Patent ID: 8149660

Claim:
A drive apparatus that handles and operates a recording medium attached with a memory tag, the drive apparatus comprising: an insertion port through which the recording medium is insertable; an information readout part configured to read information out of the memory tag attached to the recording medium when the recording medium is close to the insertion port and before the recording medium is inserted through the insertion port; a determining part configured to determine whether the recording medium can be handled and operated based on the information read out by the information readout part; and an informing part configured to inform a determined result determined by the determining part, wherein the memory tag is recorded with information arranged in a hierarchy corresponding to a plurality of operation levels of the drive apparatus in which information identifying the recording medium and information identifying contents recorded in the recording medium are of a first operation level and information for determining whether the recording medium can be handled and operated and information for controlling handling and operation of the recording medium are of a second operation level, and the determining part determines whether the recording medium can be operated at the operation levels based on the hierarchy information, the hierarchy information being read out by the information readout part.