Owner MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

Inventors KUZE, Yuichi; FUJIUNE, Kenji; KISHIMOTO, Takashi; YAMADA, Shinichi; WATANABE, Katsuya; YASUDA, Akihiro; KADOWAKI, Shinichi; SANO, Kosei

Pub. Number AU-A-2002318617

PCT Number PCT/JP02/06824

PCT Pub. Number WO2003/005352

Priority 2001-204325 05.07.01 JP; 2002-38104 15.02.02 JP

Filing date 4 July 2002

Wipo publication date 21 January 2003

G11B 007/135 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - Means for guiding the beam from source to record carrier or from record carrier to detector

G11B 007/125 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - Optical beam sources therefor

G11B 007/09 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - with provision for moving the light beam or focus plane for the purpose of maintaining alignment of the light beam relative to the record carrier during transducing operation, e.g. to compensate for surface irregularities of the latter or for track following

G11B 007/085 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - with provision for moving the light beam into, or out of, its operative position