Optical recording method for data cards

• US 4,910,725 A
• Filed: 10/17/1986
• Issued: 03/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LaserCard Corp. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Drexler Technology Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Arnold, Joseph B., Drexler, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Faber, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US06/920,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 369/275, 369/53, 369/54, 369/58, 369/47, 369/48, 369/50, 369/44, 369/46, 369/59, 365/234, 235/454, 235/456, 235/480, 235/487, 235/488, 235/494, 346/76 L
• US Class Current: 369/275.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06075 the marking containing means for error correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1883 Methods for assignment of alternate areas for defective areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0033 with cards or other card-like flat carriers, e.g. flat sheets of optical film
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0045 Recording G11B7/006, G11B7/0065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24 Record carriers characterised by shape, structure or physical properties, or by the selection of the material characterised by the arrangement of information on the carrier G11B7/007
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24085 Pits
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers

Abstract

A method of recording data on a card in which track indicia are laser recorded by a user on at least one end of a card prerecorded with tracks only. Track indicia include start and stop marks defining usable recordable areas, synchronization marks, error codes and track numbers and track termination codes. Start and stop marks may be series of lines recorded in a pattern across the tracks and in addition to demarcating usable recordable areas of the card may indicate the location of track numbers and data areas as well as the particular encoding scheme used on the card. Data blocks may be written on entire tracks or in sectors. When recording errors are detected, the data block is rewritten in a new sector or on another track using the same track number.

Claims

1. A method of storing data on a card comprising,

(a) creating a data storage card having a laser recordable optical storage medium thereon, said medium having opposed ends and a plurality of prerecorded track guides defining tracks therebetween, said tracks being free of any prerecorded track indicia and then being prerecorded by a first recording device at a first location,

(b) disposing said card in recording relationship with a laser recording apparatus, said laser recording apparatus being a second recording device located at a second location,

(c) marking a first stop point with said laser recording apparatus on said tracks near a first end of said medium, said stop point defining a user available recording area of said track between said stop point and a second end of said card,

(d) writing a first set of track indicia on a track in said user available recording area with said laser recording apparatus,

(e) writing at least one track identification code corresponding to said track with said laser recording apparatus on said track in said user available recording area,

(f) writing data on said track in said user available recording area with said laser recording apparatus, and

(g) repeating steps (d) through (f) on an unrecorded track while any data remain to be recorded.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising,

marking a second stop point after step (c) with said laser recording apparatus on said tracks near said second end of said medium farthest from said first stop point, said user available recording area being redefined between said first and second stop points,

writing a second set of track indicia after step (f) and prior to step (g) on said track in said user available recording area, and

including the step of writing a second set of track indicia in step (g).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said stop points comprises at least one transverse line across said medium.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said stop points comprise a plurality of transverse lines in a pattern representing formatting information.

5. A method of storing data on a card comprising,

(a) creating a data storage card having a laser recordable optical storage medium thereon, said medium having opposed ends and a plurality of prerecorded track guides defining tracks therebetween, said tracks being free of any prerecorded track indicia and then being prerecorded with a first recording device located at a first location,

(b) disposing said card in recording relationship with a laser recording apparatus, said laser recording apparatus being a second recording device located at a second location,

(c) marking start and stop marks with said laser recording apparatus across said tracks near opposed ends of said medium, said start marks being near one end and said stop marks being near the opposite end of the medium, said start and stop marks defining a user available recording area therebetween,

(d) writing track indicia with said laser recording apparatus on said track in said user available recording area,

(e) writing data indicia with said laser recording apparatus on said track in said user available recording area, and

(f) repeating step (d) and (e) on an unrecorded track while any data remain to be recorded.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein each of said start and stop marks comprise at least one transverse line across said medium.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said start and stop marks each comprise a plurality of transverse lines in a pattern representing formatting information.

8. A method of storing data on a card comprising,

(a) creating a data storage card having a laser recordable optical storage medium thereon, said medium having opposed first and second ends and top and bottom lateral edges, said medium having applurality of prerecorded track guides between said ends, said track guides defining tracks therebetween,

(b) disposing said card in recording relationship with a first laser recording apparatus, employing a first recording format,

(c) writing track indicia and data in a first direction on a first track in a user recordable area of said medium with said first laser recording apparatus,

(d) disposing said card in recording relationship with a second laser recording apparatus, said second laser recording apparatus having a different encoding format from said first recording format, and

(e) writing track indicia and data in a second direction on a second track in said user recordable area with said second laser recording apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein writing in step (c) in said first direction proceeds on said first track from said first end of said medium to said second end of said medium, and writing in step (e) in said second direction proceeds on said second track from said second end to said first end.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein writing track indicia in step (c) includes numbering said first track from tracks nearest said top lateral edge of said medium toward tracks nearest said bottom lateral edge of said medium, and writing track indicia in step (e) includes numbering said second track from tracks nearest said bottom lateral edge towards said top lateral edge.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said card is oriented in step (b) in a first direction relative to said first laser recording apparatus, and said card is oriented in step (d) in an opposite direction relative to said second laser recording apparatus.