Optical disk having plurality of volumes, recording device and reproduction device for same

An optical disk having a recording surface, comprising:

• a plurality of volumes into which the recording surface is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk, each of the plurality of volumes comprising a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, each of the lead-in area, the program area and the lead-out area having Compact Disc format information representative of Compact Disc format,
• wherein the outermost volume among the plurality of volumes has final volume identification information that indicates that the volume is the outermost volume among the plurality of volumes;
• and
• wherein the final volume identification information is recorded in Q-channel subcodes of at least one of the lead-in area, the program area and the lead-out area of the outermost volume.

An optical disk reproduction device for reproducing information from an optical disk having a recording surface which is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk into a plurality of volumes each comprising a combination of a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, the lead-in area, the program area and the lead-out area of the respective volumes being adapted to have information of Compact Disc format recorded therein, and adapted to have volume identification information, for identifying the volume of said area, recorded in a predetermined position of said area, said optical disk reproducing device comprising:

• a volume number designation section for designating a volume number;
• an absolute time designation section for designating absolute time in a volume or information corresponding to the absolute time;
• a position information extracting circuit for extracting the volume identification information and absolute address information from among information read from the optical disk;
• and
• a control circuit for controlling a reproduction position of an optical pickup so that the extracted volume identification information will become a value which corresponds to the designated volume number and the extracted absolute address information will become a value which corresponds to the designated absolute time.

An optical disk having a recording surface on which information prepared in accordance with a Compact Disc format is recorded and which is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk into a plurality of volumes each comprising a combination of a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, absolute address information recorded in the program area and the lead-out area of each of said volumes being comprised of address information which does not overlap among the respective volumes, address information recorded in the lead-in area of each of said volumes being comprised of address information which is distinguishable from the absolute address information recorded in the program area and the lead-out area, a part or all of said volumes having a higher recording density than a standard recording density determined by the Compact Disc format, the absolute address information recorded in the program area and the lead-out area of each of said volumes being comprised of address information which continuously increments from an initial value without overlapping among the respective volumes, wherein address information recorded in the lead-in area of an innermost first volume is comprised of address information within a range determined by the Compact Disc format and address information recorded in the lead-in area of a second volume is comprised of address information which increments from the inner peripheral side of the disk and in which a digit of 10 of minute information is formed in hexadecimal and a final value ends with F9 minute, 59 second, 74 frame.

An optical disk having a recording surface, comprising:

• a plurality of volumes into which the recording surface is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk, each of the plurality of volumes comprising a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area,
• wherein the program area and the lead-out area of the respective volumes record first address information;
• wherein the lead-in area of the respective volumes records second address information;
• wherein the first address information and the second address information recorded in one of said volumes have a value which is less than 100 minute 00 second 00 frame;
• and
• wherein the second address information recorded in volumes other than the one of said volumes has a value which is larger than 99 minute 59 second 74 frame.

An optical disk having a recording surface on which information prepared in accordance with a Compact Disc format is recorded and which is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk into a plurality of volumes each comprising a combination of a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, the program area and the lead-out area of the respective volumes recording first address information, the lead-in area of the respective volumes recording second address information, the first address information and the second address information recorded in one of said volumes being comprised of address information within a range determined by the Compact Disc format, the second address information recorded in volumes other than the one of said volumes being comprised of address information having a value which is greater than the range determined by the Compact Disc Format, wherein information is recorded in an innermost first volume with a standard recording density determined by the Compact Disc format and information is recorded in a second and subsequent volumes on an outer peripheral side of the optical disc with a recording density which is higher than the standard recording density determined by the Compact Disc format, the second address information recorded in the lead-in area of the first volume and the first address information recorded in the program area and the lead-out area of the first volume being comprised of the address information within the range determined by the Compact Disc format and the second address information recorded in the lead-in area of the second and subsequent volumes being comprised of the address information which is larger than the value determined by the Compact Disc format.

An optical disk reproduction device for reproducing an optical disk having a recording surface on which information prepared in accordance with a Compact Disc format is recorded and which is divided in a radial direction of the optical disk into a plurality of volumes each comprising a combination of a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, address information recorded in the lead-in area of a part of said volumes and absolute address information recorded in the program area and the lead-out area of the respective volumes being comprised of address information within a range determined by the Compact Disc format and address information recorded in the lead-in area of volume other than the part of said volumes being comprised of address information which is larger than a value determined by the Compact Disc format, said optical disk reproduction device including a circuit which analyzes address information within a range determined by the Compact Disc format and address information of a larger value than the value determined by the Compact Disc format and a control circuit which reads, during reproduction of each of said volumes, the information indicating existence of a next volume and, when the information indicating existence of the next volume is available, allows access to the next volume whereas, when the information indicating the next volume is not available, prohibits access beyond the current volume.