Patent ID: 7693021

Claim:
A method of recording information on a rewritable optical disc having a laminate of recording layers including first and second recording layers each with a data area and a recording management area, the method comprising the steps of: calculating a first on-disc position related to an innermost position within a first data-recorded region in the data area of the second recording layer, the first data-recorded region being generated by latest data recording on the disc; reproducing recording management information from one of the recording management areas of the first and second recording layers; deriving a second on-disc position from the reproduced recording management information, the second on-disc position is in substantial coincidence with an outer-most position within a second data-recorded region in the second recording layer, the second data-recorded region being generated by data recording on the disc which is previous to the latest data recording; comparing the first on-disc position and the second on-disc position to decide whether an unused portion is present in or absent from a region between the first on-disc position and the second on-disc position; recording padding data on the unused portion to implement one of (1) finalizing the disc and (2) closing a bordered area in the disc when it is decided that the unused portion is present in the region between the first on-disc position and the second on-disc position; updating the second on-disc position into substantial coincidence with an outermost position within the first data-recorded region; and updating the recording management information in one of the recording management areas of the first and second recording layers in accordance with the updating of the second on-disc position.