Patent ID: 7325105

Claim:
A recording/reproducing apparatus for recording a program on a recording medium having a program area for recording one or more programs and a management area for recording management information used for managing numbers of said programs in group units, each group unit obtained as a result of grouping predetermined programs selected from said programs recorded in said program area, said recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: playback means for playing back said management information from said management area on said recording medium; storage means for storing said management information reproduced by said playback means; operating means for designating first and second group units from a plurality of group units, by a user, and for selecting one of a plurality of recording modes including a group recording mode for recording at least one program in group units, and a program recording mode for recording the at least one program in program units; updating means for updating said management information stored in said storage means, in accordance with a designation by the user, by said operating means so as to combine programs included in the first group unit with programs included in the second group unit; recording means for recording said management information updated by said updating means into said management area on said recording medium, wherein said updating means includes at least means for concatenating at least one program included in the first group unit and at least one program included in the second group unit so as to manage the first group unit and the second group unit as a single group unit; and means for setting security protection for said first group unit, wherein said updating means includes means for updating said management information such that said first group unit maintains said security protection after said management information is updated and the first group unit and the second group unit are managed as the single group unit.