Patent ID: 8897112

Claim:
An information recording and reproduction device that optically records and reproduces information to and from a tape-form medium, said information recording and reproduction device comprising: a tape path; an optical pickup including an objective lens, the optical pickup being configured to record information to a tape-form medium or configured to reproduce information from a tape-form medium using laser light; a tape threading component forming the tape path and configured to allow the tape-form medium to be arranged on the tape path opposite the objective lens; a controller configured to detect whether or not the tape-form medium is a cleaning tape; a movement mechanism configured to move the tape path or the objective lens between a first position and a second position, the first position being a position that the tape-form medium and the objective lens are in contact with each other, and the second position being a position that the tape-form medium and the objective lens are separated and positioned so that the information recording and reproduction device can record and reproduce information to and from the tape-form medium; and a drive mechanism configured to run the tape-form medium on the tape path in a state in which the tape-form medium and the objective lens are in the first position when the controller has detected that the tape-form medium is a cleaning tape, the drive mechanism being configured to run the tape-form medium on the tape path in a state in which the tape-form medium and the objective lens are in the second position when the controller has detected that the tape-form medium is not a cleaning tape.