Patent ID: 7110341

Claim:
A reproducing apparatus for an optical recording medium having a first recording layer for recording first data and a second recording layer for recording second data, said first and said second recording layers being positioned adjacent to one another and said second data being recorded at a location in said second recording layer in proximity to a location in said first recording layer where first data relevant to said second recording layer is recorded, said reproducing apparatus comprising: readout means for reading said first data and second data relevant to said first data from said optical recording medium, wherein said readout means accesses from one recording layer to the other recording layer by shifting an objective lens in a non-radial direction on the optical recording medium within a field of view of the objective lens without moving a sled mounting the objective lens; reproducing means for generating replay signals based on said first and said second data read from said readout means, said reproducing means including a first buffer memory for holding said first data read and reproduced from said first recording layer by said readout means; a second buffer memory for holding said second data read and reproduced from said second recording layer by said readout means; and synthesis means for synthesizing said first data read from said first buffer memory and said second data read from said second buffer memory; and control means for controlling said readout means and said reproducing means.