Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Takanobu Matsuba

Ippei Ogawa

Takuo Ohishi

Tsutomu Motohashi

An optical recording medium has a multi-layer structure recording layer structure recording layer portion including plural recording layers provided with tracks for guiding a recording light and being adapted to record data, where recording condition information and recording layer identification information for the recording layers are recorded on the tracks as information signals. Test writing is conducted on a recording layer that is subject to recording to derive a suitable recording condition based on recording condition information that is recorded on the recording layer, and direct recording is conducted according to a direct recording condition.

Optical recording medium and information recording method

An information recording and reproducing apparatus records data on and reproduces data from each of a plurality of recording layers of a recording medium. A controller () controls a formatting process to format the recording medium () by performing a first formatting process on the data area of a recording layer. The first formatting process comprises formatting the data area in a series of recording increments that progress from the inner side of the data area to the outer side of the data area. Within each recording increment the formatting is performed along a path extending from the outer side of the data area to the inner side of the data area. A second formatting process on the data area of another recording layer once the first formatting process has been completed, the second formatting process being performed along a path extending from the inner side of the data area of the other recording layer to the outer side of the data area of the other recording layer.

Information recording and reproducing apparatus and a method of controlling an information recording and reproducing apparatus

A method of optically recording data on a disk-like information recording medium from the center side to the peripheral side thereof, dividing the information recording medium into a plurality of recording divisions, includes the steps of: (a) recording the data in an initial recording division; (b) recording terminal end information successively after the step (a), the terminal end information indicating the end of the initial recording division; (c) determining whether the terminal end information recorded on the information recording medium reaches a specified region beyond a predetermined range from the center of the information recording medium; and (d) extending and recording the terminal end information in the step (b) so that the terminal end information reaches the specified region if the step (c) determines that the terminal end information does not reach the specified region.

Information recording ensuring compatibility with different types of recording media

An optical recording medium has a multi-layer structure recording layer portion including plural recording layers provided with tracks for guiding a recording light and being adapted to record data, where recording condition information and recording layer identification information for the recording layers are recorded on the tracks as information signals. Test writing is conducted on a recording layer that is subject to recording to derive a suitable recording condition based on recording condition information that is recorded on the recording layer, and direct recording is conducted according to a direct recording condition.

Method and apparatus for recording information with a multi-layer structure

In an information recording device and method, user data are recorded in a recording medium having two or more recording layers and having a data area in which user data is recordable for each recording layer. A closing command is received after recording of user data in the data area of the recording medium is performed in response to a user-data write request. A minimum amount of lead-out data are written to the recording medium following an end position of the recorded user data in the data area of the recording medium, based on the received closing command.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takanobu Matsuba