Fluid mediated disk activation and deactivation mechanisms

• US 20060268661A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Goodall, Eleanor V., Jung, Edward K.Y., Ferren, Bran
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/13
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/26 Speed-changing arrangements; Reversing arrangements; Drive-transfer means therefor

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, fluid-mediated modification of information or access to information is utilized. According to various embodiments, data storage devices designed for rotating access are described which include rotation-activated fluid control mechanisms.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

a substrate;

machine-readable data stored on said substrate;

at least one rotation activatable fluid release mechanism on said substrate, said fluid release mechanism configured to release a material having fluid-like properties onto a portion of the data storage device; and

a modifiable feature susceptible to modification in response to release of said material by said fluid release mechanism.

4. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said material includes a combination of an active material and a fluid or fluid-like carrier.

13. The data storage device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of rotation activatable fluid release mechanisms, said fluid release mechanisms activatable in sequence over a plurality of uses of the memory device and configured such that activation of said plurality of mechanisms renders at least a portion of said machine-readable data inaccessible.

14. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said fluid release mechanism is configured to release fluid in response to at least one of angular acceleration or angular deceleration.

15. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said fluid release mechanism is configured to release fluid in response to centrifugal force generation by rotation of the data storage device.

54. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said material includes at least one of a liquid, a powder, a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, or a slurry.

55. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said modifiable feature comprises at least one of a mechanical property, an optical property, an electrical property, a magnetic property, or a chemical property of said data storage device.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

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7. (canceled)

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9. (canceled)

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11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

16. A data storage device comprising:

a substrate configured for rotating access;

a data storage medium capable of storing machine-readable data carried by said substrate;

a reservoir on said substrate adapted to contain a fluid;

a fluid responsive region on said substrate configured to receive fluid from said reservoir and upon receipt of said fluid to undergo a change;

and

a pressure sensitive barrier between said reservoir and said fluid responsive region adapted to prevent flow of fluid from said reservoir to said fluid responsive region if the pressure drop across said pressure sensitive barrier is below a first pressure difference and to permit flow of fluid from said reservoir to said fluid responsive region if the pressure drop across said pressure sensitive barrier exceeds said first pressure difference.

17. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said reservoir is located radially inwardly from said fluid responsive region.

20. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said change is detectable by a disk drive used for reading data from the data storage device.

24. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said change disables reading of at least a portion of said machine-readable data from said data storage device.

25. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said change enables reading of at least a portion of said machine-readable data from said data storage device.

29. The data storage device of claim 24, wherein said portion of machine-readable data comprises information necessary for reading additional data stored in said data storage device.

40. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said fluid comprises an electrically conductive material.

43. The data storage device of claim 16, further comprising:

a first radial channel segment extending radially outward from said pressure sensitive barrier and adapted to receive fluid from said reservoir;

a connecting channel segment adapted to receive fluid from said first radial channel segment; and

a second radial channel segment extending radially inward from said connecting channel segment adapted to deliver fluid from said connecting channel segment to said fluid responsive region.

44. The data storage device of claim 43, wherein pressure across said pressure sensitive barrier sufficient to permit movement of fluid from said reservoir to said first radial channel segment is produced by centrifugal force generated by spinning said substrate.

56. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said pressure sensitive barrier is oriented to permit flow of fluid from said reservoir during at least one of angular acceleration or angular deceleration of the data storage device.

57. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said change comprises a change to at least one of an optical property, an electrical property, or a magnetic property of at least a portion of the data storage device.

58. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said change comprises at least one of degradation of at least a portion of data on said data storage device, modification of at least a portion of said machine-readable data stored in said data storage device, or modification of readability of at least a portion of said machine-readable data stored in said data storage device.

59. The data storage device of claim 29, wherein said information comprises at least one of a decryption key or index information.

60. The data storage device of claim 16, wherein said pressure sensitive barrier comprises at least one of a frangible material, a micromechanical valve, or a capillary barrier.

18. (canceled)

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34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

39. The data storage device of claim 35, wherein said data storage device is a magnetically readable disk, and wherein pressure across said pressure sensitive barrier sufficient to permit movement of fluid from said reservoir is obtainable by spinning said substrate in a magnetic disk drive at speeds above normal read speeds.

36. (canceled)

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47. A data storage device comprising:

a substrate;

a degradation-sensitive data storage medium on said substrate;

a fluid reservoir capable of containing a fluid; and

a rotation activatable fluid release mechanism for controlling release of fluid from said reservoir to produce degradation of said data storage medium.

48. The data storage device of claim 47, wherein degradation of said data storage medium includes one or more of destruction of said data storage medium, modification of said data storage medium, modification of data stored in said data storage medium, and modification of signal-to-noise ratio of data stored in said data storage medium.

49. The data storage device of claim 47, further comprising:

a fluid receptacle adapted to receive fluid released from said reservoir;

a first electrical contact on a first side of said fluid receptacle; and

a second electrical contact on a second side of said fluid receptacle, said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact disposed so that, upon receipt of an electrically conductive fluid by said fluid receptacle from said reservoir, an electrical connection will be formed between said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact.

50. The data storage device of claim 47, further comprising:

a fluid receptacle adapted to receive fluid released from said reservoir;

a first electrical contact on a first side of said fluid reservoir; and

a second electrical contact on a second side of said fluid reservoir, said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact disposed so that, upon release of an electrically conductive fluid from said reservoir to said fluid receptacle, an electrical connection will be broken between said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact.

51. The data storage device of claim 47, wherein said fluid produces degradation of said data storage medium directly.

52. The data storage device of claim 47, wherein said fluid facilitates degradation of said data storage medium by an additional degradation-inducing influence.

53. (canceled)