Abstract: Provided is an optical recording medium, including a plurality of tracks on each of which small record carriers are arranged in a wobbling manner, each of the small record carriers storing a recording state by modulation according to light irradiation, wherein the tracks are arranged adjacent to each other in a tracking direction which is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the tracks, and there is a reflectance difference between a forming portion and a non-forming portion of the small record carrier in both of a recording state and a non-recording state of the small record carrier.

Abstract: A medium in which information is recorded has: a guide layer of one or two layers each having a spiral track added with address information; and a plurality of recording layers in which depth positions from the guide layer differ. A user data area, spare areas, and a management information storage area for storing information about use of the spare areas are included in each of the plurality of recording layers. An inner peripheral spare area locating on an inner peripheral side of the user data area is configured so as to be used to record the information from an outer peripheral direction toward an inner peripheral direction, and an outer peripheral spare area locating on an outer peripheral side of the user data area is configured so as to be used to record the information from the inner peripheral direction toward the outer peripheral direction.

Abstract: The optical storage medium comprises a substrate layer, a data layer having a pit/land data structure with data arranged in tracks on the substrate layer and a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution material, wherein the data structure comprises diffractive pits and lands having a size above an optical resolution limit of a pickup for reading of the data and super-resolution pits and lands having a size below the optical resolution limit, said pits and lands having a defined length with regard to a channel bit length. A diffractive land preceding a super-resolution pit is changed by a first length depending on the laser power of the pickup, and/or a diffractive pit preceding a super-resolution land is changed by the first length depending on the laser power of the pickup, to compensate a phase shift of the super-resolution pit, respectively super-resolution land.

Abstract: Address information that has been error correction encoded is recorded on a second version of a recording medium after being transformed such that such that the address decoding cannot be performed by a playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium. The address decoding for the second version of the recording medium cannot be performed by the incompatible playback device (for example, a playback device that was manufactured to be compatible only with a first version of the recording medium). In other words, in the playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium, a state is created in which address errors cannot be corrected, so access is impossible (recording and playback are impossible).

Abstract: An information recording medium (11) adopting a CLV method is provided with: a guide layer (12) in which tracks (TR) are formed in advance; and a plurality of recording layers (13) laminated on the guide layer. On the tracks, a plurality of guide areas (22), each of which has a physical structure for carrying guide information for guidance, are arranged discretely at arrangement intervals of predetermined distance or less which is set in advance in a track direction and are shifted between a plurality of tracks throughout the plurality of tracks which are adjacent to each other in a radial direction.

Abstract: An information recording medium (11) adopting a zone CAV method is provided with: a guide layer (12) in which tracks (TR) are formed in advance; and a plurality of recording layers (13) laminated on the guide layer. On the tracks, a plurality of guide areas (22), each of which has a physical structure for carrying guide information for guidance, are arranged discretely at arrangement intervals of predetermined distance or less which is set in advance in a track direction and are shifted between a plurality of tracks throughout the plurality of tracks which are adjacent to each other in a radial direction. The plurality of guide areas are disposed in a partial plurality of slots which are not adjacent to each other in the track direction and which are not adjacent to each other throughout the plurality of tracks in the radial direction, out of a plurality of slots obtained by dividing the tracks in the track direction.

Abstract: Address information that has been error correction encoded is recorded on a second version of a recording medium after being transformed such that such that the address decoding cannot be performed by a playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium. The address decoding for the second version of the recording medium cannot be performed by the incompatible playback device (for example, a playback device that was manufactured to be compatible only with a first version of the recording medium). In other words, in the playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium, a state is created in which address errors cannot be corrected, so access is impossible (recording and playback are impossible).

Abstract: An information recording medium excellent in long storage and capable of high-density recording, method of manufacturing the information recording medium, and information recording material are provided. Pulse laser light is focused onto a recording layer in which a thermosetting epoxy resin having a skeleton with high planarity and a curing agent are polymerized to form a recording mark. With a cured material of a recording layer having a density equal to or larger than 1.210 g/cm3 and a glass transition temperature of 110° C. to 140° C., high-speed recording is possible.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is provided. The optical recording medium includes a multilayer including an N (N?5) number of interfaces capable of reflecting incident light.

Abstract: Disclosed are media recording/reproducing method and device in which recording stop due to over retrials during replacement process and wasteful conversion processing in the recording/reproducing device are suppressed when a method of managing the spare area of a write-once medium by the use of an NAP is employed to manage the spare area of a rewritable medium. During format or replacement process of the medium, the NAP is so updated that defective blocks registered as unusable clusters or as usable cluster type 2 within DFL entries in the spare area are not shown.

Abstract: Obtain an expanded address without altering the bit number of an address which is embedded in a wobble. Generate a virtual bit which is not recorded on a disc, and which is expressed by the disparity from the rules and the presence or absence of information embedded in part or all of the wobble address.

Abstract: A disc has an outer section on which digital media can be recorded and a core in its center in which a flash memory is embedded with the core having a central hole and electrical contacts to the flash memory. A disc drive has a drive spindle that is to extend into the disc core central hole with one of the spindle or spindle hub having electrical contacts to engage with the core electrical contacts so that data can be written into and/or read from the core flash memory by electronic components of the drive.

Abstract: A disc has an outer section on which digital media can be recorded and a core in its center in which a flash memory is embedded with the core having a central hole and electrical contacts to the flash memory. A disc drive has a drive spindle that is to extend into the disc core central hole with one of the spindle or spindle hub having electrical contacts to engage with the core electrical contacts so that data can be written into and/or read from the core flash memory by electronic components of the drive.

Abstract: An optically-readable disk includes a device that disrupts readability of the disk when the disk is spun at an angular velocity substantially greater than required to play the disk in its intended playing device, or when a defined integral of velocity and time is exceeded. The device may include a fluid container that disperses a data-disruptive fluid. The device may include a membrane or layer that is disrupted when the disk is rotated above a defined angular velocity, or when a defined integral of velocity and time is exceeded. The device may include an electro-optical material that is activated by an electrical signal from a controller in response to an input from a sensor responsive to motion of the disk.

Abstract: An information recording medium is composed of a substrate having a microscopic pattern constituted by a continuous substrate of grooves formed with a groove portion and a land portion alternately, a recording layer, and a light transmitting layer. The microscopic pattern is formed with satisfying a relation of P??/NA, wherein P is a pitch of the land portion or the groove portion, ? is a wavelength of reproducing light, and NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens. The land portion is formed with wobbling so as to be parallel with each other for both sidewalls of the land portion. Auxiliary information and a reference clock is recorded alternately. Information is recorded in the recording layer corresponding to a land portion by either one change of reflectivity difference and refractive index difference in the recording layer.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, single-sided dual-layer recordable disc 100 may be used. Information recording is performed by forming mark and space portions on data area DA using modulated laser power. Pp denotes the maximum laser power or peak power for forming the mark portion, and Pb denotes the bias power for forming the space portion. Power ratio Pb/Pp is calculated for each of recording layers L0 and L1. Information is recorded on any of the recording layers L0 and L1 based on the result of calculation. Here, the calculated power ratio Pb/Pp changes among the recording layers L0 and L1, thereby optimizing the recording condition for a multi-layer recordable optical disc within relatively short time.

Abstract: The recording medium 100 stores playlist information and a plurality of elementary streams. The playlist information includes a basic stream selection table and an extension stream selection table. The basic stream selection table shows elementary streams that are permitted to be played back in a monoscopic playback mode. The extension stream selection table shows elementary streams that are permitted to be played back only in a stereoscopic playback mode. The stream entry in the extension stream selection table indicates a packet identifier that is to be used by the playback device to perform demultiplexing when the playback device is in the stereoscopic playback mode and the corresponding stream number is set in the stream number register provided in the playback device.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of an optical information recording medium includes forming a substrate which has a first main surface and a second main surface, forming a first information signal layer on the first main surface of the substrate, forming an intermediate layer on the first information signal layer, forming a second information signal layer on the intermediate layer, irradiating light from the second main surface side of the substrate and recording identification information on a first region out of the first region and a second region, and forming a barrier layer with regard to the second main surface in the second region which excludes the first region where the identification information is recorded before the recording of the identification information.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to increase the number of stacked layers in a multilayer optical recording medium while simplifying the design of the multilayer optical recording medium. Provided is a multilayer optical recording medium 10 including at least four recording and reading layers from which information can be reproduced by light irradiation, the layers stacked through intermediate layers. The multilayer optical recording medium 10 includes the plurality of recording and reading layers that are continuous in order of stacking and includes at least one recording and reading layer group in which reflectance in a stacked state decreases from a near side of a light incident surface to a far side. A single-layer reflectance of the nearest recording and reading layer is set to 0.2% or more and less than 2.0%, and a light transmittance improvement process is applied to the light incident surface.

Abstract: An information storage medium and a recording/reproducing apparatus and method, the information storage medium includes: an area for recording information regarding a predetermined function applied thereto, wherein the information regarding the predetermined function includes specific information in which set information regarding the predetermined function is set by a recording/reproducing apparatus that can recognize the predetermined function, and common information set by the recording/reproducing apparatus that can recognize the predetermined function based on corresponding information dependent upon the set information so that a recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize the predetermined function can use the predetermined function. Accordingly, a recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function can properly use a medium having the predetermined function.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100) is provided with a plurality of recording layers (110, 120, 130, and 140) for recording data, wherein each of the plurality of recording layers corresponds to one of a plurality of record formats, and a first recording layer number (SLN) assigned to each of the plurality of recording layers in accordance with the positions in which the recording layers are arranged, and a second recording layer number (LLN) assigned for each of the corresponding record formats are included in an address area (14) of the data.

Abstract: A UV-curable composition for optical discs contains a fluorine-containing UV-curable resin having a poly(perfluoroalkylene ether) chain and a UV-curable group. The fluorine-containing UV-curable resin exhibits good compatibility with the composition and satisfactorily localizes in and near a surface of a coating film. Thus, the composition can be used to form an outermost layer of an optical disc such that the droplet size of grease such as that constituting fingerprints adhering to the outermost layer is reduced and scattering of light having a short oscillation wavelength passing through the outermost layer is suppressed. Accordingly, an optical disc on and from which signals can be satisfactorily recorded and read is formed.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus recording disc structure definition information defining a structure of an optical disc, in management areas of the optical disc including a data area and the management areas positioned on inner and outer periphery sides of the data area, includes: a memory which stores disc structure definition information of a new version including an invalid mark which cannot be interpreted as the disc structure definition information by an information reproducing apparatus and an information recording/reproducing apparatus being non-adaptive; and a recording control element for, when the disc structure definition information of the new version is recorded in the management areas, controlling recording of the disc structure definition information of the new version so the invalid mark is positioned at a position in the management areas in which all or part of disc structure definition information of an old version without the invalid mark needs to be recorded.

Abstract: A guide-layer separated optical recording medium includes a guide layer with a guide track formed therein and a plurality of recording layers, these layers being separately deposited from each other. A layer position information region for indicating position information of each of the recording layers, is formed on the guide track within a different range of the guide layer for each of the recording layers. Each of the recording layers includes a preformat region having a predetermined signal written on a record track along the guide track, and the preformat region on each of the recording layers is provided in a region corresponding to the layer position information region. An optical recording medium drive apparatus and a recording layer access method for the guide-layer separated optical recording medium are also provided.

Abstract: In an optical disc (100) having a plurality of recording layers, layer specifying information is recorded for specifying a recording layer to be run first when the optical disc (100) is inserted into an optical disc device (1) which carries out recording or reproduction of information with respect to the optical disc (100). Therefore, a recording layer intended by at least a disc supplier can be run first. In the optical disc (100) including an L1 layer which is a read-only recording layer and an L0 layer which is a recordable layer, layer specifying information for specifying the L0 layer in priority to the L1 layer is recorded as the information recording layer to be run first when the optical disc (100) is inserted into the optical disc device (1) which carries out recording or reproduction of information with respect to the optical disc (100).

Abstract: An optical recording medium provided with one or a plurality of recording layers includes an adjustment data recording area for recording therein adjustment data used for adjusting focus or spherical aberration of laser light used for recording/reproduction, the adjustment data recording area being disposed at a predetermined position on each of the one or plurality of recording layers, and a determination information recording area for recording therein determination information indicating whether or not the adjustment data has been recorded in the adjustment data recording area in each of the one or plurality of recording layers.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a recording layer in which a track is formed, the track having recording marks linearly arranged thereon. Each recording mark has a dimension corresponding to a reference mark length, which serves as a reference, in a track direction along which the track extends, the dimension being smaller than dimensions of the recording mark in two directions perpendicular to the track direction.

Abstract: [Object] To enable additional supplementary information such as PID to be utilized in a generally-used DVD player. [Solving Means] Additional supplementary information recorded with additional recording mark rows of the additional recording mark rows and pit rows is set to be previously recorded in a format of command information for instructing a normal DVD player to read. Similar to a so-called navigation command in a DVD system, in recording information that can be handled by the reproduction device, the additional supplementary information can be used, to thereby utilize the additional supplementary information in the current reproduction device.

Abstract: A data medium of the compact disc type may include medium areas of different types configured to define digital content, and a controllable element having two different states corresponding respectively to the two different types of areas. The controllable element may be configured to take selectively one of its states in response to a command, so as to modify in a controllable manner the content of the data medium.

Abstract: An apparatus for storing digital media utilizes an electrically conductive element, which is for reading stored digital media, and multiple electrically conductive resonant circuits as an antenna for radio frequency communications. Each of the resonant circuits is electrically isolated from the other resonant circuits and the electrically conductive element is electrically isolated from each of the resonant circuits. As a result, the apparatus for storing digital media has a relatively wide operating frequency range and a relatively long communications range, which allows worldwide usage in various applications. For example, an optically readable compact disk (CD) utilizes a metal layer configured as a reflective surface for reading stored digital media in the CD, an electrically conductive component that is not in contact with a radio frequency identification (RFID) integrated circuit (IC), and an electrically conductive component that is in contact with the RFID IC, as an antenna for the RFID IC.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention, to provide a recording method and a storage medium for BCA data with high reliability for a storage medium and a method for reproducing BCA data from the storage medium, and an information recording apparatus and an information reproducing apparatus. In a conventional optical disk, low reliability data is recorded in a data area of BCA. Thus, the thickness of a film material for use in a recording layer oriented to BCA data or close to the inner periphery of the storage medium in the vicinity thereof is formed in uniform thickness by using a substrate of the storage medium, the substrate being formed by being suctioned by means of adsorbing mechanisms formed in an arc shape so as to integrated two of the adsorbing mechanisms to be adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A disc-shaped information recording medium includes a laminate of recording layers on and from which an information signal can be optically recorded and reproduced from one side of the medium. Data areas are provided in the recording layers, respectively. The information signal can be recorded on and reproduced from the data areas while a laser beam emitted from an optical pickup is applied to the data areas. Optical recording test areas are provided in the recording layers, respectively. A test signal can be recorded on and reproduced from the optical recording test areas to decide optimum power values of the laser beam for signal recording. The test areas are out of overlap as viewed in a direction of propagation of the laser beam.

Abstract: An information storage medium is provided. The information storage medium includes a user data area on which user data is recorded, and a temporary disc management area on which a space bitmap representing a recording status of at least one recording/reproducing unit block of the user data area is recorded. The temporary disc management area including information about an additional space bitmap which is assigned to provide additional space to represent the recording status of the at least one recording/reproducing unit block of the user data area.

Abstract: An optical recording medium including a plurality of recording layers to record/reproduce information using light with a predetermined wavelength, the information being recorded on one of the recording layers using a mark and a space, wherein a channel clock period T is provided for recording the mark on one of the recording layers. A plurality of pulses, including a last pulse arranged at an end of the pulses, are used to record the mark with length 3T, the mark being recorded with a condition that a width of the last pulse is minimum 0T and maximum 1.10T, in which a first subsequent level lower than a peak power level of the last pulse is arranged next to the last pulse, and a second subsequent level lower than the peak power level but higher than the first subsequent level is arranged next to the first subsequent level.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a substrate, and particle portions arranged in isolated relation on the substrate and each including an information recording material. A width of each of the particle portions in an information recording direction is not more than 30 nm. The information recording medium further includes pillars arranged in isolated relation on the substrate. Each of the particle portions is formed of the information recording material formed on each of the pillars. A width of each of the pillars in the information recording direction is not more than 30 nm, and a height of each of the pillars is larger than a thickness of the information recording material.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes an organic dye material which records information with a light beam having a wavelength equal to or smaller than 620 nm.

Abstract: An optical recording medium and an optical information device that improve the quality of a servo signal and a reproduction signal. In the optical recording medium, when shape-wise thicknesses tr1, tr2, tr3, and tr4 of a cover layer (42), a first intermediate layer (43), a second intermediate layer (44), and a third intermediate layer (45) are respectively converted into thicknesses t1, t2, t3, and t4 of the respective corresponding layers each having a predetermined refractive index “no”, a defocus amount with respect to a layer having a refractive index nr? and a thickness tr? (satisfying: 1???n (where ? is a positive integer and n is an integer of 4 or more)), and a defocus amount with respect to a layer having the refractive index “no” and a thickness t? (satisfying: 1???n (where ? is a positive integer and n is an integer of 4 or more)) are equal to each other.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes an organic dye material which records information with a light beam having a wavelength equal to or smaller than 620 nm.

Abstract: In a case of performing recording/playing with an information recording layer with a first light irradiation, and controlling the recording/playing positions on the information recording layer by a second light irradiating as to a position control information recording layer provided separately from the information recording layer, corrections to shifts in recording positions and playing positions that occurs as a result of shifts in the optical axes of the first and second lights. A disc-shaped recording medium has multiple pit row phases wherein, the pit rows having a spacing between one round of pit formable positions that is limited to a predetermined first spacing are formed in a spiral shape or concentrically, and with pit rows arrayed in the radius direction, the spacing in the pit row forming direction of the pit formable positions is set to positions shifted by a predetermined second spacing.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes an organic dye material which records information with a light beam having a wavelength equal to or smaller than 620 nm.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes an organic dye material which records information with a light beam having a wavelength equal to or smaller than 620 nm.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes an organic dye material which records information with a light beam having a wavelength equal to or smaller than 620 nm.

Abstract: A multilayer optical disc which has three or more recording layers and enables easy positioning of a focused beam spot onto a particular recording layer in which a BCA is disposed. An inter-layer distance between a particular recording layer and a recording layer adjacent to the particular recording layer is larger than the other inter-layer distances in which, at the focused beam spot positioning, the focused beam spot traverses the said adjacent recording layer earlier than the other recording layer adjacent to the particular recording layer.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is provided, the optical recording medium including a plurality of zones configured to store data corresponding to an adaptive write pulse, the adaptive write pulse including a first pulse, a last pulse, and a multi-pulse train, the adaptive write pulse being different for each of the plurality of zones, the plurality of zones being reflected by a grouping table, the grouping table being configured to generate an adaptive write pulse waveform by varying a position of a rising edge of a first pulse of a mark to be written according to a length of the mark to be written and a leading space, the adaptive write pulse waveform being generated without regard for a trailing space of a present mark being written using the adaptive write pulse waveform, the adaptive write pulse being configured to correspond to the adaptive write pulse waveform, and store rising edge data of the first pulse of the adaptive write pulse waveform varying according to corresponding stored values of lengths of m

Abstract: The optical disc comprises a substrate layer, a read-only data layer having a pit/land data structure with an average pit width, arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, and a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure disposed on the data layer, wherein a super-resolution pit following a super-resolution land and a preceding diffractive pit is enlarged in width with regard to the average pit width, and a diffractive pit preceding a super-resolution land and a subsequent super-resolution pit is reduced in pit width with regard to the average pit width.

Abstract: An encoding device for converting m-bit data words into n-bit (both n and m are integers and 2n?2m×2) code words includes a first encoding table in which 2m code words selected from the 2n n-bit code words correspond to 2m m-bit data words, a second encoding table in which 2m code words, which do not overlap with the code words in the first encoding table, of the 2n n-bit code words correspond to 2m m-bit data words, and an encoding unit which selects and outputs a code word, in which an absolute value of a code string DSV is smaller, from code words corresponding to the input m-bit data words in the first encoding table and code words corresponding to the input m-bit data words in the second encoding table.

Abstract: A copy-protected compact disc includes, within a single session, a table of contents (TOC) and a Video CD index (VI). Each track (T) is prefaced by unrecoverable data (UD) at a track start position (ATOC) indicated by the table of contents (TOC). However, the Video CD index (VI) indicates the actual position (AP) of the tracks. DVD players use the Video CD index (VI) to locate the tracks, while the CD-ROM drives use the table of contents (TOC) and read the unrecoverable data (UD), which prevents them from reading the subsequent track (T). The unrecoverable data (UD) may be prefaced by data pointers (DP) which cause the CD-ROM drive to load a player program in response to the error condition. The player program can be used to play the tracks (T), but restricts copying. Subchannel data (P; DX) causes audio CD players to ignore the Video CD index (VI) and the unrecoverable data (UD), and to play the tracks (T) at their actual start positions (AP).

Abstract: The optical disc comprises a substrate layer, a read-only data layer having a pit/land data structure including user data and control data arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, and a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure disposed on the data layer, wherein the control data are correctly readable only by including a reverse rotation of the disc. The control data include in particular a protection code for the disc, for example a copy protection code, so that the user data of the disc are only readable after reading of the control data.

Abstract: The embodiments herein describe an apparatus and method for a reduced Z stack slot loading optical disc drive (ODD). In one embodiment, an optical disc mounting assembly can be used to chuck an optical disc to a turntable. The optical disc mounting assembly can include a hub spring for spring loading a hub and a clamping mechanism pivotally connected to the hub. In the described embodiment, in an extended position, the clamp is used to secure the optical disc to the turntable. The clamping mechanism can include a clamp pivotally attached to the hub at a pivot point. In the absence of the optical disc, the clamp is retracted and secured within a recess in the optical disc mounting assembly. In the presence of the optical disc, the mounting assembly chucks the optical disc to the turntable using the clamp and hub.

Abstract: Methods for operating an apparatus for reading from or writing to a Super-RENS optical recording medium, an apparatus for reading from Super-RENS optical recording media using such methods, and a Super-RENS optical recording medium suitable for such methods are described. The super-RENS optical recording medium has location information that is readable without super-RENS effect. The location information is provided as low-frequency information. For locating a position on the super-RENS optical recording medium, a reading light beam with a power below a power necessary for achieving a super-RENS effect is generated and the location information is retrieved from the super-RENS optical recording medium.