Abstract: A data processing apparatus is capable of playing back contents stored in a specified area in a recording medium. The recording medium stores content data and management information for managing the content data. When playing back a content which is managed by the management information on the recording medium but of which entity data is not present in the specified area of the recording medium, the data processing apparatus, searches, for the content, the other area of the recording medium with a search section. When the corresponding content is found, the link information selling section sets the link information (symbolic link, shortcut, etc.) on the recording medium so that the content can be accessed with the management information.

Abstract: The invention presents an encrypted content playback equipment capable of decryption and playback of an encrypted content by using key information when a key medium storing the key information is not inserted, an encrypted content playback method, a program, and a recording medium for storing the program. An encrypted content playback equipment 100 obtains key information 1 for a key medium 120, and stores the key information 1 in a provisional-key storage memory 102 as provisional key 1a, and obtains provisional-key usage limitation information 2 for limiting the use of provisional key 1a from the key medium 120. The encrypted content playback equipment 100 judges whether the provisional key 1a is usable or not based on the provisional-key usage limitation information 2, and if usable, plays back an encrypted content 3 by using the provisional key 1a.

Abstract: An information processing device that reads out and records data from and on an information recording medium includes a file system controller. File system control information is constructed in a system memory within the information processing device, and the file system controller unifies and controls a plurality of information recording media which are managed by individual file systems into a single virtual file system. In addition, the file system controller manages a priority order that indicates an information recording medium to be utilized with priority if files having the same name exist. This priority order can be changed in response to a request from an application program. Thus, the processor can unify and manage the plurality of information recording media and, also, enables the application to access all of the files having the same name.

Abstract: A content search device calculates the number of valid encrypted contents as comparison objects contained in encrypted content databases and the number of valid decryption keys contained in decryption key databases. The database having the smaller number is decided to be a reference database. By successively reading out entries contained in the reference database, a combination of an encrypted content and a corresponding decryption key is searched.

Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device (101) includes a plurality of physical blocks, each of which is provide with a nonvolatile memory (103), a logic/physical address conversion table, a temporary block and a temporary table. The nonvolatile memory (103) includes a plurality of pages which are predetermined writing units, respectively. The logical-physical address conversion table (106) stores correspondence information between logic addresses and physical addresses of data to be stored in the physical blocks. The temporary block is a physical block to store data that are smaller in size than those of the page. The temporary table (107) stores correspondence information between logic addresses and physical addresses with respect to data to be stored in the temporary block.

Abstract: An information processing device that reads out and records data from and on an information recording medium includes a file system controller. File system control information is constructed in a system memory within the information processing device, and the file system controller unifies and controls a plurality of information recording media which are managed by individual file systems into a single virtual file system. In addition, the file system controller manages a priority order that indicates an information recording medium to be utilized with priority if files having the same name exist. This priority order can be changed in response to a request from an application program. Thus, the processor can unify and manage the plurality of information recording media and, also, enables the application to access all of the files having the same name.

Abstract: An apparatus and method which can achieve high-speed data processing and long memory life and is effective to elimination of defragmentation of data, for example, is provided. A recording medium includes a logical-physical conversion table for storing correspondence of a logical address to a physical address of a block in a recording region. The recording medium has a function of replacing correspondence of a logical address to a physical address in the logical-physical conversion table, for a set of logical addresses. A data processing apparatus issues a replace command to the recording medium so that data can be rearranged on a consecutive region in the logical address space, thereby eliminating defragmentaion on the logical address space.

Abstract: A recording medium (100) for storing content that can be read and written by a host device stores a content key (a key that is used for encrypting content) (805a) encrypted in a first format, and a content key (805b) that is encrypted in a second format for content that is the same as the content related to the content key (805a) encrypted in the first format. The first format is, for example, a format used for distributed content, and the second format is a format used with local content.

Abstract: In addition to a nonvolatile recording area, a host interface, a controller and an update notification part are provided with a recording medium. The controller reads and writes data from and to the recording area, and sends the data of the recording area and update information to a data processing apparatus via the host interface part. In particular, the present invention is characterized in that updated information of the update notification part is updated immediately before data of the recording area is updated. The value of the update notification part can be referred to from the data processing apparatus but cannot be updated thereby. The data processing apparatus holds update information of the update notification part, whereby it can determine whether or not data stored in the recording area has been updated by another data processing apparatus. In this way, it becomes possible to determine the validity of the cache information and also determine that of index files.

Abstract: Each of memory cards can have a different type and can be in a plurality of statuses. The memory cards are managed by a file system and data is read/written from/to the memory cards via an access device. Each of the memory cards has a recording area in which data is recorded and managed by an independent file system, a state storage section for storing state assigned to each of combinations of the memory card type and status and being capable of uniquely identifying the combination, and card information storage sections the number of which is identical to the number of states the memory card can have, and which store physical characteristics concerning the recording area. The access device acquires from the memory card a state enable uniquely identifying the memory card type and status. According to the state acquired, the access device identifies the type and status of the memory card and executes processing in accordance with the memory card state.

Abstract: A recording medium stores contents and contents keys to be used for encrypting the contents, in a plurality of storage formats. The storage formats include a storage format (a first format) for delivered contents acquired through a network, and a storage format (a second format) for local contents acquired by a method other than the delivery. The intrinsic storage formats of the contents to be stored in the recording medium are determined according to the kinds of the contents. The recording medium stores not only the contents and the contents keys but also original storage format information (an import flag) (851) which is information indicating the intrinsic storage formats of the contents. With reference to the original storage format information, a reproduction device selects a reproduction method in accordance with the intrinsic storage formats of the contents.

Abstract: Area management information is cached in a cache memory by controlling the access size when an information processor accesses the area management information in an information recording medium. When the processing content of the information processor is to retrieve an free area from the area management information, a physical management block size determined from the physical characteristics of the information recording medium is used. When the processing content is to acquire a link destination from the area management information, minimum access unit of the information recording medium is used. Consequently, overhead can be lessened when the area management information is accessed.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus is capable of playing back contents stored in a specified area in a recording medium. The recording medium stores content data and management information for managing the content data. When playing back a content which is managed by the management information on the recording medium but of which entity data is not present in the specified area of the recording medium, the data processing apparatus, searches, for the content, the other area of the recording medium with a search section. When the corresponding content is found, the link information setting section sets the link information (symbolic link, shortcut, etc.) on the recording medium so that the content can be accessed with the management information.

Abstract: The data processing apparatus (200) holds information about free area which enables writing at specific or more speed in a recording area of an information recording medium (100) including the recording area composed of plural blocks, in a valid free area manager (240) A free area which enables writing at specific or more speed is a block including more than a specified number of unused clusters. The data processing apparatus (200), when necessary to record data to a new free area in the information recording medium (100), refers to the information held in the valid free area manager (240), searches for a free area, and writes data into the searched area.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100) is a recording medium to/from which data can be written/read from a data processing apparatus. The recording medium includes a host interface (110) for communicating with the data processing apparatus, a data storage section (130) having a plurality of recording regions (#1, . . . ,#N) for storing data, and a region information storage section (124) for storing information on each recording region. The region information storage section (124) stores information about address attribute of each recording region of the data storage section (130). The information about the address attribute includes information indicating unit (byte or sector) of address specified on access to the recording region.

Abstract: While reproducing content stored in a recording medium, a user terminal as a data processing device downloads a related content as different content related to the reproduction target content from a content distribution server via a communication network. Immediately after the reproduction of the reproduction target content is completed, a notification prompting reproduction or purchase of the related content is provided. This permits immediate reproduction of the related content when the user purchases it, which reduces the user's waiting time, thus improving purchase motivation for the related content.

Abstract: A recording medium for recording digital data includes a content storage area for storing a plurality of content groups; a selector storage area for selecting one of the plurality of content groups; and a retrieved-information storage area for storing information to be retrieved. A data reproducing device switches selectors, whereby the data of all of the content groups can be reproduced in such a manner that the specification of the recording medium is conformed.

Abstract: A semiconductor recording medium holds an open flag showing presence or absence of consistency between content data stored in a data storage section and file system management information, in a system region not directly accessible from a host device. Upon receipt of a write request or erase request to the data storage section from the host device, the semiconductor recording medium automatically updates the open flag to “ON” (value showing possibility of inconsistency). When actual consistency is verified, the host device requests the recording medium to set the open flag to “OFF” (value showing presence of consistency). When mounting, the host device refers to the open flag with a special command to judge necessity for error check process.

Abstract: An apparatus and method which can achieve high-speed data processing and long memory life and is effective to elimination of defragmentation of data, for example, is provided. A recording medium includes a logical-physical conversion table for storing correspondence of a logical address to a physical address of a block in a recording region. The recording medium has a function of replacing correspondence of a logical address to a physical address in the logical-physical conversion table, for a set of logical addresses. A data processing apparatus issues a replace command to the recording medium so that data can be rearranged on a consecutive region in the logical address space, thereby eliminating defragmentaion on the logical address space.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a data storage section having a plurality of recording regions for storing data, and a region information storing section operable to store information about each recording region in the data storage section. The region information storing section stores information about a recording region (for example, a recording region has been accessed finally) which is set first as an accessible region when the information recording medium is initialized at the next time among a plurality of recording regions in the data storage section. A data processing apparatus refers to the information about the recording region and changes over a recording region to the recording region specified by the information about the recording region just after initialization of the recording medium.