Patent ID: 8068390

Claim:
An information recording device for recording information on an information recording medium, the information recording medium including a sector that is a minimum unit in a case where a higher-level device records/reproduces user data, and a cluster containing a plurality of the sectors, which is an error correction unit, the information recording medium also including a volume space for recording user data, a spare area containing a substitute area that can be used in place of a defective area contained in the volume space, and a defect management information area for recording defect management information used for managing the defective area, wherein the defect management information contains a plurality of defect list (DFL) entries, each defect list entry containing fields that store defect location information indicating a location of the cluster contained in the defective area, substitute position information indicating a location of the cluster contained in the substitute area, and defect status information indicating an attribute of the defect list entry, the attribute indicating whether significant user data is present in any of the defective area and the substitute area, the information recording device comprising a control module for, upon receiving a recording instruction with respect to at least one sector contained in a cluster represented by the defect location information in the DFL entry in which the defect status information has the attribute indicating that significant user data is not present in any of the defective area and the substitute area as a result of physical reformatting, performing recording processing of data sent from the higher-level device with respect to the sector having received the recording instruction, among the sectors contained in the cluster, and performing recording processing of new user data with respect to the sector not having received the recording instruction, among the sectors contained in the cluster, using dummy data instead of using data present in said sector having received the recording instruction.