Methods and apparatus for recording data on and deleting already recorded data from a recording medium

Claim 1

A recording apparatus for a recording medium which has a data recording area on which a data recording and/or reproducing operation is carried out, and a management data area on which management data for managing a recording and/or reproducing operation for the recording medium are recorded, and on which address data are recorded, the data being discretely recorded on the data recording area while sectioned into plural blocks, each of which has a predetermined data amount as a data recording unit, and data representing the read-out order of the plural blocks being recorded on the management data area, said apparatus comprising: recording means for recording data on the recording medium; storing means for temporarily storing the input data to be recorded on the recording medium; encoder means for encoding data read out from said storing means into recording data and supplying the encoded data to said recording means; and control means for controlling the operation of said recording means, said storing means and said encoder means, wherein when new data are to be recorded on the recording medium, the control means controls the recording means to access, on the basis of the management data which are recorded on the management data area, a free data recordable area in which the new data can be recorded, to record the new data to the free data recordable area the recording means has accessed, to measure the amount of the new data to be recorded on the recordable area, and after the new data has been recorded in the free recordable area, to rewrite the management data to indicate deletion of the already-recorded data on the recording medium in an amount equal to that of the new data recorded on the free data recordable area.