Sony Corporation

Takuya Kaeriyama

Kissei Matsumoto

Tsutomu Imai

Tetsu Watanabe

Kazuhiko Fujiie

Yoshitaka Aoki

Yasuaki Maeda

Naohiro Netsu

Seiichi Jinbo

Han Min-Jae

Min-Jae Han

Takashi Kawakami

Tadashi Ozue

Yoshiteru Kamatani

Tokio Kanada

Kenji Kawakami

Masanori Kimizuka

Masayuki Kondo

Seilchi Jinbo

A recording and reproducing apparatus has a communicating unit, a reading unit, a storing unit, a control unit, and an output unit. The communicating unit transmits and receives data to/from an information center in which a plurality of additional information have been stored. The reading unit reads out recorded data from a recording medium on which a plurality of data and index data of a plurality of data have been recorded. The data read out from the recording medium by the reading unit is stored in the storing unit. The control unit reads out the additional information corresponding to the recording medium from which the data is read out by the reading unit from the information center by the communicating unit and writes the read-out additional information into the storing unit as additional data of the recording medium which is read out by the reading unit. The output unit outputs the data stored in the storing unit and the additional data.

Recording and reproducing apparatus and terminal apparatus

An optical recording medium is provided which has a substrate and a signal recording layer provided on the substrate and in which an information signal is recorded in the form of microscopic pits. A light beam is focused on the signal recording layer and some change of the light beam carried by a return light from the signal recording layer is detected to read the information signal recorded on the signal recording layer. The optical recording medium has a diameter of 65 mm or less and a thickness of 0.4 to 0.7 mm. An information signal recording area extends outwardly from a radial position of 12.5 mm or less from the center of the medium. The ratio in area between the information signal recording area and non-signal recording area is 3.4 or more. The storage capacity of this medium is 2 gigabytes or more. The optical recording medium has formed at the center thereof a center hole around which an annular table-abutment convexing to one side of the medium is formed. A magnetic-clamping hub is installed in the center hole and thus the medium is magnetically clamped to a rotation driving mechanism of an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The compactness and high density of recording of the optical recording medium will contribute greatly to a further compact structure of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which the medium is to be used.

Optical recording medium and disc cartridge

Read-only optical recording medium and disc cartridge

An optical recording medium is provided which has a substrate and a signal recording layer provided on the substrate and in which an information signal is recorded in the form of microscopic pits. A light beam is focused on the signal recording layer and some change of the light beam carried by a return light from the signal recording layer is detected to read the information signal recorded on the signal recording layer. The optical recording medium has a diameter of 65 mm or less and thickness of 0.4 to 0.7 mm. An information signal recording area extends outwardly from a radial position of 12.5 mm or less from the center of the medium. The ratio in area between the information signal recording area and non-signal recording area is 3.4 or more. The storage capacity of this medium is 2 gigabytes or more. The optical recording medium has formed at the center thereof a center hole around which an annular table-abutment convexing to one side of the medium is formed. A magnetic-clamping hub is installed in the center hole and thus the medium is magnetically clamped to a rotation driving mechanism of an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The compactness and high density of recording of the optical recording medium will contribute greatly to a further compact structure of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which the medium is to be used.

Optical recording medium and disc cartridge having 2 GB capacity

A recording and reproducing apparatus has a communicating unit, a reading unit, a storing unit, a control unit, and an output unit. The communicating unit transmits and receives data to/from an information center in which a plurality of additional information has been stored. The reading unit reads out recorded data from a recording medium on which a plurality of data and index data relating to the plurality of data have been recorded. The data read out from the recording medium by the reading unit is stored in the storing unit. The control unit reads out the additional information corresponding to the recording medium from which the data is read out by the reading unit from the information center by the communicating unit and writes the read-out additional information into the storing unit as additional data of the recording medium which is read out by the reading unit. The output unit outputs the data stored in the storing unit and the additional data.

An optical pickup apparatus has an optical system and an objective lens. The optical system has a semiconductor laser and an optical element. The semiconductor laser has an astigmatic difference in which an oscillated light beam has a light emission point in a semiconductor junction plane different from that in a plane normal to the semiconductor junction plane. The optical element is arranged in a light path of a light beam radiated from the semiconductor laser for over-correcting the astigmatic aberration of the light beam radiated from the semiconductor laser. The objective lens converges the light beam radiated by the light source via the optical element.

Optical device and optical pickup device

A rotating intermediate drum having mounted thereon optical head is made smaller than stationary upper and lower drums in diameter and spiral grooves are formed on the rotating intermediate drum on its surfaces opposing the stationary upper and lower drums. An optical tape is transported in a floated condition relative to a drum circumferential surface owing to a synergy of a dynamic pressure based on the rotation of the rotating intermediate drum and the air exhausted from the spiral grooves. Therefore, an information signal is recorded on and/or reproduced from the optical tape when the optical tape is transported in the floated condition from the head drum having the trilayer structure composed of the stationary upper and lower drums and the rotating intermediate drum therebetween.

Rotating optical head apparatus

Helical scan recording/reproduction apparatus tape guides which include rotary inclined guides arranged on opposite sides of the head cylinder and leads are provided for regulating widthwise movement of the tape on the cylinder caused when the tape travels on the curved surface of the rotary inclined guides, so that the widthwise position of the tape upon tape travel can be automatically regulated, and the load to the tape drive motor caused by tape friction is reduced.

Tape guide mechanism for helical scan recording/reproduction apparatus

A tape guide arrangement for a tape recording and reproducing apparatus comprises a cylinder device provided with a rotary head, a first slant guide member for feeding a tape to the cylinder device, a second slant guide member for guiding the tape from the cylinder device into a predetermined direction, a first rotary guide member for guiding the tape to the first slant guide member, and a second rotary guide member for causing the tape from the second slant guide member to pass through a predetermined position. Each of the first and second rotary guide members is provided with an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to an imaginary plane defined in relation to positions which are set on the first and second slant guide members and the cylinder device, respectively, and through which an elongated edge of the tape passes. Further, the first rotary guide member is so positioned that the tape is led to the first rotary guide member with a first gradient in reference to the imaginary plane and then guided to the first slant guide member with a second gradient opposite in up and down to the first gradient, and the second rotary guide member is so placed that the tape is guided to the second rotary guide member from the first slant guide member with a third gradient in reference to the imaginary plane and then leaves for the predetermined position with a fourth gradient opposite in up and down to the third gradient.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Takuya Kaeriyama