Information recording apparatus and information reproducing apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus records main information and sub information onto an information recording medium, which has a main recording area and a sub recording area. The apparatus is provided with an receiving device that receives the main information input from the external source; an accumulating device that accumulates the main information received by the receiving device; a recording device that records the main information and the sub information to the main recording area and the sub recording area, respectively; and a controller that determines whether or not an amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than a predetermined amount, and that controls the recording device. In the apparatus, the recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the controller if the controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than the predetermined amount, and the recording device records the main information to the main recording area under a control of the controller if the controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is not smaller than the predetermined amount.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for recording main information and sub information onto an information recording medium, which has a main recording area and a sub recording area, the main information being input from an external source, the apparatus comprising: 
 an receiving device that receives the main information input from the external source;    an accumulating device that accumulates the main information received by the receiving device;    a recording device that records the main information and the sub information to the main recording area and the sub recording area, respectively; and    a first controller that determines whether or not an amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than a predetermined amount, and that controls the recording device,    wherein the recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the first controller if the first controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than the predetermined amount, and the recording device records the main information to the main recording area under a control of the first controller if the first controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is not smaller than the predetermined amount.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiving device receives the main information from the external source at a predetermined input rate, the recording device records each of the main information and the sub information at a predetermined recording rate, and the predetermined recording rate is faster than the predetermined input rate.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprises: 
 an initializing device that initializes the apparatus;  
 an instruction receiving device that receives an instruction to record the main information to the information recording medium; and  
 a second controller that determines whether or not the instruction receiving device receives the instruction, and that controls the recording device,  
 wherein the recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the second controller during a time period after the initializing device initializes the apparatus and before the second controller determines that the instruction receiving device receives the instruction.  
 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising a third controller that determines whether or not a recording of the main information to be recorded is finished, and that controls the recording device, 
 wherein the recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the third controller after the third controller determines that the recording of the main information to be recorded is finished.  
 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the sub information is information to identify the main receding area.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the information recording medium is an optical disk which has one main recording area and two sub recording areas, one of the two sub recording areas is located at an inner circumferential part of the optical disk, the other of the two sub recording areas is located at an outer circumferential part of the optical disk, and the main recording area is located between the two sub recording areas.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for reproducing main information recorded on a main recording area of an information recording medium which has the main recording area and a sub recording area, and for recording sub information to the sub recording area, the apparatus comprising: 
 a reading/recording device that reads out the main information recorded on the main recording area, and that records the sub information to the sub recording area;    an accumulating device that accumulates the main information read out from the main recording area by the reading/recording device;    an output device that outputs the main information accumulated in the accumulating device; and    a first controller that determines whether or not an amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than a predetermined amount,    wherein the reading/recording device reads the main information recorded in the main recording area under a control of the first controller if the first controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is smaller than the predetermined amount, and the reading/recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the first controller if the first controller determines that the amount of the main information accumulated in the accumulating device is not smaller than the predetermined amount.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the reading/recording device reads out the main information recorded in the main recording area at a predetermined reading rate, the output device outputs the main information accumulated in the accumulating device at a predetermined output rate, and the predetermined reading rate is faster than the predetermined output rate.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 7  further comprises: 
 an initializing device that initializes the apparatus;  
 an instruction receiving device that receives an instruction to read out the main information from the information recording medium; and  
 a second controller that determines whether or not the instruction receiving device receives the instruction, and that controls the reading/recording device,  
 wherein the reading/recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the second controller during a time period after the initializing device initializes the apparatus and before the second controller determines that the instruction receiving device receives the instruction.  
 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 7  further comprising a third controller that determines whether or not a reading of the main information to be read out is finished, and that controls the reading/recording device, 
 wherein the reading/recording device records the sub information to the sub recording area under a control of the third controller after the third controller determines that the reading of the main information to be read out is finished.  
 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the sub information is information to identify the main recording area.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the information recording medium is an optical disk which has one main recording area and two sub recording areas, one of the two sub recording areas is located at an innermost circumferential part of the optical disk, the other of the two sub recording areas is located at an outermost circumferential part of the optical disk, and the main recording area is located between the two sub recording areas.