Patent ID: 7788304

Claim:
A recording apparatus that stores a plurality of object files each containing object data in a plurality of directories and records the plurality of object files on a recording medium, comprising: a management information processing unit that generates a plurality of directory management files respectively for each directory of the plurality of directories, wherein each of the plurality of directories store object files of the plurality of object files, and wherein each directory management file contains file names of the plurality of object files stored in a corresponding directory of the plurality of directories and identification attributes having different values for identifying the object files stored in the corresponding directory, wherein said management information processing unit classifies the plurality of object files into a plurality of groups including one group where a first object file stored in a first directory and a second object file stored in a second directory different from the first directory are grouped, and generates group management files for specifying the object files in a corresponding group of the plurality of groups without directly specifying file names of the object files in the corresponding group, wherein the group management files are different from the directory management files, and wherein each of the group management files contains group ID information of the corresponding group and entries including file names of the directory management files for the plurality of different directories respectively storing the object files in the corresponding group and the values of identification attributes of the object files in the corresponding group contained in the directory management files, the group management file for the one group containing the group ID information of the one group, a first entry including a file name of a first directory management file for the first directory and a value of the identification attribute of the first object file contained in the first directory management file, and a second entry including a file name of a second directory management file for the second directory and a value of the identification attribute of the second object file contained in the second directory management file; and a recording unit that records the plurality of directory management files and group management files including the group management file for the one group on the recording medium.