Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
232 words
In an information recording and reproduction apparatus comprising an optical disc including a plurality of sectors comprising at least one replacement sector, each of said sectors having a sector identification section ID having address data recorded therein and a data field section DF for recording data, and recording/reproducing means for recording and reproducing data in each of said sectors of the optical disc, the improvement further comprising defective sector marking means including (i) means for detecting a defective sector having a defect in at least one of said sector identification section ID and said data field section DF and generating a defect indicating signal, (ii) means, responsive to said defect indicating signal, for recording a first signal different from the data in the data field section DF of said defective sector independently of whether said defect is in said sector identification section ID or said data field section, DF, (iii) means, responsive to said defect indicating signal, for overwriting a second signal, independently of whether said defect is in said sector identification section ID or said data field section, DF, in the sector identification section ID of said defective sector that causes a read error of the address information, and (iv) means for detecting the first signal recorded in said defective sector and thereafter accessing a replacement sector to enable said recording/reproducing means to record and reproduce data in said replacement sector.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
232 words
In an information recording and reproduction apparatus comprising an optical disc including a plurality of sectors comprising at least one replacement sector, each of said sectors having a sector identification section ID having address data recorded therein and a data field section DF for recording data, and recording/reproducing means for recording and reproducing data in each of said sectors of the optical disc, the improvement further comprising defective sector marking means including (i) means for detecting a defective sector having a defect in at least one of said sector identification section ID and said data field section DF and generating a defect indicating signal, (ii) means, responsive to said defect indicating signal, for recording a first signal different from the data in the data field section DF of said defective sector independently of whether said defect is in said sector identification section ID or said data field section, DF, (iii) means, responsive to said defect indicating signal, for overwriting a second signal, independently of whether said defect is in said sector identification section ID or said data field section, DF, in the sector identification section ID of said defective sector that causes a read error of the address information, and (iv) means for detecting the first signal recorded in said defective sector and thereafter accessing a replacement sector to enable said recording/reproducing means to record and reproduce data in said replacement sector.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first signal contains information designating said replacement sector and is recorded in the data field section DF of said defective sector.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus as in claim 1 or 2, wherein said first signal has a lower frequency than that of a signal recording data in said data field section DF.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a dropout in said data field section DF of an unrecorded one of said sectors, and wherein said means for detectors a defective sector includes means for detecting said unrecorded one of said sectors as a defective sector by detection by said dropout exceeding a predetermined criteria.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
87 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said data field section DF of said sectors includes rewritable sections, and said apparatus further comprises means for recording and reproducing test data inclusive of error detection and correction codes on and from said sectors, and said means for detecting a defective sector includes means for detecting an error flag exceeding a given criterion from data reproduced by said means for recording and reproducing to determine whether the sector from which said data has been reproduced is a defective sector.