Recording medium, apparatus for reproducing data and method thereof

Abstract

In one embodiment, the recording medium includes a management area storing management information. The management information includes navigation information for reproducing data from the recording medium, and the navigation information including region information. The region information indicates at least one geographic region in which reproduction of the data is permitted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data record/reproduction system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a file structure for reproduction management of data within a recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a relation between index and object files according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a navigation command according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a navigation command according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a navigation command according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of device registration information recorded in a data record/reproduction apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of device registration information including region information according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of reproducing data according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method of reproducing data according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a data record/reproduction system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method of reproducing data according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagram of device registration information according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method of reproducing data according to a still further embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A recording medium having a data structure for managing reproduction of data from the recording medium, comprising: a management area storing management information, the management information including navigation information for reproducing data from the recording medium, and the navigation information including at least one command object, the command object instructing playback of associated data recorded on the recording medium, and the command object including region information and time limit information, the region information indicating at least one geographic region in which reproduction of the data associated with the command object is permitted, and the time limit information providing a time limit on the geographic region restriction established by the region information.

2. The recording medium of claim 1, wherein the time limit information includes a date after which the geographic region restriction established by the region information expires.

3. The recording medium of claim 1, wherein the command object includes an instruction to playback user desired associated data recorded on the recording medium if the region information of the command object matches region information in a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the recording medium, and the command object includes an instruction to playback the user desired associated data even if the region information of the command object does not match the region information in the reproducing apparatus if a present time exceeds the time limit provided by the time limit information.

4. The recording medium of claim 3, wherein the time limit information includes a date after which the geographic region restriction established by the region information expires.

5. The recording medium of claim 1, wherein the navigation information includes more than one command object, each command object instructs playback of associated data, each command object includes the region information for the data associated with the playback instruction, and each command object includes the time information associated with the region information.

6. A method of managing reproduction of data from a recording medium, comprising: reproducing, using a reproducing apparatus, navigation information from the recording medium, and the navigation information including at least one command object, the command object instructing playback of associated data recorded on the recording medium, and the command object including region information and time limit information, the region information indicating at least one geographic region in which reproduction of the data associated with the command object is permitted, and the time limit information providing a time limit on the geographic region restriction established by the region information;determining if the reproduced region information matches region information stored in the reproducing apparatus;permitting reproduction of the associated data if the reproduced region information is determined to match the stored region information;determining if the time limit on the geographic region restriction established by the region information has expired if the reproduced region information is determined not to match the stored region information; andpermitting reproduction of the associated data if the geographic region restriction established by the region information is determined to have expired.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: detecting if the command object includes the time limit information;prohibiting reproduction of the associated data if the reproduced region information is determined not to match the stored region information and the time limit information is not detected; andconducting the determining if the time limit on the geographic restriction established by the region information has expired if the time limit information is detected.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time limit information includes a date after which the geographic region restriction established by the region information expires.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the time limit information includes a date after which the geographic region restriction established by the region information expires.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining if the time limit on the geographic region restriction established by the region information has expired step comprises: obtaining a present date; anddetermining expiration of the time limit if the present date is after the date included in the time limit information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining step obtains the present date internally from the reproducing apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: storing the present date in a status register of the reproducing apparatus; and whereinthe obtaining step obtains the present date from the status register.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: keeping time locally within the reproducing apparatus; and whereinthe obtaining step obtains the present date from the kept local time.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining step obtains the present date from a source external to the reproducing apparatus.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the external source is a network server.

16. A method of managing reproduction of data from a recording medium, comprising: permitting a reproducing apparatus to reproduce data from the recording medium even if region information on the recording medium does not match region information stored at the reproducing apparatus if a time limit recorded on the recording medium and associated with the region information on the recording medium has expired.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the time limit is a date recorded on the recording medium.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the permitting step comprises: determining if a present date is past the date recorded on the recording medium.

19. A method of managing reproduction of data from a recording medium by a reproducing apparatus, comprising: detecting if timing information is recorded on the recording medium if region information on the recording medium does not match region information stored at the reproducing apparatus, the timing information providing a time limit on a geographic region restriction established by the region information recorded on the recording medium; andprohibiting reproduction of data from the recording medium that is associated with the region information on the recording medium if the detecting step does not detect the timing information and the; anddetermining if the time limit on the geographic restriction established by the region information has expired based on the timing information if detecting step detects the timing information; andpermitting reproduction of the associated data if the time limit on the geographic region restriction established by the region information is determined to have expired.