Information recording and reproducing apparatus

An information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing on and from a recording medium including a main information recording area wherein plural pieces of main information can be recorded and a control information recording area wherein control information related to each piece of main information in the main information recording area can be recorded, comprising:

• reproduction means for reproducing the control information from the control information recording area upon loading the recording medium;
• control information detection means for detecting whether or not any pieces of control information exist in the control information recording area upon reproducing from the control information recording area;
• and
• inhibit means for inhibiting a recording operation in the main information recording area when a reproducing operation of the control information cannot be performed by said reproduction means, and it is detected by said control information detection means that the control information exists in the control information recording area.

An information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing on and from a recording medium including a main information recording area wherein plural pieces of main information can be recorded and a control information recording area wherein control information related to each piece of main information in the main information recording area can be recorded, comprising:

• reproduction means for reproducing the control information from the control information recording area upon loading the recording medium;
• control information detection means for detecting whether or not any pieces of control information exist in the control information recording area upon reproducing from the control information recording area;
• and
• recording means for recording in the control information recording area distinctive information indicating no piece of main information in the main information recording area of the loaded recording medium when no piece of control information exists in the control information recording area of the loaded recording medium.

An information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing on and from a recording medium including a main information recording area wherein plural pieces of main information can be recorded and a control information recording area wherein control information related to each piece of main information in the main information recording area can be recorded, comprising:

• reproduction means for reproducing the control information from the control information recording area upon loading the recording medium;
• self-checking means for checking whether or not a reproducing function of the apparatus works properly;
• and
• inhibit means for inhibiting a recording operation in the main information recording area when a reproducing operation of the control information cannot be performed by said reproduction means, and it is detected by said self-checking means that the reproducing function of the apparatus does not work properly.

An information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing on and from a recording medium including a main information recording area wherein plural pieces of main information can be recorded and a control information recording area wherein control information related to each piece of main information in the main information recording area can be recorded, comprising:

• reproduction means for reproducing the control information from the control information recording area upon loading the recording medium;
• self-checking means for checking whether or not both recording and reproducing functions of the apparatus work properly;
• and
• recording means for recording distinctive information indicating no piece of main information exists in the main information recording area of the recording medium when a reproducing operation of the control information cannot be performed by said reproduction means, and it is detected by said self-checking means that both the recording and reproducing functions of the apparatus work properly.

A method for detecting whether or not a recording medium is a blank medium, which includes a main information recording area wherein plural pieces of main information can be recorded and a control information recording area wherein control information related to each piece of main information in the main information recording area can be recorded, comprising the steps of:

• (a) reproducing the control information from the control information recording area;
• (b) checking whether or not a reproducing operation of the control information can be performed;
• (c) checking whether or not a reproducing function of an information recording and reproducing apparatus employing the recording medium works properly;
• and
• (d) determining that the recording medium is a blank medium when it is determined that the reproducing operation cannot be performed in the step (b) and that the reproducing function of the apparatus works properly in the step (c).