Memory having RFID tag, decryption technique for use with the memory, and memory reader or writer for use with the memory

• US 20060015752A1
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Promega Corporation
• Original Assignee: Promega Corporation
• Inventors: Krueger, Steven T.
• Application Number:
  US10/892,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/045 the record carrier being of the non-contact type, e.g. RFID, and being specially adapted for attachment to a disc, e.g. a CD or DVD
• 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 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00275 the key being stored on a chip attached to the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry

Abstract

A system comprising a memory, an RFID tag, a memory reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by the memory, an RFID reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by the RFID tag, and a decryption unit that is configured to decrypt the information read from the memory by the memory reading unit in accordance with the information read from the RFID tag by the RFID reading unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory;

an RFID tag;

a memory reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by said memory;

an RFID reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by said RFID tag; and

a decryption unit that is configured to decrypt the information read from said memory by said memory reading unit in accordance with the information read from said RFID tag by said RFID reading unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said RFID tag is attached to said memory.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said memory is selected from the group consisting of CD, DVD, flash memory, Memory Stick, optical disc, and hard drive.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said memory reading unit optically reads the information that is stored by said memory.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said memory is an optical memory medium, and

wherein said memory reading unit is part of an optical disc drive.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said RFID reading unit is part of the optical disc drive.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein said RFID reading unit is attached to the optical disc drive.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory writing unit for writing information to said memory for storage.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a memory reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by a memory;

an RFID reading unit that is configured to read information that is stored by an RFID tag; and

a decryption unit that is configured to decrypt the information read from the memory by said memory reading unit in accordance with the information read from the RFID tag by said RFID reading unit.

10. An apparatus comprising:

memory reading means for reading information that is stored by a memory;

RFID reading means for reading information that is stored by an RFID tag; and

decryption means for decrypting the information read from the memory by said memory reading means in accordance with the information read from the RFID tag by said RFID reading means.

11. A method comprising:

retrieving information from a memory;

retrieving information from an RFID tag; and

decrypting the information retrieved from the memory in accordance with the information retrieved from the RFID tag.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the information retrieved from the RFID tag comprises a key used for said decrypting.

13. A system comprising:

a memory;

an RFID tag attached to said memory;

an encryption unit that is configured to encrypt information so that the encrypted information can later be decrypted, the decryption being performed in accordance with information obtained from said RFID tag; and

a writing unit that is configured to write information to said memory for storage,

wherein the encrypted information from said encryption unit is written by said writing unit to said memory for storage.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said memory is selected from the group consisting of CD, DVD, flash memory, Memory Stick, optical disc, and hard drive.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein said writing unit is part of an optical disc drive, and said writing unit optically writes information to said memory for storage.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein said memory is an optical disc.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said RFID tag comprises an antenna that is printed on said optical disc.

18. An apparatus comprising:

encryption means for encrypting information so that the encrypted information can be decrypted, the decryption being performed in accordance with information retrieved from an RFID tag attached to a memory; and

writing means for writing the encrypted information to the memory for storage.

19. A method comprising:

writing first information to an RFID tag for storage, the RFID tag being associated with a memory;

encrypting second information so that the encrypted second information can later be decrypted, the decryption being performed in accordance with the first information; and

writing the encrypted second information to the memory for storage.

20. An apparatus for use with a television, said apparatus comprising:

an optical disc drive that is configured to perform one of (a) reading from an optical disc and (b) reading from and writing to an optical disc;

an RFID interrogator that is configured to obtain information from an RFID tag associated with the optical disc;

a decryption unit that is configured to decrypt information read from the optical disc by said optical disc drive in accordance with the information obtained from the RFID tag by said RFID interrogator; and

an output unit that is configured to output a signal for the television in accordance with the decrypted information from said decryption unit.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, said apparatus being a DVD player.

22. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said RFID tag is attached to the optical disc.