JP2005011469A - Recording and reproducing device, and automatic file deletion method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To delete the program file irrespective of the empty capacity on a hard disk, while protecting a program file desired to be reproduced not to be deleted automatically. <P>SOLUTION: The time is set to automatically delete the program file recorded on a hard disk. When the program file is reproduced and viewed, time count is started up to the set time. When the program file is reproduced while counting the time, the time count is performed again from the beginning. When it reaches the set time, the program file is deleted virtually. The program file is deleted from the hard disk apparently, however when the reproduction of the program file is desired again, the program file is restored. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of automatically deleting files such as video and music recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The recording / reproducing apparatus records program files such as video and music on a randomly accessible recording medium such as a DVD or a hard disk. Then, by deleting unnecessary program files from the recording medium, the recording medium can maintain a sufficient free space.
[0003]
When a program file is reproduced, if there are many program files, it becomes difficult to find the target program file. Therefore, it is desirable to automatically delete unnecessary program files.
[0004]
For example, in Patent Document 1, the free space of a recording medium is detected, and when the free space is insufficient, a low-level file is deleted based on the importance level set for each file. Also, in Patent Document 2, a recording data storage period is set, and when the recording period has passed the storage period, the recording data is deleted from the recording medium.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-21136 (paragraph 0011)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-289513 (paragraph 0056)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Conventionally, the program file is automatically deleted when the free space of the recording medium is reduced. Therefore, even an unnecessary program file is stored without being deleted until the free space of the recording medium is reduced. The number of program files cannot be reduced, and it remains difficult to find the target program file.
[0007]
In addition, if the retention period is set and the program files are automatically deleted, the number of program files can be surely reduced. However, there is a risk that even a program file to be reproduced from time to time may be deleted, such as once a month, and the program file to be viewed cannot be protected.
[0008]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus that can delete a file regardless of the free capacity of the recording medium and protect the file to be reproduced from being automatically deleted.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The problem-solving means according to the present invention includes a setting means for setting a time for deleting a file from a randomly accessible recording medium, a time measuring means for starting a time count from when the file is accessed to the time, When the file is accessed during the time count, a reset means for starting the time count from the beginning, and a delete means for deleting the file from the recording medium when the time is reached.
[0010]
The time when the selected file is to be deleted can be arbitrarily set by the setting means. At this time, it is possible to set so that the file cannot be deleted, and the file can be protected from being accidentally deleted. When there is some access to the selected file, such as playback or copying, the time measuring means starts time counting. When there is no access, the time count is not started and the file is not deleted.
[0011]
During this time count, the file is accessible as usual. When there is access to the file such as file playback, the reset means temporarily stops the time count and starts over from the beginning. Having access to a file means that the file is not unnecessary at all. Therefore, if a file is accessed from time to time, the file can be left without being deleted.
[0012]
Informing means for informing the remaining time until the time of deletion is provided. The notification notifies the remaining time by display or sound. Alternatively, when the remaining time becomes short, it may be notified that the deletion is automatically performed. As a result, it is possible to confirm whether the file can be deleted, and it is possible to prevent a necessary file from being deleted accidentally.
[0013]
When the time is counted up to the set time, the deleting unit deletes the file from the recording medium. In this way, unnecessary files can be reduced by automatically deleting files. As a result, the number of reproducible files is reduced, file search and management are facilitated, and free space on the recording medium can be secured.
[0014]
The deleting unit virtually deletes the file. The virtual deletion is an apparent deletion from the recording medium, and the file data is stored in the recording medium. Therefore, reproduction, editing, etc. are impossible, and even if the recorded files are displayed as a list, they are not displayed. However, the virtually deleted file can be recovered by the recovery means. When the file is restored, it can be played back.
[0015]
At this time, a list of virtually deleted files is displayed. You can select the file you want to restore from the list. Further, if a file to be completely deleted is selected from the list and deleted by manual operation, the free space of the recording medium can be increased. However, this file cannot be restored.
[0016]
When the free capacity of the recording medium is small, this deletion means for completely deleting the virtually deleted file is provided. The free space of the recording medium is always monitored, and the file is automatically deleted when the free space falls below a specified value. All the files that are virtually deleted may be deleted, or the files that were virtually deleted may be deleted in order from the oldest file.
[0017]
By virtually deleting the file in this way, when a new file is recorded on the recording medium, the file is recorded in an empty area. For this reason, the recording medium is used evenly. Recording is not repeated in the same area, and damage and deterioration of the recording medium can be suppressed.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This recording / reproducing apparatus uses a hard disk 1 as a randomly accessible recording medium, a selector switch 3 for switching input from a tuner 2 or an external input terminal, and converts an inputted analog video signal into an uncompressed digital video signal. A video decoder 4, an encoder 5 for compressing a digital video signal by the MPEG2 system, a disk drive interface 6 for inputting / outputting compressed video signal data to / from the hard disk 1, and decompressing the compressed video signal data And a decoder 7 for converting the digital video signal into an analog video signal and outputting the analog video signal to an external output terminal, and a sub-microcomputer that controls recording, reproduction, and file management for the hard disk 1. A sub-control unit 9; An operation unit 10 such as a remote controller or a main body panel for inputting instructions for performing seed setting, channel selection, recording, reproduction, etc., a host control unit 11 comprising a host microcomputer for driving and controlling them, and a timer for measuring time 12 and a RAM 13 for temporarily storing video signal data.
[0019]
When recording a program file, a channel is selected by the operation unit 10, and the tuner 2 receives a signal from a terrestrial broadcast or a satellite broadcast on the selected channel through an antenna. Further, it receives a signal from a cable network or an external device connected to the external input terminal. The video decoder 4 and the encoder 5 process the received analog video signal by a predetermined method. The signal-processed data is stored in the data area of the hard disk 1 through the disk drive interface 6, and a program file is recorded. At this time, program information relating to the program file such as the recording date and time and the recording time is written in the directory area of the hard disk 1. In addition, the position information of the program file is written in a FAT (File Allocation Table) area of the hard disk 1.
[0020]
When reproducing a program file, the program file data selected by the operation unit 10 is read from the hard disk 1. The decoder 7 and the video encoder 8 process the data according to a predetermined method to obtain an analog video signal. This analog video signal is output to an output device such as a television or a monitor connected to the external output terminal, and can be viewed on the screen or speaker of the output device.
[0021]
In addition to controlling the sub-control unit 9 to record and play back the program file as described above, the host control unit 11 controls to automatically delete the program file from the hard disk 1 at a designated time. Do. That is, the host control unit 11 sets a time for deleting a program file based on an input from the operation unit 10, a time counting function for starting time counting after the program file is reproduced, and during time counting. When the program file is played back, it has a reset function that starts time counting from the beginning, and a deletion function that virtually deletes the program file when the set time is reached. Then, the host control unit 11 displays a list of recorded program files through the output device as a recorded program list, and further displays a list of virtually deleted program files as a deleted program list. The control unit 9 is controlled. In the deleted program list, the remaining time until the time of deletion is displayed. Instead of displaying, the remaining time may be notified by voice.
[0022]
Virtual deletion means that the program file is apparently deleted from the hard disk 1, and the data of the program file is actually left in the hard disk 1. Therefore, the program file is in a recoverable state so that it can be reproduced again. Specifically, the program file data recorded in the data area of the hard disk 1 is stored as it is, virtual deletion information is added to the program information recorded in the directory area, and the position information of the FAT area is not changed. The virtually deleted program file is not displayed in the recorded program list, but is displayed in the deleted program list.
[0023]
Furthermore, the host control unit 11 detects the program file that has been virtually deleted and the free space of the hard disk 1 to detect the program file that has been virtually deleted. It also has a delete function for deleting. It also has a manual deletion function for completely deleting program files that are virtually deleted by manual operation. To completely delete a program file is to erase the data and program information of the program file from the hard disk 1, and if the program file is completely deleted, it cannot be restored.
[0024]
Next, the operation when the program file is automatically deleted will be described. The user performs settings for recording the program on the hard disk 1 through the operation unit 10. At this time, it is also set whether or not to delete automatically. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a timer reservation setting screen is displayed on the monitor. The automatic deletion item is off by default. Automatic deletion is set by the user selecting ON. Thereafter, a submenu screen regarding automatic deletion is displayed. As shown in FIG. 3, the date and time for deletion are displayed on the automatic deletion setting screen. When a desired date and time is selected, the time for deletion is determined. Here, it can be set how many days later, but it may be set by directly inputting a time such as how many hours later, or a date such as what month and day.
[0025]
Whether or not to execute this automatic deletion function can be selected. If the main setting for automatic deletion is turned on in the main menu screen shown in FIG. 4, automatic deletion is enabled. If it is turned off, automatic deletion is disabled, and automatic deletion is not executed even if the automatic deletion setting is turned on in the timer reservation setting screen. This main setting has priority over the automatic deletion setting for individual program files. Therefore, even if automatic deletion is being executed, automatic deletion is canceled by turning off the main setting.
[0026]
Furthermore, the recorded program file can be protected so that it is not accidentally deleted. That is, if the protection is set to ON at the time of setting, the host control unit 11 prohibits the deletion itself so that the program file cannot be deleted manually or automatically.
[0027]
At the set time, the program is recorded and a program file is recorded on the hard disk 1. When the program file recorded in this way exists, as shown in FIG. 5, the host control unit 11 confirms the automatic deletion and protection settings, and checks whether the program file has been reproduced. If the automatic deletion setting is off or the protection setting is on, the program file is stored as it is.
[0028]
When a program file for which automatic deletion is set is viewed, the host control unit 11 starts time counting from the time point when the reproduction ends by using the timer 12 when detecting the end of the reproduction. Here, the automatic deletion is based on the condition that the program file has been viewed, and the host control unit 11 determines whether or not the program file has been viewed when the program file is reproduced. The determination as to whether the program has been viewed is made based on the degree of reproduction such as how much the program file has been reproduced. The reproduction degree is calculated from, for example, the reproduction time with respect to the recording time or the size of the reproduction with respect to the recording size. This reproduction degree is compared with a judgment ratio which is a reference degree that is regarded as viewed. If the playback level is equal to or higher than the determination ratio, it is determined that the video has been viewed.
[0029]
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the program file is reproduced and viewing is started. When viewing ends, that is, when playback is stopped, the viewing time / total title time as the playback degree is calculated based on the viewing time, and is compared with the viewing determination ratio. When the reproduction degree is equal to or greater than the viewing determination ratio, the host control unit 11 stores the date and time when the reproduction was performed in the memory as the viewing time, and determines that the viewing has been completed. This viewing date and time becomes the start reference time for the time when automatic deletion is executed. Then, the timer 12 starts a time count for automatic deletion.
[0030]
Note that the determination ratio is set in advance, and the initial setting is 90%. If it is a one-hour program, it is determined that the program has been viewed after 54 minutes or more. The determination ratio setting can be changed on the recording reservation setting menu screen shown in FIG. If the item of viewing judgment ratio is selected, a submenu screen is displayed, and an arbitrary numerical value may be input.
[0031]
The recorded program files are displayed as a list. As an example, FIG. 7 shows a recorded list screen. For each program file, the presence / absence of protection on / off and automatic deletion is displayed. If automatic deletion is set, the remaining time until the time of deletion is displayed, and if it is not set, no time is displayed in this field. Thereby, it is possible to confirm whether or not automatic deletion is set.
[0032]
Even if automatic deletion is set and the time is being counted, the setting can be changed. The screen shown in FIG. 7 is called and a target program file is selected. When an automatic deletion change operation is performed from the operation unit 10, the screen is switched to a change screen. Here, ON / OFF of the automatic deletion setting and ON / OFF of the protection setting are switched. For example, when the automatic deletion setting is switched from OFF to ON, the screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed, and the time for deletion can be set. Further, if the protection setting is turned on for a program file for which automatic deletion is set, the deletion is prohibited, and the program file is stored in the hard disk 1.
[0033]
The host control unit 11 checks whether or not the set time has been reached based on the time count of the timer. During this time, it is checked whether the program file has been reproduced. When a program file is played back, the time count is restarted from the beginning. Further, even a program file for which automatic deletion is set can be manually deleted before the set time comes. The deletion at this time is also a virtual deletion.
[0034]
When the set time comes, the program file is automatically deleted virtually. It should be noted that the deletion may be notified by display, voice or the like when the set time comes or before a predetermined time before this time. The program file virtually deleted in this way is not displayed on the recorded list screen. Instead, the list of program files is displayed in the deleted order on the deleted list screen shown in FIG.
[0035]
By selecting a program file on this deleted list screen and operating a recovery key or the like, the program file is restored to a playable state. The restored program file is displayed again on the recorded list screen.
[0036]
By the way, when a program file is recorded on the hard disk 1, the program file is randomly recorded in an empty area of the data area. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the program file is regularly recorded in the data area of the hard disk 1 to some extent. When the second program file is virtually deleted, the data of this program file exists as it is. When a new program file is recorded, it is not recorded in the area where the second recorded file exists, but is recorded in the empty area A. When virtually deleted in this way, the next area to be recorded is a different area and is not repeatedly recorded in the same area. On the other hand, when it is completely deleted, it may be recorded in the same area. If recording is repeated in the same area, the magnetic head and the hard disk main body may be significantly deteriorated. Therefore, by performing virtual deletion, the recordable area of the hard disk can be used evenly. Therefore, deterioration of the magnetic head and the hard disk main body can be prevented, the life of these can be extended, the frequency of data destruction and error occurrence is reduced, and the reliability as a recording / reproducing apparatus can be improved.
[0037]
Even if the program file is virtually deleted, the free space of the hard disk 1 decreases as new recording is performed. The host control unit 11 constantly monitors the free space of the hard disk 1 and performs the main deletion to completely delete the virtually deleted program file when the free space of the hard disk 1 becomes small. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, for a program file that is virtually deleted, virtual deletion information is added to the program information recorded in the directory area. When the free capacity of the hard disk 1 becomes less than the specified value, the program file is automatically deleted. When the main deletion is performed, the program files are deleted one by one in the order of the virtual deletion, or the program files are deleted collectively. This deletion can also be performed manually. In this way, program file data and program information are erased from the hard disk 1, and the free space of the hard disk 1 can be increased.
[0038]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, many corrections and changes can be added to the said embodiment within the scope of the present invention. The recording medium is not limited to a hard disk, but may be a randomly accessible DVD, CD, or semiconductor memory. The file to be recorded on the recording medium may be not only a broadcast program but also music data, document data, and image data.
[0039]
As a recording / reproducing apparatus, a plurality of recording media are used and recording / reproducing can be performed on each recording medium. Then, the file is automatically deleted at a set time on one recording medium. In this case, control is performed such that a file on one recording medium is moved to another recording medium. That is, since there is no file in one recording medium, it is deleted. Since this file is recorded on another recording medium, it is in a reproducible state. Thus, by moving a file between a plurality of recording media, the file is virtually deleted from the recording medium.
[0040]
In addition, although the start timing of the automatic deletion time count is set at the time when the reproduction is finished, it may be started from a time when any program file to be automatically deleted is accessed. For example, when a program file is selected on the recorded list screen, a thumbnail screen of the program file is displayed, or when the program file is output from an external output terminal for dubbing.
[0041]
You may be made to automatically perform this deletion which deletes the file deleted virtually. That is, the book is automatically deleted when a certain period of time has passed since the virtual deletion. In this way, the free capacity of the recording medium can be increased at any time, and it becomes difficult for a shortage of free capacity to occur.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to always ensure a sufficient free space by automatically deleting recorded files regardless of the free space of the recording medium. Since the reproducible files recorded on the recording medium are organized, it becomes easy to find the target file. In addition, it is not necessary to keep it forever, but it can prevent accidental deletion of files that are sometimes played back, protecting the necessary files.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a timer reservation setting screen. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an automatic deletion setting screen. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of automatic file deletion. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of determining whether a file has been viewed. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a recorded list screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a virtual deleted list screen. Fig. 10 shows the area where the file is recorded. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the main file deletion.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hard disk 2 Tuner 4 Video decoder 5 Encoder 6 Disk drive interface 7 Decoder 8 Video encoder 9 Sub control part 10 Operation part 11 Host control part 12 Timer

Claims (6)

Setting means for setting a time to delete a file from a randomly accessible recording medium, time measuring means for starting a time count from when the file was accessed to the time, and access to the file during the time counting A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: reset means for starting time counting from the beginning when the recording time is reached; and deletion means for deleting the file from the recording medium when the time is reached. Setting means for setting a time to delete a file from a randomly accessible recording medium, time measuring means for starting a time count from when the file was accessed to the time, and access to the file during the time counting Reset means for starting time counting from the beginning, deletion means for virtually deleting the file from the recording medium when the time is reached, and resurrection for recovering the virtually deleted file. And a recording / reproducing apparatus. 3. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a main deleting unit that completely deletes the virtually deleted file when the free space of the recording medium is small. 4. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying a list of virtually deleted files. 5. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an informing unit for informing a remaining time until the time of deletion. This is a deletion method that automatically deletes files recorded on a randomly accessible recording medium. When the file is accessed, the time count up to that time is started. When the file is accessed during the time count, the time count starts from the beginning, and when the time is reached, the file is virtually deleted from the recording medium. Method.

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