Write once read many optical disc storage system having directory for storing virtual address and corresponding up-to-date sector address

Claim 2

An information management system for writable optical discs, comprising: (a) a disc driving means for driving a disc on which data and management information for said data are recorded; (b) an operating system for managing, in units of files, data recorded in said disc with a format of a read only optical disc, said operating system having a read instruction; (c) write control means for writing new information on one or more virgin sectors of said disc in response to a write instruction for writing in one or more prewritten sectors given from a program which runs on said operating system, and for writing or rewriting address modifying information on said disc, said address modifying information showing a relationship between addresses of said prewritten sectors and addresses of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written; and (d) read control means responsive to said read instruction for reading information prewritten on said disc using said address modifying information with an instruction for reading out data from one or more of said prewritten sectors being changed into an instruction for reading out data from one or more of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written, wherein said read control means includes internal storage means for storing transposition information obtained from said management information and having a format of said read only optical disc and said management information comprises one or more directory files which manage information of one or more files and said internal storage has a directory file address changing table used for changing a virtual address whose area is defined beforehand by said management information into a corresponding read address of said virgin sectors on which latest directory files have been written by said write control means.

Claim 3

An information management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said format of a read only optical disc is ISO 9660 format.

Claim 4

An information management system for writable optical discs, comprising: (a) a disc driving means for driving a disc on which data and management information for said data are recorded; (b) an operating system for managing, in units of files, data recorded in said disc with a format of a read only optical disc, said operating system having a read instruction; (c) write control means for writing new information on one or more virgin sectors of said disc in response to a write instruction for writing in one or more prewritten sectors given from a program which runs on said operating system, and for writing or rewriting address modifying information on said disc, said address modifying information showing a relationship between addresses of said prewritten sectors and addresses of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written; and (d) read control means responsive to said read instruction for reading said management information and said data from said disc, said read control means including: (i) modifying and loading means for changing said management information into transposition information having a format of said read only optical disc; (ii) internal storage means for storing said transposition information; and (iii) access changing means responsive to said read instruction for switching an access target such that said access target is said disc when said read instruction is directed to said data recorded on said disc, and that said access target is said internal storage when said read instruction is directed to said management information recorded on said disc, whereby said read control means changes said read instruction directed to said read only optical disc into a read address instruction directed to said disc by using said transposition information, wherein said management information comprises one or more directory files which manage information of one or more files and said internal storage has a directory file address changing table used for changing a virtual address whose area is defined beforehand by said management information into a corresponding read address of said virgin sectors on which latest directory files have been written by said write control means.

Claim 5

An information management system for writable optical discs, comprising: (a) a disc driving means for driving a disc on which data and management information for said data are recorded; (b) an operating system for managing, in units of files, data recorded in said disc with a format of a read only optical disc, said operating system having a read instruction; (c) write control means for writing new information on one or more virgin sectors of said disc in response to a write instruction for writing in one or more prewritten sectors given from a program which runs on said operating system, and for writing or rewriting address modifying information on said disc, said address modifying information showing a relationship between addresses of said prewritten sectors and addresses of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written; and (d) read control means responsive to said read instruction for reading said management information and said data from said disc, said read control means including: (i) modifying and loading means for changing said management information into transposition information having a format of said read only optical disc; (ii) internal storage means for storing said transposition information; and (iii) access changing means responsive to said read instruction for switching an access target such that said access target is said disc when said read instruction is directed to said data recorded on said disc, and that said access target is said internal storage when said read instruction is directed to said management information recorded on said disc, whereby said read control means changes said read instruction directed to said read only optical disc into a read address instruction directed to said disc by using said transposition information, wherein said management information comprises one or more directory files which manage information of one or more files and said internal storage has a directory file address changing table used for changing a virtual address whose area is defined beforehand by said management information into a corresponding read address of said virgin sectors on which latest directory files have been written by said write control means.

Claim 6

An information management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said format of a read only optical disc is ISO 9660 format.

Claim 7

An information management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein when new directory file is added, a real address in said directory file address changing table is changed into an address corresponding to addresses of sectors to which said new directory file is added by said write control means.

Claim 8

An information management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said operation system has a management information buffer means for storing management information showing a relation between addresses of one or more directory files.

Claim 9

An information management system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said management information stored in said management information buffer is cleared by said write control means after said new data is written in said disc.

Claim 10

An information management system for writable optical discs, comprising: (a) a disc driving means for driving a disc on which data and management information for said data are recorded; (b) an operating system for managing, in units of files, data recorded in said disc with a format of a read only optical disc, said operating system having a read instruction; (c) write control means for writing new information on one or more virgin sectors of said disc in response to a write instruction for writing in one or more prewritten sectors given from a program which runs on said operating system, and for writing or rewriting address modifying information on said disc, said address modifying information showing a relationship between an address of at least one of said prewritten sectors and an address of at least one of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written; and (d) read control means responsive to said read instruction for reading said management information and said data from said disc, said read control means including: (i) first modifying and loading means for changing said management information by using said address modifying information into intermediate information having less information than transposition information having a format of said read only optical disc; (ii) internal storage means for storing said intermediate information; (iii) second modifying and loading means for changing said intermediate information into said transposition information having said format of said read only optical disc; and (iv) access changing means responsive to said read instruction for switching an access target such that said access target is said disc when said read instruction is directed to said data recorded on said disc, and that said access target is said internal storage when said read instruction is directed to said management information recorded on said disc, whereby said read control means changes said read instruction directed to said read only optical disc into a read address instruction directed to said disc by using said transposition information, wherein said management information comprises one or more directory files which manage information of one or more files and said internal storage has a directory file address changing table used for changing a virtual address whose area is defined beforehand by said management information into a corresponding real address of said virgin sectors on which latest directory files have been written by said write control means.

Claim 11

An information management system for writable optical discs, comprising: (a) a disc driving means for driving a disc on which data and management information for said data are recorded; (b) an operating system for managing, in units of files, data recorded in said disc with a format of a read only optical disc, said operating system having a read instruction; (c) write control means for writing new information on one or more virgin sectors of said disc in response to a write instruction for writing in one or more prewritten sectors given from a program which runs on said operating system, and for writing or rewriting address modifying information on said disc, said address modifying information showing a relationship between an address of at least one of said prewritten sectors and an address of at least one of said virgin sectors on which said new information has been written; and (d) read control means responsive to said read instruction for reading said management information and said data from said disc, said read control means including: (i) first modifying and loading means for changing said management information by using said address modifying information into intermediate information having less information than transposition information having a format of said read only optical disc; (ii) internal storage means for storing said intermediate information; (iii) second modifying and loading means for changing said intermediate information into said transposition information having said format of said read only optical disc; and (iv) access changing means responsive to said read instruction for switching an access target such that said access target is said disc when said read instruction is directed to said data recorded on said disc, and that said access target is said internal storage when said read instruction is directed to said management information recorded on said disc, whereby said read control means changes said read instruction directed to said read only optical disc into a read address instruction directed to said disc by using said transposition information, wherein said management information comprises one or more directory files which manage information of one or more files and said internal storage has a directory file address changing table used for changing a virtual address whose area is defined beforehand by said management information into a corresponding real address of said virgin sectors on which latest directory files have been written by said write control means.

Claim 12

An information management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said format of a read only optical disc is ISO 9660 format.

Claim 13

An information management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein when new directory file is added, a real address in said directory file address changing table is changed into an address corresponding to addresses of sectors to which said new directory file is added by said write control means.

Claim 14

An information management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said operating system has a management information buffer means for storing a portion of said management information showing a relation between address of one or more directory files.

Claim 15

An information management system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said management information stored in said management information buffer is cleared by said write control means after said new data is written in said disc.