Patents Examined by Kim-Kwok Chu
  • Patent number: 7680010
    Abstract: A method for recording information on an optical recording medium is provided so that it is satisfied that 0.16?(Lv×Tcool)/(?/NA)?0.30 and 0.06?(Lv×Ttop)/(?/NA)?0.14, where ? is a write wavelength of a laser beam used to irradiate the recording layer of a phase-change optical recording medium, NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens used for irradiation with the laser beam, Lv is a relative speed between the objective lens and the optical recording medium, Tcool is a pulse time of a cooling pulse inserted immediately following a leading write pulse, and Ttop is a leading write pulse time. The method allows for forming a record mark with a good shape and prevents fluctuations at the front edge of the record mark, which would be otherwise caused by the recrystallization of the recording film being held at a high temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Jiro Yoshinari, Hideaki Miura, Hiroshi Shingai
  • Patent number: 7668065
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for reproducing information from an optical information recording medium or for recording information onto an optical information recording medium, is provided with a first light source for emitting first light flux having a first wavelength; a second light source for emitting second light flux having a second wavelength, the first wavelength being different from the second wavelength; a converging optical system having an optical axis and a diffractive portion, and a photo detector; wherein in case that the first light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux, and in case that the second light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the second light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Norikazu Arai, Toshiyuki Kojima, Toshihiko Kiriki, Kohei Ota, Shinichiro Saito
  • Patent number: 7668056
    Abstract: A warpage angle measurement apparatus and a warpage angle measurement method are provided that can measure an angle of warpage of an optical disc and a cartridge for the optical disc caused by a rapid environmental change such as a temperature change or a humidity change in a short time. The warpage angle measurement apparatus 10 includes: a constant temperature chamber 22 for accommodating an optical recording medium 20 formed by mounting the optical disc 16 as an object to be measured in the cartridge 18 and for adjusting a surrounding of the optical recording medium 20 to have a predetermined environmental condition; a laser oscillator 24 for causing laser oscillation to emit laser light to the optical disc 16; and a light-receiving unit 26 for receiving the laser light reflected from the optical disc 16 and detecting a relative angle of an optical path L2 of the reflected laser light with respect to an optical path L1 of the emitted laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Yamada, Tsuyoshi Komaki
  • Patent number: 7652974
    Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Limited
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kondo
  • Patent number: 7649823
    Abstract: A recording and reproducing system is broken down into a recording unit for producing a digital audio data signal from MIDI music data words asynchronously produced at irregular intervals and a playback unit for reproducing the MIDI music data codes from the digital audio data signal, wherein synchronous data nibbles are supplemented in the irregular intervals among the MIDI music data words for producing a data stream, and the digital audio data signal is produced from the data stream through a differential phase shift keying and a phase code modulation so as to record the MIDI messages in a digital versatile disk at high dense.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Ishii, Haruki Uehara
  • Patent number: 7646698
    Abstract: An optical disk and a method for identifying the optical disk making it possible to identify a recording system of the optical disk easily in a short time by a recording and reproduction apparatus when a groove-recording system and a land-recording system are both employed in one kind of optical disk, such as, for example, a BD-R. Specifically, a polarity upon reproducing wobble information is made to be the same in both an optical disk of groove-recording system and the optical disk of a land-recording system. The recording system of the optical disk that shows the same wobble polarity irrespective of the recording system can be easily detected by finding a tracking polarity that can recognize the wobble information by changing the tracking polarity, whereby the start-up time of the recording and reproduction apparatus can be shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Abe, Takashi Ishida
  • Patent number: 7626895
    Abstract: A removable media battery pack for supplying power to a media accessor of an automated data storage library. A media shell of the removable media battery pack has a structural configuration operable to be physically engaged by a media shell gripper of the media accessor. A rechargeable battery of the removable media battery pack is disposed within the media shell. A media shell interface of the removable media battery pack is integrated with the media shell and coupled to the rechargeable battery to provide power to the media accessor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian G. Goodman, Michael P. McIntosh, Daniel S. Moore
  • Patent number: 7626910
    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: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiko Hirao, Hisashi Yamada, Kazuki Matsumoto, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Katsutaro Ichihara
  • Patent number: 7626905
    Abstract: A device for protecting a slicer in reading signals on a defect disc from disturbance and instability is provided. The device includes a defect detection unit, a slicer and a logic combination unit. The defect detection unit receives a plurality of defect detection signals to detect various defects for setting a plurality of defect flag signals, wherein the plurality of defect detection signals at least include an envelope signal of a RF signal and bit modulation signals. The slicer receives and digitalizes the RF signal. The logic combination unit performs logic operation on the defect flag signals in order to detect a specified defect and to trigger defect protection for the slicer. A method for protecting a slicer in reading signals on a defect disc is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Lin Lai, Yi-Sung Chan
  • Patent number: 7619960
    Abstract: An optical pickup device using a laser beam comprising: a light-emitting element; a collimating lens; an objective lens; and a light-receiving element, wherein the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting element is converged on a recording surface of an optical disc to be disposed through a path related to the collimating lens and the objective lens, and the converged laser beam is entered to the light-receiving element reversely passing through the path after being reflected on the recording surface of the optical disc, the optical pickup device comprising: a front monitor light-receiving element for receiving a part of the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting element and detecting the amount of the laser beam; and an optical guiding member for guiding a part of the laser beam to the front monitor light-receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Ohta
  • Patent number: 7616540
    Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus (S) is provided with: a first reproducing device (11) for reproducing audio information from a first information record medium (DK), in which the audio information is recorded; a recording device (28) for recording the reproduced audio information into a second information record medium (HD); a second reproducing device (28) for reproducing the audio information recorded in the second information record medium; and a controlling device (6) for setting a recording speed when recording the audio information into the second information record medium and a reproducing speed when reproducing the audio information from the second information record medium such that the recording speed is equal to or higher than the reproducing speed, and controlling the second reproducing device and the recording device so as to perform reproducing the recorded audio information from the second information record medium at the set reproducing speed in parallel to recording the audi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichi Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 7613090
    Abstract: Embodiments of a method and apparatus for controlling tilt in an optical disc device such as a DVD recorder can select dynamic tilt control mode if the current operating mode of the device is record mode, and select static tilt control mode if the current operating mode is play mode thereby enabling tilt control selected for the current operating mode. Further, the device can maintain dynamic tilt control mode when data recording is resumed after being suspended, which enables the device to quickly perform tilt control preferred for the current optical pickup location. The device also can check the type of optical disc and whether a host supports defect management to select a preferred tilt control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi-LG Data Storage Korea, Inc.
    Inventor: Jun Kyung Park
  • Patent number: 7613100
    Abstract: An optical pickup device comprises a first laser light source and a second laser light source that emit first laser light and second laser light, respectively, and further comprises an objective lens that receives the first and second laser light. The first laser light and the second laser light have different focal lengths from a principal point of the objective lens in accordance with a distance between a signal layer of a signal recording medium and a label layer of the signal recording medium. When the first laser light source and the second laser light source are simultaneously driven, the first laser light and the second laser light are controlled to simultaneously focus on the signal layer of the signal recording medium and the label layer of the signal recording medium, respectively. Thus, label information can be recorded simultaneously with recording of main information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Suzuki, Shigeru Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7606132
    Abstract: Disclosed are a cantilever-type near-field probe capable of easily improving an optical throughput and being applied to a head of an optical data storage and a method of manufacturing the same. An oxide film is formed on a silicon substrate having dielectric films formed as a mask layer on upper and lower portions thereof, and a circular dielectric film formed on the upper mask layer and providing a function of a holder. A distal end of the probe has a parabolic structure by use of an effect of a bird's peak provided due to a difference of growth rate of the oxide film produced by the dielectric film, thereby forming the initial probe. After the dielectric film is removed from the initial probe, a bottom surface of the silicon substrate is removed, thereby providing the probe with the near-field aperture having a high throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Kibong Song, Eunkyoung Kim, Sung Qyu Lee, Kang Ho Park, Jun Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 7593294
    Abstract: An optical pickup includes a lens frame, and the lens frame includes protruding portions provided with through-holes, coil connecting portions protruding away from a supporting-wire holding portion at corners. The coil connecting portions are provided with cutout portions constituted by two surfaces intersecting each other at the both side surfaces of the coil connecting portions in order to form waist portions at a wound portion. Supporting wires are overlapped with the lead wires wound around the waist portions of the coil connecting portions when viewed from above and connected to these wound lead wires with solder. With this configuration, it is possible to provide an optical pickup which enables connecting the terminated portions of the wound coil lead wires and the supporting wires with a reduced amount of solder, thereby reducing the weight and the cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toyoshi Nogami
  • Patent number: 7586821
    Abstract: A data storage apparatus, which can format a recording medium in the background, that verifies data written in a designated region of the recording medium if the designated region has not yet been certified in the background, and writes the data in an alterative region of the recording medium if the designated region is found defective. Since the data storage apparatus either certifies the designated region of the recording medium or verifies the data written in the designated region, the data storage apparatus can enhance the reliability of the data written in the recording medium, but the data storage apparatus does not waste time by verifying the designated region of the recording medium two times or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7564763
    Abstract: An optical system is described for scanning optical record carriers of different types. The optical system includes a compensator having a number of optical elements (NPS1, NPS2). The optical elements (NPS1, NPS2) are non-periodic phase structures (NPS) having annular areas separated by steps, forming a non-periodic pattern of optical paths of different lengths. By including these multiple optical elements (NPS 1, NPS2) having NPS surfaces in the lens system of an optical system, it is possible to compensate for the effect of variation of a parameters such as temperature, angle of incidence, polarisation of radiation incident on the system and wavelength of radiation, without causing sensitivity to variation of another such parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Phililps Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus Hendriks
  • Patent number: 7545723
    Abstract: In a holographic recording medium, noise is prevented from being generated by servo light in a recording layer without scarifying recording regions. A holographic recording medium 12 has a servo layer 16 formed on a recording layer 14 on a substrate 13 via a spacer layer 15. The servo layer 16 reflects the servo light and has one of wavelength selectivity and incident angle selectivity each of which allows object light and reference light to pass through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Tsukagoshi, Jiro Yoshinari, Hideaki Miura, Tetsuro Mizushima
  • Patent number: 7535818
    Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Limited
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kondo
  • Patent number: 7525888
    Abstract: An optical information recording apparatus can maintain a stable recording quality when recording information on an optical information recording medium having a recording layer of a multilayer structure. An optical information recording medium of a rotating type has a plurality of recording layers each having an information recording area in which information is recorded using a laser beam. An inner power calibration area is provided in each of the recording layers at a location closer to a center of rotation of the optical information recording medium than the information recording area, and is used to perform a test write in an optimum power control process to acquire an optimum recording power of the laser beam. The outer power calibration area is provided at a location farther from the center of rotation than the information recording area, and is used to perform a test write in an optimum power control process to acquire an optimum recording power of the laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaki Ninomiya