Optical recording medium, data recording method for rewritable-type phase change type optical disc, data erase method for rewritable compact disc, data erase method for rewritable phase change type recording medium, read only data erase method, and recording/readout apparatus

A data erase method for use in a rewritable phase change type recording medium having a phase change type recording layer on its substrate and having a read only area and a rewritable area in its information recording area, said read only area and said rewritable area have the same multilayer structure, data and address information in said read only area and said rewritable area comprise basic data units having the same logical structure, and auxiliary data capable of distinguishing between read only data and rewritable data is provided in a basic data unit or in a data unit formed by a plurality of basic data units, and where identification information representative of a rewritable type including a partial read only area is written previously on said substrate in the form of pre-pits or a wobble, said method comprising:

• a recognition step of recognizing identification information previously written in the form of pre-pits or a wobble on the substrate and representative of that said recording medium is of a rewritable type including a partial read only area comprising a pre-pits row or wobble;
• a memory transfer step of acquiring address information from said read only area for transferring said address information to a storage unit;
• an erase step of erasing file management information written in a file management area of said recording medium;
• and
• a re-recording step of recording said address information of said read only area, transferred to said storage unit, in said file management area.

A data erase method for use in an optical recording medium having a phase change type recording layer on its substrate and having a read only area and a rewritable area in its information recording area, said read only area and said rewritable area have the same multilayer structure, data and address information in said read only area and said rewritable area comprise basic data units having the same logical structure, and auxiliary data capable of distinguishing between read only data and rewritable data is provided in a basic data unit or in a data unit formed by a plurality of basic data units, and where data in an information recording area is an Eight to Fourteen Modulation signal (EFM signal compatible with a compact disc, and where a program area is divided into a plurality of sessions according to a prescription of a multisession format so that some of divided sessions are used for read only while the other sessions are made rewritable, said method comprising:

• an identification step of, when the medium is a compact disc with a multisession format having a plurality of session areas each including a lead-in area, identifying, on the basis of information recorded in a lead-in area of the first session area, that said compact disc is of a rewritable type having a read only area;
• an extraction step of extracting an attribution about rewrite, write-once or write inhibit from each of said lead-in areas of said plurality of session areas;
• a memory transfer step of, when the attribution extracted in said extraction step is about said write inhibit, transferring a file structure of the write inhibit session area to a storage unit;
• an erase step of erasing information recorded in said lead-in area of said first session area;
• and
• a re-recording step of recording, in said first session area, said disc identification information, said file structure of said write inhibit session area transferred to said storage unit and a starting address of a rewritable area.

A data erase method for use in an optical recording medium having a phase change type recording layer on its substrate and having a read only area and a rewritable area in its information recording area, said read only area and said rewritable area have the same multilayer structure, data and address information in said read only area and said rewritable area comprise basic data units having the same logical structure, and auxiliary data capable of distinguishing between read only data and rewritable data is provided in a basic data unit or in a data unit formed by a plurality of basic data units, and where data in an information recording area is an Eight to Fourteen Modulation signal (EFM signal) compatible with a compact disc, and where a program area is divided into a plurality of sessions according to a prescription of a multisession format so that some of divided sessions are used for read only while the other sessions are made rewritable, and wherein said program area is divided into a first session comprising read only data having an ISO9660 file structure and a second session comprising a rewritable type area so that user data and lead-out in said first session are handled as read only data while a lead-in area, a program memory area (PMA) and a power calibration area (PCA) are made rewritable, said method comprising:

• an identification step of, when the medium is a compact disc with a multisession format having a plurality of session areas each including a lead-in area, identifying, on the basis of information recorded in a lead-in area of the first session area, that said compact disc is of a rewritable type having a read only area;
• an extraction step of extracting an attribution about rewrite, write-once or write inhibit from each of said lead-in areas of said plurality of session areas;
• a memory transfer step of, when the attribution extracted in said extraction step is about said write inhibit, transferring a file structure of the write inhibit session area to a storage unit;
• an erase step of erasing information recorded in said lead-in area of said first session area;
• and
• a re-recording step of recording, in said first session area, said disc identification information, said file structure of said write inhibit session area transferred to said storage unit and a starting address of a rewritable area.

A recording/readout apparatus for an optical recording medium having a phase change type recording layer on its substrate and having a read only area and a rewritable area in its information recording area, said read only area and said rewritable area have the same multilayer structure, data and address information in said read only area and said rewritable area comprise basic data units having the same logical structure, and auxiliary data capable of distinguishing between read only data and rewritable data is provided in a basic data unit or in a data unit formed by a plurality of basic data units, and in which an application program area containing data of a predetermined application program is formed as a read only area with a read only attribution in specified consecutive areas existing in a program area and a user data recording area capable of recording user data related to at least said application program is set as a rewritable area with a rewritable attribution in the remaining program area of said specified consecutive areas and which is made to read out said application program and record/read out said user data related to said application program, said apparatus comprising:

• recognition means for, when a medium is mounted, recognizing that the medium is a rewritable phase change type optical disc having a partial read only area;
• program execution means capable of gaining access to said read only area recognized by said recognition means to acquire said application program data for executing the program contents;
• information input means capable of inputting required information in accordance with said application program executed by said program execution means;
• and
• recording means capable of gaining access to said user data recording area to record, as user data, said information inputted by said information input means.

A recording/readout apparatus for an optical recording medium having a phase change type recording layer on its substrate and having a read only area and a rewritable area in its information recording area, said read only area and said rewritable area have the same multilayer structure, data and address information in said read only area and said rewritable area comprise basic data units having the same logical structure, and auxiliary data capable of distinguishing between read only data and rewritable data is provided in a basic data unit or in a data unit formed by a plurality of basic data units, and having a partial read only area, said read only area includes a first read only area in which data is recorded in the form of a pre-pits row and a second read only area formed by inhibiting re-write after recording of data, and having said rewritable area in which an application program area containing data of a predetermined application program is formed as a read only area with a read only attribution in specified consecutive areas existing in a program area and a user data recording area capable of recording user data related to at least said application program is set as a rewritable area with a rewritable attribution in the remaining program area of said specified consecutive areas and which is made to read out said application program and record/read out said user data related to said application program, said apparatus comprising:

• recognition means for, when a medium is mounted, recognizing that the media is a rewritable phase change type optical disc having a partial read only area;
• program execution means capable of gaining access to said read only area recognized by said recognition means to acquire said application program data for executing the program contents;
• information input means capable of inputting required information in accordance with said application program executed by said program execution means;
• and
• recording means capable of gaining access to said user data recording area to record, as user data, said information inputted by said information input means.