Identifying optical disc properties from information read from label side of optical disc

• US 20030179674A1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Daryl E., Kwasny, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/53.21
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/284 on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/30 with provision for auxiliary signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/40 Identifying or analogous means applied to or incorporated in the record carrier and not intended for visual display simultaneously with the playing-back of the record carrier, e.g. label, leader, photograph
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0037 with discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/00736 Auxiliary data, e.g. lead-in, lead-out, Power Calibration Area [PCA], Burst Cutting Area [BCA], control information sector headers or adresses in prepits G11B7/00745; address data in track wobble G11B7/24082

Abstract

Identifying optical disc properties from information read from the label side of an optical disc is disclosed. The information from the label side of an optical disc is first read. From this information read from the label side of the optical disc, one or more properties of the optical disc are then identified.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

reading information from a label side of an optical disc; and

,

identifying one or more properties of the optical disc from the information read from the label side of the optical disc.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more properties of the optical disc comprises identifying one or more properties of at least one of the label side and a data side of the optical disc.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more properties of the optical disc comprises identifying whether at least one of the label side and a data side of the optical disc is write protected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the information from the label side of the optical disc comprises reading a signal as reflected by the label side of the optical disc.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the one or more properties of the optical disc comprises matching the signal as reflected by the label side of the optical disc to one of a plurality of reference signals associated with different types of optical discs.

6. The method of claim 1, further initially comprising writing the information to the label side of the optical disc.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein writing the information to the label side of the optical disc comprises writing a mark to the label side of the optical disc associated with a particular type of optical disc having a reference signal associated therewith,

reading the information from the label side of the optical disc comprises reading a signal as reflected by the mark written to the label side of the optical disc, and

identifying the one or more properties of the optical disc comprises matching the signal to the reference signal associated with the particular type of optical disc to determine whether the optical disc is of the particular type of optical disc.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein writing the information to the label side of the optical disc comprises writing one of a set write-protect field and an unset write-protect field to the label side of the optical disc.

9. A method comprising:

detecting an indicia on a side of an optical disc initially presumed to be a label side of the optical disc; and

,

in response to detecting the indicia,

reading information regarding the optical disc from the indicia.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the indicia on the side of the optical disc comprises moving a laser radially across a position on the side of the optical disc as the optical disc rotates.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein reading the information regarding the optical disc from the indicia comprises identifying one or more properties of at least one of a label side and a data side of the optical disc.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein reading the information regarding the optical disc from the indicia comprises:

reading a write-protect field of the indicia;

determining whether the write-protect field is set; and

,

in response to determining that the write-protect field is set, concluding that the optical disc is write protected.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein reading the information regarding the optical disc from the indicia comprises:

reading a series of one or more write-protect fields of the indicia including a last write-protect field;

determining whether the last write-protect field is set; and

,

in response to determining that the last write-protect field is set, concluding that the optical disc is write protected.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising, otherwise,

determining whether the side of the optical disc is a data side;

in response to determining that the side of the optical disc is the data side, concluding that the optical disc has been inserted incorrectly.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, otherwise,

writing a mark on the side of the optical disc with a laser;

reading the mark with the laser, resulting in a signal reflected by the mark;

identifying properties of the label side of the optical disc based on the signal, where the side of the optical disc is the label side of the optical disc.

16. A method comprising:

reflecting a signal off a side of an optical disc initially presumed to be a label side of the optical disc with a laser; and

,

identifying properties of a label side of the optical disc based on the signal, where the side of the optical disc is the marking or imaging surface of the optical disc.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising writing a mark on the side of the optical disc with the laser, wherein the signal is reflected off the mark.

18. The method of claim 17, further initially comprising:

determining whether the side of the optical disc is the data side; and

,

in response to determining that the side of the optical disc is other than the data side, proceeding with reflecting the signal off the side of the optical disc.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the side of the optical disc is the data side comprises detecting pits and grooves on the side of the optical disc associated with the data side.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the side of the optical disc is the data side comprises detecting data tracks on the side of the optical disc.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein writing the mark on the side of the optical disc with the laser comprises writing a pixel on the side of the optical disc with the laser.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein writing the mark on the side of the optical disc with the laser comprises writing the mark as associated with a particular type of optical disc having a reference signal associated therewith, such that identifying the properties of marking or imaging surface of the optical disc based on the signal comprises concluding that the optical disc is of the particular type of optical disc upon matching the signal to the reference signal associated with the particular type of optical disc.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising writing marks associated with different types of optical discs having reference signals associated therewith until a reflected signal read from one of the marks matches the reference signal associated with one of the different types of optical discs with which the one of the marks is associated.

24. A method comprising:

detecting at least one write-protect field laser-written on a marking or imaging surface of an optical disc; and

,

in response to detecting the at least one write-protect field,

determining whether the optical disc is write protected based on the at least one write-protect field.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising, upon determining that the optical disc is write protected, concluding that one of the marking or imaging surface and a data side of the optical disc is write protected.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein detecting the at least one write-protect field comprises detecting a single write-protect field, and wherein determining whether the optical disc is write protected comprises determining whether the single write-protect field is set.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein detecting the at least one write-protect field comprises detecting a series of write-protect fields including a last write-protect field, and wherein determining whether the optical disc is write protected comprises determining whether the last write-protect field is set.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising, upon determining that the last write-protect field is set,

concluding that the optical disc is write protected;

after the last write-protect field, writing a new, unset last write-protect field on the label side of the optical disc as part of the series of write-protect fields using a laser, to write-unprotect the optical disc.

29. A system comprising:

a mechanism receptive to an optical disc and in which the optical disc is rotatable;

a laser to at least read information from a label side of the optical disc; and

,

a controller to at least identify one or more properties of the label side of the optical disc from the information read by the laser.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the properties of the label side of the optical disc comprise properties for writing on the label side of the optical disc with the laser.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the information comprises an indicia.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the indicia comprises a bar code.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the indicia comprises a write-protect field.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the laser is further to write the information to the label side of the optical disc.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the information written by the laser comprises a write-protect field to one of un-write protect and write protect at least one of the label side and a data side of the optical disc.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the information written by the laser comprises a mark associated with a particular type of optical disc having associated therewith a reference signal, the laser reading the information resulting in a signal reflected by the mark, the controller identifying the one or more properties of the label side of the optical disc by matching the signal to the reference signal associated with the particular type of optical disc.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the mechanism, the laser, and the controller are encased in an enclosure internally connectable to a computer.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein the mechanism, the laser, and the controller are encased in an enclosure externally connectable to a computer.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein the mechanism, the laser, and the controller are part of a computer.

40. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon comprising:

means for directing a laser to at least read information from a label side of a rotating optical disc; and

,

means for identifying one or more properties of the label side of the rotating optical disc from the information read by the laser.

41. The medium of claim 40, wherein the means for directing the laser is further for directing the laser to write the information to the label side of the rotating optical disc.

42. The medium of claim 41, further comprising means for write protecting the label side of the rotating optical disc by instructing the means for directing the laser to set a write protect field on the label side of the rotating optical disc by writing to the label side of the rotating optical disc.

43. The medium of claim 41, wherein the means for identifying the one or more properties is further for instructing the means for directing the laser to write a mark associated with a particular type of optical disc having associated therewith a reference signal and to read the mark, resulting in a signal reflected thereby, the means for identifying the one or more properties being further for matching the signal to the reference signal associated with the particular type of optical disc.

44. An optical disc comprising:

a data side; and

,

a marking or imaging surface on which information is written to identify one or more properties of the optical disc.

45. The optical disc of claim 44, further comprising a label side, of which the marking or imaging surface is a part.

46. The optical disc of claim 44, wherein the marking or imaging surface is part of the data side of the optical disc.

47. The optical disc of claim 44, wherein the one or more properties comprise one or more properties of the data side of the optical disc.

48. The optical disc of claim 44, wherein the one or more properties comprise one or more properties of the marking or imaging surface of the optical disc.

49. The optical disc of claim 44, wherein the one or more properties comprise whether at least one of the data side and the marking or imaging surface is write protected.

50. The optical disc of claim 44, wherein the information written on the marking or imaging surface comprises an indicia.