Patent ID: 7512846

Claim:
A method for managing at least a defect area comprising the steps of: (1) a reading device selecting a target data; (2) a defect area table, which lists a defect area, on a storage medium being looked up; (3) determining whether a first target area is found in said defect area table; and (4) said first target area being read with said reading device when said first target area in step (3) is not found, and then the reading of said first target area being suspended; wherein, when said first target area in step (3) is found, following steps are executed: (3-1) determining if a count of said defect area exceeds a predetermined value; and (3-2) said first target area being read with said reading device if said count does not exceed said predetermined value, and the reading of said first target area being suspended if said count exceeds said predetermined value.