Patent ID: 7366399

Claim:
An information processing apparatus for scheduling order of data reading from a recording medium, comprising: first sorting means for sorting data items recorded on the recording medium based on playback times of the data items, the first sorting means comprising (i) first detecting means for detecting, from data items which have not been moved yet to a first queue among the data items recorded on the recording medium, a data item having earliest playback time, and (ii) first moving means for moving and storing the data item detected by the first detecting means in the first queue; and second sorting means for sorting the data items sorted by the first sorting means based on recording positions of the data items on the recording medium, and using the sorting result as a result of scheduling the order of data reading from the recording medium, the second sorting means comprising (i) setting means for setting a schedule window corresponding to a range of the data items stored in the first queue, the range of the data items being subject to sorting based on the recording positions of the data items on the recording medium, (ii) second detecting means for detecting, based on the recording positions of the data items on the recording medium, from the range of the data items in the schedule window, a data item to be moved to a second queue, (iii) second moving means for moving the data item detected by the second detecting means to the second queue (iv) first determination means for determining whether or not the second queue is empty, and (v) second determination means for determining whether or not the range of the data items in the schedule window includes a data item recorded behind the recording position on the recording medium of the end data item of the second queue; and wherein: when the second queue is empty, the second detecting means detects, from the range of the data items in the schedule window, a data item which has an initial recording position on the recording medium; when the second queue is not empty, and the range of the data items in the schedule window does not include a data item recorded behind the recording position on the recording medium of the end data item of the second queue, the second detecting means detects, from the range of the data items in the schedule window, a data item which has an initial recording position on the recording medium; and when the second queue is not empty, and the range of the data items in the schedule window includes a data item which is recorded behind the recording position on the recording medium of the end data item of the second queue, the second detecting means detects, from the range of the data items in the schedule window, a data item which is recorded behind the recording position on the recording medium of the end data item of the second queue and which is closest to the recording position on the recording medium of the end data item of the second queue.