Patents by Inventor Kazuo Watabe

Kazuo Watabe 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).

  • INFORMATION RECORDING MEDIUM, INFORMATION RECORDING METHOD, AND INFORMATION REPRODUCING METHOD
    Publication number: 20080304401
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical information recording medium includes pre-grooves with an irregular shape and lands each of which is sandwiched between the pre-grooves adjacent to each other, where the pre-grooves and lands are defined on an interface between a recording layer and a light reflection layer in a recording film, where the recording film includes a light reflectivity that enables reproduction with light of 650±5 nm, the recording layer includes a recording sensitivity with respect to light by a wavelength shorter than 650±5 nm, and a recording mark can be formed on the pre-groove by using light with a wavelength shorter than 650±5 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Hisashi Yamada, Seiji Morita, Koji Takazawa, Naomasa Nakamura, Kazuo Watabe, Nobuaki Kaji, Masahiko Mawatari, Nobuhisa Yoshida, Koichi Nagai
  • Information storage medium, recording method, reproducing method, and reproducing apparatus
    Patent number: 7426167
    Abstract: An information layer 0 comprises a system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area, an information layer 1 comprises a system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area, an end position of the data area of layer 1 is positioned outer than a start position of the data area of layer 0, the data lead-in area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the data lead-out area, the data lead-out area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone and a management zone in the data lead-in area, the middle area of layer 0 comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 1, and the middle area of layer 1 comprises a blank zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuo Watabe, Hideo Ando, Sumitaka Maruyama, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa
  • OPTICAL HEAD APPARATUS, INFORMATION RECORDING/REPRODUCING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE OPTICAL HEAD APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION RECORDING/REPRODUCING METHOD
    Publication number: 20080205212
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical head device provides a signal processing circuit which sets a control amount to move an objective lens so that a distance between the objective lens and a given recording layer of the an optical disc coincides with a focal position, an optical path length correction mechanism which corrects an influence of an aberration component producing an error in the focal distance, a thickness difference detection circuit which finds an amount of correction to be made by the optical path length, and an aberration correction circuit which generates a correction signal to correct the influence of the aberration component producing the error in the focal distance detected by the thickness difference detection circuit, and supplies the correction signal to the optical path length correction mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takehiro Hiramatsu, Hideaki Ohsawa, Kazuo Watabe, Chosaku Noda, Naoki Morishita, Akihito Ogawa, Kazuto Kuroda, Nobuaki Kaji
  • INFORMATION RECORDING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF RECORDING INFORMATION IN INFORMATION RECORDING MEDIUM, INFORMATION RECORDING METHOD, AND TARGET VALUE DETERMINING METHOD
    Publication number: 20080205216
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus which records a signal in a recording medium in which information is written by using a first laser having a first wavelength and from which information is read by using a second laser having a second wavelength longer than that of the first laser, a signal is recorded in the recording medium by using the first laser, and a control section reproduces the signal recorded with the first laser and measures a first amount that is used to calculate a target value for optimization of recording conditions, reproduces a signal recorded with the second laser and measures a second amount for optimization of a reproduction signal, compares the first amount with the second amount, and determines the first amount under the recording conditions where the second amount becomes optimum as a target value for optimization of the recording conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: AKIHITO OGAWA, Hideo Ando, Hideaki Ohsawa, Kazuo Watabe, Kazuto Kuroda, Chosaku Noda, Naoki Morishita, Nobuaki Kaji, Takehiro Hiramatsu
  • Information storage medium, recording method, reproducing method, and reproducing apparatus
    Patent number: 7411888
    Abstract: An information layer 0 comprises a system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area, an information layer 1 comprises a system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area, an end position of the data area of layer 1 is positioned outer than a start position of the data area of layer 0, the data lead-in area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the data lead-out area, the data lead-out area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone and a management zone in the data lead-in area, the middle area of layer 0 comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 1, and the middle area of layer 1 comprises a blank zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuo Watabe, Hideo Ando, Sumitaka Maruyama, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7408868
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • SEMICONDUCTOR LASER DRIVING DEVICE, OPTICAL HEAD, OPTICAL DISK DEVICE, AND SEMICONDUCTOR LASER DRIVING METHOD
    Publication number: 20080159349
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser driving device includes a current supply unit supplying current to a semiconductor laser; a first control unit controlling the current supply unit to supply a first current which is half or less of a lasing threshold of the semiconductor laser; and a second control unit controlling the current supply unit to supply a second current which is larger than the lasing threshold after a first time is passed from an edge of a clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Nobuaki Kaji, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7382710
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7379409
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, INFORMATION RECORDING METHOD, AND INFORMATION RECORDING/REPRODUCTION APPARATUS
    Publication number: 20080117794
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2008
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, recording method, reproducing method, and reproducing apparatus
    Patent number: 7352683
    Abstract: An information layer 0 comprises a system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area, an information layer 1 comprises a system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area, an end position of the data area of layer 1 is positioned outer than a start position of the data area of layer 0, the data lead-in area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the data lead-out area, the data lead-out area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone and a management zone in the data lead-in area, the middle area of layer 0 comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 1, and the middle area of layer 1 comprises a blank zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuo Watabe, Hideo Ando, Sumitaka Maruyama, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7345986
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, recording method, reproducing method, and reproducing apparatus
    Patent number: 7345984
    Abstract: An information layer 0 comprises a system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area, an information layer 1 comprises a system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area, an end position of the data area of layer 1 is positioned outer than a start position of the data area of layer 0, the data lead-in area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the data lead-out area, the data lead-out area comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone and a management zone in the data lead-in area, the middle area of layer 0 comprises a guard track zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 1, and the middle area of layer 1 comprises a blank zone wider than a test zone in the middle area of layer 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuo Watabe, Hideo Ando, Sumitaka Maruyama, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7339879
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7336593
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7336594
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • Information storage medium, information recording method, and information recording/reproduction apparatus
    Patent number: 7301878
    Abstract: This invention achieves high-density recording while preventing recording units from overlapping. Recording is done to form a gap between predetermined recording units. Since this gap is formed, even when a rotation driving mechanism of a medium suffers rotation nonuniformity, two neighboring recording units never overlap each other, and destruction of recording data can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe
  • INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, RECORDING METHOD, AND RECORDING APPARATUS
    Publication number: 20070253294
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium in which layer 0 and layer 1 are arranged from a read surface, a system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area are arranged from an inner circumference of the layer 0, and a system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area are arranged from an inner circumference of the layer 1. A guard track zone is arranged on a side of the data area in the data lead-out area, and a reference code zone, R physical format information zone, recording management zone, and drive test zone are arranged in the data lead-in area of the layer 0 and padding of the guard track zone of the data lead-out area is performed after padding of the drive test zone of data lead-in area and recording of the recording management zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventors: Kazuo Watabe, Hideo Ando, Sumitaka Maruyama, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa
  • Optical disc and optical disc apparatus
    Patent number: 7283447
    Abstract: The refractive index of a light transmission layer of an optical disk is set within the range of 1.45 to 1.75, the numerical aperture of a lens emitting laser light which is incident onto the light transmission layer is set to 0.65, and the wavelength range of the laser light is set within the range of 395 to 415 nm. Further, in order that aberrations fall within the range of certain acceptable values, the thickness t of the light transmission layer is set within the range of f(n)?t1?t?f(n)+t2, employing constants t1, t2 determined based on an acceptable value of aberration and function f(n) of the refractive index n.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Sumitaka Maruyama, Katsuo Iwata, Kazuo Watabe
  • INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, RECORDING METHOD, AND RECORDING APPARATUS
    Publication number: 20070133370
    Abstract: A system lead-in area, data lead-in area, data area, and middle area are sequentially arranged from an inner circumference of layer 0. A system lead-out area, data lead-out area, data area, and middle area are sequentially arranged from an inner circumference of layer 1. A guard track zone is arranged in the data lead-out area. A reference code zone, R physical format information zone, recording position management zone, and drive test zone are arranged in the data lead-in area of the layer 0 corresponding to the guard track zone. Padding of the guard track zone of the data lead-out area is performed after padding of the drive test zone of data lead-in area and recording of the recording position management zone, the reference code zone of the data lead-in area, and the R physical format information zone of the data lead-in area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Publication date: June 14, 2007
    Inventors: Sumitaka MARUYAMA, Hideo Ando, Kazuo Watabe, Yutaka Kashihara, Akihito Ogawa