Patent ID: 7885162

Claim:
An information recording apparatus for recording information into at least a predetermined area of a second recording layer by laser light which has penetrated a penetrated area of a first recording layer, with respect to an information recording medium comprising at least: the first recording layer in which the information can be recorded; and the second recording layer in which the information can be recorded, said information recording apparatus comprising: a recording device for recording the information in the first recording layer or the second recording layer; a judging device for judging whether or not an unrecorded amount which indicates a size of radius of an area in an unrecorded state in the penetrated area is smaller than a predetermined amount; and a controlling device for controlling said recording device to record the information into the predetermined area if it is judged that the unrecorded amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, and for controlling said recording device to record the information into the area in the unrecorded state in the penetrated area if it is judged that the unrecorded amount is not smaller than the predetermined amount, said recording device (i) records the information into a first recording area in the second recording layer by the laser light which go through a recorded area in the first recording layer, based on one reproduction quality, and (ii) records the information into a second recording area in the second recording layer by the laser light which go through an unrecorded area in the first recording layer based on another reproduction quality which is substantially same as the one reproduction quality.