1. An optical recording disc constituted so as to enable recording and reproduction of data by irradiation with a laser beam, the optical recording disc comprising a laminated body formed by laminating a decomposition reaction layer containing noble metal oxide as a primary component and a light absorbing layer so as to sandwich at least a dielectric layer and being constituted so that when it is irradiated with the laser beam, a bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer and fine particles of the noble metal precipitate into the bubble pit, thereby forming a recording mark in the decomposition reaction layer, the fine particles of the noble metal having a particle diameter of 2 nm to 15 nm.
2. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 1, wherein the noble metal oxide contained in the decomposition reaction layer as a primary component is decomposed into a noble metal and oxygen when the decomposition reaction layer is irradiated with the laser beam.
3. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 2, wherein the noble metal oxide is platinum oxide and the platinum oxide is decomposed into platinum and oxygen when the decomposition reaction layer is irradiated with the laser beam via the light transmission layer.
4. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 2 or 3, wherein the bubble pit is formed by an oxygen gas produced when the optical recording disc is irradiated with the laser beam.
5. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 1, wherein the light absorption layer contains at least one of Sb and Te.
6. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed when the optical recording disc is irradiated with the laser beam.
7. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 2, wherein the dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed when the bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer.
8. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 3, wherein the dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed when the bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer.
9. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 4, wherein the dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed when the bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer.
10. An optical recording disc in accordance with claim 5, wherein the dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed when the bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image reading apparatus comprising: a book platen on which an original is placed fixedly; a sheet-through platen onto which a plurality of originals placed on an original table are conveyed sheet by sheet by original conveying means; exposure scanning means disposed beneath said book platen and said sheet-through platen so as to be capable of movement in a sub scanning direction, which moves beneath said book platen in the sub scanning direction in order to read an original placed fixedly on said book platen, and is fixed beneath said sheet-through platen in order to read an original that is conveyed onto said sheet-through platen; a white reference plate for providing shading correction data; and a dirt detection plate disposed facing said sheet-through platen, which is read by said exposure scanning means when no original is present on said sheet-through platen to provide detection data for detecting the presence of dirt on said sheet-through platen, said image reading apparatus performing original reading using either a book system in which an image of the original placed on said book platen is read by having said exposure scanning means move to scan said original, or a sheet-through system in which said exposure scanning means are moved to a sheet-through reading position beneath said sheet-through platen, and an image of the original that is conveyed onto said sheet-through platen by said original conveying means is read by scanning said original using said exposure scanning means fixed in said sheet-through reading position, said white reference plate being read each time an original is read, regardless of the reading system that is used to read the original, whereupon image data obtained upon the reading of said original are subjected to shading correction based on shading correction data obtained when said white reference plate is read,
wherein, when an image of an original is to be read using said sheet-through system, upon reception of an image reading request, said exposure scanning means are moved to a white reference plate reading position for reading said white reference plate, whereby said white reference plate is read by said exposure scanning means to obtain shading correction data, whereupon a sheet-through shading operation is performed to move said exposure scanning means to said sheet-through reading position beneath said sheet-through platen, whereupon a dirt detection operation for detecting the presence of dirt on said sheet-through platen is performed by having said exposure scanning means, having moved to said sheet-through reading position, read said dirt detection plate, whereupon said original conveying means are driven to convey a single original from said original table onto said sheet-through platen in order to perform a sheet-through reading operation whereby an image of the original conveyed onto said sheet-through platen is read using said exposure scanning means fixed in said sheet-through reading position, and
when an original is to be read using said sheet-through system in accordance with said image reading request, said sheet-through reading operation is begun by said original conveying means after the elapse of a standby time T=Ts+Tl\u2212Td, where Ts is a time required for said sheet-through shading operation, Tl is a time required for said dirt detection operation, and Td is a time required to convey the original from the start of said sheet-through reading operation by said original conveying means to the time when a tip of the original reaches said sheet-through reading position, following reception of said image reading request.
2. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when said required original conveyance time Td is greater than the sum of said required sheet-through shading operation time Ts and said required dirt detection operation time Tl, said sheet-through shading operation and said sheet-through reading operation are started together upon reception of said image reading request.
3. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of originals is to be read in series using said sheet-through system, from the reading of the second original onward said sheet-through reading operation is started by said original conveying means following the reception of said image reading request and after the elapse of a standby time T=Tds\u2212Td, where Tds is a previous operation completion time from reception of said image reading request to the completion of said sheet-through shading operation and said dirt detection operation, which were started immediately after the completion of reading of the previous original.
4. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein,. when said required original conveyance time Td is greater than said previous operation completion time Tds, said sheet-through reading operation is started upon reception of said image reading request.
5. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein, when said original is read without performing said sheet-through shading operation, said sheet-through reading operation is started by said original conveying means after the elapse of the standby time T=Tds\u2212Td following the reception of said image reading request.
6. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when said required original conveyance time Td is greater than said previous operation completion time Tds, said sheet-through reading operation is started upon reception of said image reading request.