Information recording medium, apparatus for recording the same and apparatus for recording the same

Abstract

An information recording medium includes: record information pieces logically independent of each other and constituting a hierarchical structure of hierarchical layers; layer information pieces for specifying one of the hierarchical layer; kind information pieces for indicating kinds of information relating to the record information pieces; a text group including layer related texts and record information related texts successively arranged in a mixed manner; text arrangement information pieces corresponding to the text group and arranged in pair with one of the layer information piece and the kind information piece corresponding to the text, the text arrangement information piece indicating a position of the text within the text group. The layer information pieces are arranged in an order in accordance with the hierarchical structure, and the kind information pieces are arranged in pair with the layer information pieces indicating the layer of the corresponding record information piece so as to specify the logical position of the corresponding record information piece within the hierarchical structure.

1. An information recording medium having a management information area and recording information area,
 the recording information area including a plurality of record information pieces constituting a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of hierarchical layers;  
 the management information area including: 
 a layer information piece for specifying one of the plurality of hierarchical layers;  
 a kind information piece for indicating a kind of information relating to one of the record information pieces;  
 a text group including a plurality of text information comprising a plurality of layer related texts and a plurality of record information related texts, at least one of the plurality of layer related texts describing information related to the layer specified by the layer information piece, and at least one of the plurality of record information related texts describing information related to the kind of information indicated by the kind information piece; and  
 a text arrangement information piece, arranged in pair with one of the layer information piece and the kind information piece, indicating a position of a text information corresponding to the paired one of the layer information piece and the kind information piece.  
 
 
     
     
       2. The medium according to  claim 1 , wherein the layer information piece is arranged in an order in accordance with the hierarchical structure, and the kind information piece is arranged in pair with the layer information piece specifying a hierarchical layer of the record information piece corresponding to the kind information piece so as to specify the position of the corresponding record information piece within the hierarchical structure. 
     
     
       3. The medium according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one specific layer information piece indicating a recording position of the layer information piece corresponding to a specific layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers. 
     
     
       4. The medium according to  claim 1 , further comprising an uppermost layer information piece indicating a recording position of the layer information piece corresponding to the highest layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers. 
     
     
       5. The medium according to  claim 1 , wherein the record information pieces comprise video information, audio information, and sub-picture information recorded in a multiplexed manner. 
     
     
       6. An information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from an information recording medium having a management information area and recording information area,
 the recording information area including a plurality of record information pieces constituting a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of hierarchical layers;  
 the management information area including: 
 a layer information piece for specifying one of the plurality of hierarchical layers;  
 a kind information piece for indicating a kind of information relating to one of the record information pieces;  
 
 a text group including a plurality of text information comprising a plurality of layer related texts and a plurality of record information related texts, at least one of the plurality of layer related texts describing information related to the layer specified by the layer information piece, and at least one of the plurality of record information related texts describing information related to the kind of information indicated by the kind information piece;  
 a text arrangement piece, arranged in pair with one of the layer information piece and the kind information piece, indicating a position of a text information corresponding to the paired one of the layer information piece and the kind information piece,  
 said apparatus comprising: 
 reading means for reading the information recording medium thereby obtaining a read signal;  
 demodulating means for demodulating the read signal thereby obtaining a demodulated signal;  
 detecting means for detecting, from the demodulated signal, the text group; and  
 displaying means for displaying information corresponding to at least a portion of the text information within the text group.  
 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 selecting means for selecting information displayed by the displaying means; and  
 reproduction control means for reproducing a record information piece corresponding to the information selected by the selecting means.  
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the record information piece comprises video information, audio information and sub-picture information recorded in a multiplexed manner, the apparatus further comprising:
 a video decoder for decoding the video information;  
 an audio decoder for decoding the audio information; and  
 a sub-picture decoder for decoding the sub-picture information.  
 
     
     
       9. An information recording medium comprising:
   a plurality of record information pieces constituting a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of hierarchical layers;        a layer information piece for specifying one of the plurality of hierarchical layers;        a kind information piece for indicating a kind of information relating to one of the record information pieces;        a record information related text corresponding to the kind information piece; and        a text arrangement information piece, arranged in pair with the kind information piece, indicating a position of the record information related text.      
     
     
       10. The medium according to  claim 9 , wherein the layer information piece is arranged in an order in accordance with the hierarchical structure, and the kind information piece is arranged in pair with the layer information piece specifying a hierarchical layer of the record information piece corresponding to the kind information piece.  
     
     
       11. The medium according to  claim 9 , further comprising at least one specific layer information piece indicating a recording position of a layer information piece corresponding to a specific layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers.  
     
     
       12. The medium according to  claim 9 , further comprising an uppermost layer information piece indicating a recording position of a layer information piece corresponding to the highest layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers.  
     
     
       13. The medium according to  claim 9 , further comprising a relation information piece indicating, for a predetermined kind information piece, relation between the record information related text and logical position of the record information piece corresponding to the record information related text within the hierarchical structure.  
     
     
       14. The medium according to  claim 9 , wherein the layer information piece indicates only the layer, out of the plurality of layers, including a unit of the record information piece which a user can arbitrarily designate.  
     
     
       15. The medium according to  claim 11 , wherein the layer information piece is recorded for a certain record information piece which satisfies the following conditions:
 ( a )  on a certain layer within the hierarchical layers lower than the specific layer, there exists another record information piece on the layer which is at a same hierarchical level as the certain layer and which is branched from the layer just one level higher than the certain layer; and      ( b )  there exists at least one text with respect to at least one of the certain record information piece, the another record information piece and a record information piece in a layer lower than the certain layer.      
     
     
       16. The medium according to  claim 9 , wherein the record information related text comprises a classification mark part indicating a sub- class of the related information described by the text and a character part indicating the related information.    
     
     
       17. The medium according to  claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of language units provided for different languages, each of the language units including the layer information piece, the kind information piece, the record information related text and the text arrangement information piece.  
     
     
       18. An information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from an information recording medium comprising a plurality of record information pieces constituting a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of hierarchical layers, a layer information piece for specifying one of the plurality of hierarchical layers, a kind information piece for indicating a kind of information relating to one of the record information pieces, a record information related text corresponding to the kind information piece and a text arrangement information piece, arranged in pair with the kind information piece, indicating a position of the record information related text, the apparatus comprising:
   reading means for reading the information recording medium thereby obtaining a read signal;        demodulating means for demodulating the read signal thereby obtaining a demodulated signal;        detecting means for detecting, from the demodulated signal, the record information related text; and        display signal generating means for generating a display signal corresponding to the detected record information related text.      
     
     
       19. The information reproducing apparatus according to  claim 18 , comprising:
   designating means for designating a kind of related information and a search object text relating to a record information piece to be searched;        searching means for searching for the kind information piece corresponding to the kind of related information designated by the designating means;        selecting means for selecting a record information related text including the search object text out of record information related texts which include the kind information piece detected by the searching means, by using the text arrangement information piece paired with the kind information piece detected by the searching means;        obtaining means for obtaining the logical position in the hierarchical structure and the related information of the record information piece corresponding to the record information related text selected, by referring to the corresponding layer information piece and other layer information pieces; and        reproducing means for reproducing the record information piece designated by the designating means based on the logical position obtained by the obtaining means.      
     
     
       20. The information reproducing apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein
   the searching means searches for a logical position in the hierarchical structure of the record information corresponding to the record information related text;        the display signal generating means generates a display signal corresponding to the record information related text detected by the searching means; and        the reproducing means reproduces the record information piece designated by the designating means based on the logical position obtained by the searching means.      
     
     
       21. The information reproducing apparatus according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
   a designating means for designating a sub - class of the information related to a record information piece to be searched; and        a searching means for searching for a classification mark part corresponding to the sub - class designated by the designating means,        wherein the display signal generating means generates a display signal corresponding to information relating to the record information piece detected by said searching means.      
     
     
       22. An information recording apparatus comprising:
   a first producing means for producing a plurality of record information pieces;        a second producing means for producing a layer information piece indicating one of a plurality of layers constituting a hierarchical structure and a kind information piece indicating a kind of information related to one of the record information pieces;        a text producing means for producing a record information related text corresponding to the kind information piece;        a third producing means for producing a text arrangement information piece indicating a position of the record information related text;        a first arranging means for arranging the plurality of record information pieces to constitute the hierarchical structure;        a second arranging means for arranging the layer information piece, the kind information piece, the text arrangement information piece and the record information related text in accordance with the hierarchical structure, the text arrangement information piece being arranged in pair with the kind information piece; and        a recording means for recording, on a medium, the arranged record information pieces and the arranged layer information piece, kind information piece, text arrangement information piece and record information related text.      
     
     
       23. The information recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , further comprising a fourth producing means for producing at least one specific layer information piece indicating a recording position of a layer information piece corresponding to a specific layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers,
   wherein the recording means records, on the medium, the specific layer information piece.      
     
     
       24. The information recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , further comprising a producing means for producing an uppermost layer information piece indicating a recording position of a layer information piece corresponding to the highest layer out of the plurality of hierarchical layers,
   wherein the recording means records, on the medium, the uppermost layer information piece.