to extend the available term, the reproducing processing section operable to start reproducing the first optical disk; and wherein the system controller determines to extend the available term when the player is preset to extend the available term after the player is unlocked.