Information storage medium, and recording/reproducing method and apparatus

A recording apparatus for recording data on an information storage medium, the recording apparatus comprising:

• a pickup configured to record data on the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area configured to record user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block configured to replace a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded,
• wherein the plurality of spare blocks of the spare area comprise:
• a usable spare block with a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in a usage order, and
• a usable spare block without a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in the usage order;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the pickup to record a next available position pointer of the spare area in the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block from among the plurality of usable spare blocks without the replacement blocks existing in the forward parts of the usable spare blocks in the usage order.

A reproducing apparatus for reproducing data from an information storage medium, the reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a pickup configured to reproduce data from the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area configured to record user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block configured to replace a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded,
• wherein the plurality of spare blocks of the spare area comprise:
• a usable spare block with a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in a usage order, and
• a usable spare block without a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in the usage order;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the pickup to reproduce a next available position pointer of the spare area from the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block from among the plurality of usable spare blocks without the replacement blocks existing in the forward parts of the usable spare blocks in the usage order.

A method of recording data on an information storage medium, the method comprising:

• recording data on the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area for recording user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block for replacing a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded,
• wherein the plurality of spare blocks of the spare area comprise:
• a usable spare block with a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in a usage order, and
• a usable spare block without a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in the usage order;
• and
• recording a next available position pointer of the spare area in the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block from among the plurality of usable spare blocks without the replacement blocks existing in the forward parts of the usable spare blocks in the usage order.

A method of reproducing data from an information storage medium, the method comprising:

• reproducing data from the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area for recording user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block for replacing a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded,
• wherein the plurality of spare blocks of the spare area comprise:
• a usable spare block with a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in a usage order, and
• a usable spare block without a replacement block existing in forward parts of the usable spare block in the usage order;
• and
• reproducing a next available position pointer of the spare area from the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block from among the plurality of usable spare blocks without the replacement blocks existing in the forward parts of the usable spare blocks in the usage order.

An information storage medium, comprising:

• a user data area configured to record user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block configured to replace a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded,
• wherein defect information comprising information about replacement blocks of the spare area is removed during reinitialization of the information storage medium, and
• wherein a next available position pointer of the spare area is recorded in the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block in a usage order.

A recording apparatus for recording data on an information storage medium, the recording apparatus comprising:

• a pickup configured to record data on the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area configured to record user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block configured to replace a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded;
• and
• a control unit configured to:
• remove defect information comprising information about replacement blocks of the spare area from the defect management area during reinitialization of the information storage medium;
• and
• control the pickup to record a next available position pointer of the spare area in the defect management area, the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block in the usage order.

A reproducing apparatus for reproducing data from an information storage medium, the reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a pickup configured to reproduce data from the information storage medium, the information storage medium comprising:
• a user data area configured to record user data;
• a spare area comprising a plurality of spare blocks, each spare block configured to replace a defective block occurring in the user data area;
• and
• a defect management area in which information about each defective block occurring in the user data area is recorded, defect information comprising information about replacement blocks of the spare area being removed from the defect management area during reinitialization;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the pickup to reproduce a next available position pointer of the spare area from the defect management area the next available position pointer of the spare area indicating a first usable spare block in a usage order.