Recording medium for storing information for still picture, recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus therefor

Abstract

A recording medium for storing information for still pictures, and a recording/reproducing method and apparatus therefor, stores data for a plurality of still pictures and audio data added thereto in one file or a space having a logically one-dimensional order, rather than in each file, and still picture group information for separating the still picture data into a predetermined maximum number of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level. The still picture group information includes general information for still picture groups, and information for still pictures in each still picture group. The general information for each still picture group includes the start position of a first still picture in each still picture group, and the information for still pictures in each still picture group includes the sizes of video data and audio data for each still picture.

1 . A non-transitory storage medium usable with a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the non-transitory storage medium comprising:
 a first region storing still picture group information enabling the recording and/or reproducing apparatus to manage a plurality of still pictures at a group level; and   a second region storing still picture data for the still pictures;   wherein the still picture data comprises individual still picture data for each of the still pictures;   the still picture group information comprises:
 general information for the still picture data; and 
 individual information for each of the individual still picture data; 
   the general information comprises start position information specifying a start position of the still picture data in the second region, but does not comprise start position information specifying a start position of each of the individual still picture data in the second region; and   the individual information does not comprise start position information specifying the start position of each of the individual still picture data in the second region.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the individual picture data for all of the still pictures is stored consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the general information further comprises a total number of the still pictures; and
 the individual information comprises a size of each of the individual still picture data.   
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures comprises video data. 
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 4 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures does not further comprise audio data. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 4 , wherein the individual still picture data for at least one but not all of the still pictures further comprises audio data. 
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 6 , wherein for each of the individual still picture data that comprises video data and audio data, the video data and the audio data are stored consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 4 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures further comprises audio data. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein for each of the individual still picture data, the video data and the audio data are stored consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 1 , further comprising a third region storing playback information enabling the recording and/or reproducing apparatus to reproduce at least one of the still pictures;
 wherein the playback information comprises:
 reproduction start information specifying one of the still pictures at which the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is to start reproduction; and 
 reproduction end information specifying one of the still pictures at which the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is to end reproduction. 
   
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for recording still picture data for a plurality of still pictures on a non-transitory storage medium, the apparatus comprising:
 a reproduction processor comprising a pickup to record data on the non-transitory storage medium;   a servo to control movement of the pickup; and   a system controller to control the reproduction processor and the servo to:
 record still picture group information enabling the recording and/or reproducing apparatus to manage the still pictures at a group level in a first region of the non-transitory storage medium, the still picture group information comprising general information for the still picture data, the general information comprising start position information specifying a start position of the still picture data in a second region of the non-transitory storage medium; 
 record the still picture data in the second region of the non-transitory storage medium beginning at the start position specified by the start position information, the still picture data comprising individual still picture data for each of the still pictures; and 
 record individual information for each of the individual still picture data in the first region as part of the still picture group information; 
   wherein the general information does not comprise start position information specifying a start position of each of the individual still picture data in the second region; and   the individual information does not comprise start position information specifying the start position of each of the individual still picture data in the second region.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the individual picture data for all of the still pictures is recorded consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the general information further comprises a total number of the still pictures; and
 the individual information comprises a size of each of the individual still picture data.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures comprises video data. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures does not further comprise audio data. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the individual still picture data for at least one but not all of the still pictures further comprises audio data. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein for each of the individual still picture data that comprises video data and audio data, the video data and the audio data are recorded consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the individual still picture data for all of the still pictures further comprises audio data. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein for each of the individual still picture data, the video data and the audio data are recorded consecutively in the second region. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the system controller controls the reproduction processor and the servo to record the individual still picture data for the still pictures in a plurality of successive individual still picture data recording operations so that:
 a first one of the successive individual still picture data recording operations is performed a first time a user inputs a still picture recording start signal; and   second through last ones of the successive individual still picture data recording operations are respectively performed second through last times the user inputs the still picture recording start signal.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the individual still picture data recorded in the first one of the successive individual still picture data recording operations is recorded beginning at the start position specified by the start position information; and
 the individual still picture data recorded in each of the second through last ones of the successive individual still picture data recording operations is recorded consecutively with the individual still picture data recorded in an immediately preceding one of the successive individual still picture data recording operations.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the system controller controls the reproduction processor and the servo to record the individual information in a plurality of successive individual information recording operations so that each of the individual information is recorded in a respective one of the individual information recording operations performed after the individual still picture data recording operation in which a respective one of the individual still picture data is recorded and before another one of the individual still picture data recording operations is performed. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the system controller controls the reproduction processor and the servo to record playback information in a third region of the non-transitory storage medium, the playback information enabling the recording and/or reproducing apparatus to reproduce at least one of the still pictures; and
 wherein the playback information comprises:
 reproduction start information specifying one of the still pictures at which the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is to start reproduction; and 
 reproduction end information specifying one of the still pictures at which the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is to end reproduction.