Information processing apparatus and method enabling a write-once recording medium to be utilized as a rewriteable recording medium

An information processing apparatus comprising:

• control means for allowing a physical position of file data which is recorded on a medium to correspond to a logical position, generating a correspondence table between the logical position and the physical position thereby controlling, upon the physical position being changed, the correspondence relation between the logical position and the physical position after the change;
• recording means for recording the file data in a memory and element data of the correspondence table as written data;
• calculating means for calculating a writable residual capacity of the medium;
• comparing means for comparing an amount of the written data in the memory with the writable residual capacity of the medium to determine a surplus;
• outputting means for outputting a surplus detection result when the surplus is detected;
• file information table generating means for generating a plurality of file information tables for housing a plurality of corresponding information items showing a correspondence relation between key information showing a logical position of the file data and the physical position of the file data designated by the key information on the medium;
• index table generating means for generating an index table showing file information tables respectively housing each of the key information out of the plurality of file information tables;
• and
• control table generating means for generating a control table showing a physical recording position on the medium of the index table and the plurality of the file information table the file information, index, and control tables are controlled on the memory as data elements.

An information processing method comprising the steps of:

• allowing a physical position of file data which is recorded on a write-once medium to correspond to a logical position, generating a correspondence table between the logical position and the physical position thereby controlling, upon the physical position being changed, the correspondence relation between the logical position and the physical position after the change;
• recording the file data in a memory and element data of the correspondence table to the write-once medium as written data;
• calculating a writable residual capacity on the medium based on a whole recordable capacity recorded on the write-once medium and a recordable residual capacity from a last physical position which is currently recorded on the write-once medium;
• comparing the writable residual capacity on the medium with the written data amount in the memory;
• and
• outputting a surplus detection result when the comparing means shows a surplus of the written amount,
• wherein the recording means records the written data in the memory on the write-once medium when the surplus detection result is output.