CLAIMS

1.An information storage medium on which a data sequence is writable as a combination of marks and spaces,

wherein the information storage medium has at least one information storage layer, and

wherein the at least one information storage layer has an information storage area to store information and a control information area for use to perform a read/write operation on the at least one information storage layer, and

wherein the control information area stores at least one set of control information, and

wherein the at least one set of control information includes a first kind of write pulse information including information to be used as a reference value and a second kind of write pulse information including information to be used as an offset value, and

wherein if the pulse width or pulse position of a write pulse is definable with a precision of 1T/n (where T is a channel clock pulse width and n is a positive integer), the size of the offset value is large enough to define at least an n/2 range.

2. The information storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first kind of write pulse information includes information to be used as a reference value for a write pulse, of which the preceding or succeeding space has a length of 5T or more (where T is a channel clock pulse width).

3. The information storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first kind of write pulse information defines information to be used as at least one reference value at any mark length that is at most equal to nT (where n is an integer).

4. The information storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second kind of write pulse information defines information to be used as offset values that have been classified according to the lengths of the preceding and
succeeding spaces for only the shortest mark.

5. A method for writing information on the information storage medium of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving the control information from the control information area;

adjusting a write waveform for performing a write operation on the information storage area by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information that are included in the control information retrieved; and

writing a data sequence on the information storage area using the write waveform adjusted.

6. A method for reading information from the information storage medium of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

irradiating the information storage area with a laser beam; and

reading a data sequence that has been written on the information storage area using a write waveform that has been adjusted by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information included in the control information.

7. A method of making an information storage medium on which a data sequence is writable as a combination of marks and spaces, the method comprising the steps of:

stacking an information storage layer on a substrate and then stacking a transparent protective coating on the information storage layer;

defining an information storage area to store information on the information storage layer;

defining a control information area to store control information, which is used to perform a read/write operation on the information storage layer; and

writing the control information on the control information area,

wherein the control information includes a first kind of write pulse information that includes information to be used as a reference value and a second kind of write pulse information that includes information to be used as an offset value, and

wherein if the pulse width or pulse position of a write pulse is definable with a precision of 1T/n (where T is a channel clock pulse width and n is a positive integer), the size of the offset value is large enough to define at least an n/2 range.

8. A method for writing information on an information storage medium made by the method of claim 7, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving the control information from the control information area;

adjusting a write waveform for performing a write operation on the information storage area by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information that are included in the control information retrieved; and

writing a data sequence on the information storage area using the write waveform adjusted.

9. A method for reading information from an information storage medium made by the method of claim 7, the method comprising the steps of:

irradiating the information storage area with a laser beam; and

reading a data sequence that has been written on the information storage area using a write waveform that has been adjusted by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information included in the control information.

10. An information storage medium on which a data sequence is writable as a combination of marks and spaces,

wherein the information storage medium has at least one information storage layer, and

wherein the at least one information storage layer has an information storage area to store information and a control information area for use to perform a read/write operation on the at least one information storage layer, and

wherein the control information area stores at least one set of control information, and

wherein the at least one set of control information includes a first kind of write pulse information including information to be used as a reference value and a second kind of write pulse information including information to be used as an offset value, and

wherein the size of the offset value is at least a half as large as that of the reference value.

11. The information storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first kind of write pulse information includes information to be used as a reference value for a write pulse, of which the preceding or succeeding space has a length of 5T or more (where T is a channel clock pulse-width ) .

12. The information storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first kind of write pulse information defines information to be used as at least one reference value at any mark length that is at most equal to nT (where n is an integer).

13. The information storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second kind of write pulse information defines information to be used as offset values that have been classified according to the lengths of the preceding and succeeding spaces for only the shortest mark.

14. A method for writing information on the information storage medium of claim 10, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving the control information from the control information area;

adjusting a write waveform for performing a write operation on the information storage area by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information that are included in the control information retrieved; and

writing a data sequence on the information storage area using the write waveform adjusted.

15. A method for reading information from the information storage medium of claim 10, the method comprising the steps of:

irradiating the information storage area with a laser beam; and

reading a data sequence that has been written on the information storage area using a write waveform that has been adjusted by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information included in the control information.

16. A method of making an information storage medium on which a data sequence is writable as a combination of marks and spaces, the method comprising the steps of:

stacking an information storage layer on a substrate and then stacking a transparent protective coating on the information storage layer;

defining an information storage area to store information on the information storage layer;

defining a control information area to store control information, which is used to perform a read/write operation on the information storage layer; and

writing the control information on the control information area,

wherein the control information includes a first kind of write pulse information that includes information to be used as a reference value and a second kind of write pulse information that includes information to be used as an offset value, and

wherein the size of the offset value is at least a half as large as that of the reference value.

17. A method for writing information on an information storage medium made by the method of claim 16, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving the control information from the control information area;

adjusting a write waveform for performing a write operation on the information storage area by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information that are included in the control information retrieved; and

writing a data sequence on the information storage area using the write waveform adjusted.

18. A method for reading information from an information storage medium made by the method of claim 16, the method comprising the steps of:

irradiating the information storage area with a laser beam; and

reading a data sequence that has been written on the information storage area using a write waveform that has been adjusted by reference to the first and second kinds of write pulse information included in the control information.