Patent ID: 7768887

Claim:
An information recording/reproducing apparatus, comprising: a spindle motor for rotating an optical disk medium on which management information is recorded in each of a plurality of areas that are separately arranged in a radius direction, the management information including at least a first and a second defect list composed of defect position information and spare position information, and a disc definition structure composed of starting position information indicating a starting position at the first defect list or the second defect list and information of the-number-of-times-of-updates; a pickup for recording, reproducing or deleting information on the optical disk medium; a recording/reproducing/deleting circuit for processing a recording signal and a deleting signal that are supplied to the pickup and for processing a reproduced signal from the pickup; a servo circuit for controlling rotation of the spindle motor and movement of the pickup; a memory for storing recording information that is supplied to the recording/reproducing/deleting circuit and for storing reproduced information that is processed by the recording/reproducing/deleting circuit; and a microprocessor for controlling the servo circuit and the recording/reproducing/deleting circuit, wherein the second defect list is used as a spare area for the first defect list of identical management information, wherein when information fails to be recorded on the optical disk medium and a replacement process is performed; and the defect list of first management information that is recorded on an inner circumferential side of the optical disk medium is updated and then the first defect list of second management information that is recorded on an outer circumferential side than the first management information fails to be updated, the second defect list of the second management information is updated and then the disc definition structure of the second management information is deleted, and the starting position information of the defect list included in the disc definition structure of the second management information is changed for update.