Patents by Inventor Akiko Hirao

Akiko Hirao has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7061852
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for holographic recording medium having an alignment mark and designed to irradiate a recording light beam onto a recording region of holographic recording medium to record information as a hologram. This apparatus comprises a recording laser recording the hologram onto the medium, an alignment laser irradiating an alignment light beam onto the medium, the alignment light beam being less absorbed than the recording light beam by the medium, and being reflected by the medium, a first lens converging the recording light beam and directing it toward the medium, a second lens converging the alignment light beam and directing it toward the medium, a photodetector detecting a light intensity of the alignment light beam reflected from the medium to recognize the alignment mark, and a driving mechanism adjusting a region to be irradiated with the recording light beam relative to the medium based on the alignment mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takayuki Tsukamoto, Kazuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Akiko Hirao
  • Patent number: 7060393
    Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer containing a charge-generating material capable of generating a first electric charge and a second electric charge by beam irradiation, the second electric charge having a different polarity from that of the first electric charge, a charge-transport material enabling at least the first electric charge to be transported to isolate the first electric charge and the second electric charge, and a trapping material retaining the first electric charge. The optical characteristics of the recording layer is changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of the first and second electric charges, and the trapping material is provided with a conjugated system and with at least one nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of the heterocyclic group to the conjugated system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takayuki Tsukamoto, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa
  • Publication number: 20060115740
    Abstract: A hologram recording medium includes: first and second translucent substrates; and a recording layer, which is formed between the first and second substrates, contains a three-dimensionally crosslinked polymer matrix, a radical polymerizable compound and a photoradical polymerization initiator, shows a rubber-like elasticity at the room temperature, and has a durometer hardness within a range of A45 to A85.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Rumiko Hayase, Akiko Hirao, Norikatsu Sasao, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Kazuki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7031037
    Abstract: A holographic recording medium includes a transparent layer having a servo surface and a light incidence surface which face each other; a reflecting layer formed on the servo surface-side transparent layer; and a holographic recording layer formed on the light illuminating-side transparent layer. The transparent layer includes resin films laminated so that adjacent resin films differ in stretching direction by 90 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Katsutaro Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20060077853
    Abstract: A hologram recording/reproducing apparatus includes a recording/reproducing optical system that guides at least one of an information beam and a reference beam to an optical recording medium; a spatial light modulator that is arranged in an optical path of the recording/reproducing optical system, and spatially modulates a beam guided via the recording/reproducing optical system to generate the information beam; a first misalignment detecting unit that detects a first misalignment between the recording/reproducing optical system and the spatial light modulator using a beam for detecting the first misalignment; and a first misalignment correcting unit that corrects the first misalignment based on the first misalignment detected by the first misalignment detecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2005
    Publication date: April 13, 2006
    Inventors: Kazuki Matsumoto, Akiko Hirao, Rumiko Hayase, Takayuki Tsukamoto
  • Publication number: 20060077857
    Abstract: The optical information recording apparatus includes a laser light source for radiating a light beam, a spatial light modulator disposed on an optical path of the light beam, a power density control mechanism disposed on the optical path, an interference fringe formation mechanism. The spatial light modulator has pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array at which a central section of the light beam is radiated. The spatial light modulator spatially modulates the light beam. The power density control mechanism is set such that the transmittance with respect to the light beam at a portion where the central section is radiated is lower than that at which a peripheral section of the light beam is radiated. The interference fringe formation mechanism forms interference fringes from the central section and the peripheral section on the optical information recording medium disposed downstream on the optical path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Publication date: April 13, 2006
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Rumiko Hayase, Takayuki Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 7006425
    Abstract: Information is recorded/reproduced by focusing a light beam in/from an optical recording medium capable of forming therein marks for information recording in a plurality of three-dimensional directions including an arbitrary directions and at least depth direction. Specifically, the optical beam is sequentially focused at a recorded mark position adjacent an optically recorded mark position, at which a recording/reproducing operation is started, in any directions regardless of the directionality of the plurality of three-dimensional directions, to cause the focused position of the light beam to describe a predetermined locus having a predetermined rule to rapidly and continuously record/reproduce the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Yoshinori Honguh, Kazuki Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20060014081
    Abstract: Disclosed is a holographic recording medium and methods of manufacturing the holographic recording medium. The example of the medium has a recording layer containing a three dimensionally cross-linked polymer matrix including an epoxy resin, a radically polymerizable monomer, and a photo radical polymerization initiator. The radically polymerizable monomer comprises both N-vinylcarbazole (VC) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP) or N-vinylcarbazole alone. The weight ratio of N-vinylcarbazole (VC) to the sum of N-vinylcarbazole (VC) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP), i.e., (VC/(VC+VP)), is not smaller than 0.75 and not larger than 1.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Rumiko Hayase, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Katsutaro Ichihara, Urara Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050195722
    Abstract: Provided is a technique for reproducing information recorded on a holographic recording medium including a reflecting layer and a recording layer. When reproducing, a reproducing reference light is focused on a reflecting surface of the reflecting layer to produce a phase conjugate reproduced light and an ordinary reproduced light, and the phase conjugate reproduced light and the ordinary reproduced light are guided to a sensing surface of an image sensor to produce on the sensing surface a first reproduced image and a second reproduced image smaller than the first reproduced image, respectively. An intensity of the ordinary reproduced light on the sensing surface is higher than an intensity of the phase conjugate reproduced light on the sensing surface. An output of the image sensor corresponding to a non-overlapping portion of the first reproduced image which does not overlap the second reproduced image is utilized for reproducing the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Takayuki Tsukamoto, Kazuki Matsumoto, Rumiko Hayase, Akiko Hirao, Katsutaro Ichihara, Urara Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050196679
    Abstract: Disclosed is a holographic optical recording medium, comprising a recording layer containing a three dimensionally cross-linked polymer matrix, a radically polymerizable compound, and a photo radical polymerization initiator, the three dimensionally cross-linked polymer matrix comprising a cured material of a reaction product between a diglycidyl ether and an amine, the diglycidyl ether being selected from the group consisting of 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether and diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Rumiko Hayase, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Katsutaro Ichihara, Urara Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050174917
    Abstract: An optical recording medium has a recording layer recording information as hologram by receiving a beam of light corresponding to the information. The recording layer includes a plurality of recording areas which are physically separated in a direction, the direction is substantially parallel to a surface that the beam of light enters and a boundary area provided between the recording areas to separate the respective recording areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Kazuki Matsumoto, Katsutaro Ichihara, Akiko Hirao, Rumiko Hayase, Takayuki Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 6921624
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer. The recording layer contains: a charge generation material generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation; a charge transport material transporting one of the electron and the hole; a charge trap which traps the transported one of the electron and the hole to separate the electron and the hole; and a non-linear optical material which changes optical properties of the recording layer in accordance with electric field formed by the electron and the hole being separated from each other. The non-linear optical material has an asymmetrical carbon atom and a cyclic group. Or, it is a cyclic-group-containing constituent having: an inversion symmetric pi-electron system; at least one of an electron donating group and an electron accepting group which are bonded to the inversion symmetric ?-electron system; and an asymmetrical carbon atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa
  • Publication number: 20050088947
    Abstract: A method for storing holographic data in a medium having a reflection layer and a recording layer comprises: recording, rotating and repeating. An interference pattern is recorded at a recording position of the recording layer of the medium in a stationary state. The interference pattern is formed by an interference between an object beam and a reference beam which are irradiated into the recording layer from an opposite side of the reflection layer. The medium is rotated so as to shift the recording position by a distance of nĂ—Sh where n is a positive integer and Sh is a predetermined recording shift amount. The recording and the rotating are repeated alternately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Publication date: April 28, 2005
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Katsutaro Ichihara, Urara Ichihara, Kazuki Matsumoto, Akiko Hirao, Rumiko Hayase
  • Publication number: 20050068593
    Abstract: Disclosed is a holographic optical recording medium comprising a recording layer having a skeleton structure represented by following general formula (A): where R1 denotes an atomic group selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms and an arylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, it being possible for a halogen atom or an alkoxy group to be substituted in R1, and each of p and q is 0 or 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Inventors: Rumiko Hayase, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Takayuki Tsukamoto, Katsutaro Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050026079
    Abstract: Disclosed is a recording medium comprising a recording layer including a photo-acid generating agent that generates an acid upon irradiation with an actinic radiation and a polymer having a polymerizable substituent group bonded to a main chain of the polymer via a functional group that cleaves in the presence of the acid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Inventors: Naoko Kihara, Katsutaro Ichihara, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Urara Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050018260
    Abstract: A holographic recording medium includes a transparent layer having a servo surface and a light incidence surface which face each other; a reflecting layer formed on the servo surface-side transparent layer; and a holographic recording layer formed on the light illuminating-side transparent layer. The transparent layer includes resin films laminated so that adjacent resin films differ in stretching direction by 90 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Katsutaro Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20050002311
    Abstract: A hologram recording medium has a transparent substrate having an incidence surface, on which a write beam and a reference beam are made incident, and a servo surface opposite to the incidence surface, the servo surface including a header section and a data section, a reflecting layer formed on the servo surface of the transparent substrate, and a hologram recording layer provided on the incidence surface of the transparent substrate, the servo surface having intermittent tracking grooves in the data section except for recording positions, and a width of the tracking grooves being set at a value to less than an e?2 diameter of the reference beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Katsutaro Ichihara, Urara Ichihara, Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20040233831
    Abstract: Provided is a holographic recording medium including a recording layer in which information is to be holographically recorded, and a light-shielding layer which faces a main surface of the recording layer. The transmittance of the light-shielding layer for a recording light is increased on increasing intensity of the recording light. Alternatively, the light-shielding layer selectively transmits the recording light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Kazuki Matsumoto, Katsutaro Ichihara, Akiko Hirao, Hideyuki Nishizawa
  • Publication number: 20040179457
    Abstract: The optical information recording medium according to the present invention includes a transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a recording layer that is arranged on the first surface of the transparent substrate, and a reflection layer arranged on the second surface of the transparent substrate. A hologram is recorded in the recording layer when a signal light and a reference light are incident from an incident side opposite to the transparent substrate. An optical density of the recording layer corresponding to the signal light decreases from the incident side toward the transparent substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Hisashi Yamada, Kazuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Katsutaro Ichihara
  • Publication number: 20040180266
    Abstract: A holographic optical recording medium includes a plastic substrate, a first inorganic intermediate layer formed on the plastic substrate, and an organic recording layer on which information is recorded by using holography. The organic recording layer is formed on the first inorganic intermediate layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Kazuki Matsumoto, Katsutaro Ichihara