Time management apparatus and time management method

1. A time management apparatus comprising:

a read module which reads information that is recorded in a recording medium;

a clock module; and

a control module which controls the read module and the clock module,

wherein content information, time management information which is recorded by an apparatus managing a clock with an arbitrary change of time by a user and time correction completion information which is updated in a case where the time management information has been corrected are recorded in the recording medium, the time management information including date/time recording information indicative of a date/time at which previous playback of the content information is stopped, playback allowable period information indicative of a playback allowable period of the content information, start date/time information indicative of a start date/time of a playback allowable period and end date/time information indicative of an end date/time of the playback allowable period, and

the control module includes (i) a module which calculates a viewing elapsed time by subtracting a value of the start date/time information of the playback allowable period from a value of the date/time recording information which is read out of the recording medium, (ii) a module which sets the start date/time information of the playback allowable period to be a present time which is acquired from the clock module, (iii) a module which sets the end date/time information of the playback allowable period to be a value which is calculated by subtracting the viewing elapsed time from an added result of the present time and a value of the playback allowable period information, and (iv) a module which updates the time correction completion information after correction of the start date/time information of the playback allowable period and the end date/time information of the playback allowable period,

wherein the control module, the read module and the clock module are hardware.

2. A time management method for playing back content information of a recording medium, in which the content information, time management information which is recorded and time correction completion information which is updated in a case where the time management information has been corrected are recorded in the recording medium, the time management information including date/time recording information indicative of a date/time at which previous playback of the content information is stopped, playback allowable period information indicative of a playback allowable period of the content information, start date/time information indicative of a start date/time of a playback allowable period and end date/time information indicative of an end date/time of the playback allowable period, the method comprising:

calculating by a processor a viewing elapsed time by subtracting a value of the start date/time information of the playback allowable period from a value of the date/time recording information which is read out of the recording medium;

writing by the processor, as the start date/time information of the playback allowable period, a present time which is acquired from a clock module;

writing by the processor, as the end date/time information of the playback allowable period, a value which is calculated by subtracting the viewing elapsed time from an added result of the present time and a value of the playback allowable period information; and

updating by the processor the time correction completion information, after the writing the start date/time information of the playback allowable period and the writing the end date/time information of the playback allowable period.

3. A time management apparatus comprising:

a read module which reads information that is recorded in a recording medium, the information comprises (a) content information, (b) time management information which is recorded by an apparatus mounting a method of managing a clock with an arbitrary change of time by a user and (c) time correction completion information which is updated in a case where the time management information has been corrected are recorded in the recording medium, the time management information including (i) date/time recording information indicative of a date/time at which previous playback of the content information is stopped, (ii) playback allowable period information indicative of a playback allowable period of the content information, (iii) start date/time information indicative of a start date/time of a playback allowable period and (iv) end date/time information indicative of an end date/time of the playback allowable period;

a clock module; and

a processor that controls the read module and the clock module, the processor calculates a viewing elapsed time by subtracting a value of the start date/time information of the playback allowable period from a value of the date/time recording information which is read out of the recording medium, sets the start date/time information of the playback allowable period to be a present time which is acquired from the clock module, sets the end date/time information of the playback allowable period to be a value which is calculated by subtracting the viewing elapsed time from an added result of the present time and a value of the playback allowable period information, and updates the time correction completion information after correction of the start date/time information of the playback allowable period and the end date/time information of the playback allowable period.