Playback system for an optical disc representing a character or a graphic pattern formed by specified pit patterns

• US 5,875,156 A
• Filed: 01/06/1998
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Banno, Hiroshi, Koike, Ryuichi, Takeuchi, Takashi, Ito, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US09/003,505
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 369/275.3, 369/275.1, 369/32, 369/47, 369/58, 369/103, 369/275.2, 369/275.4, 369/122, 369/111, 369/14, 369/13, 369/33, 369/41, 369/52, 369/48, 369/273, 369/274, 358/342, 358/341, 360/72.2, 360/72.1
• US Class Current: 369/30.1
• 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 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00152 involving a password
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00304 the key being stored in the lead-in area [LIA]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00586 said format change concerning the physical format of the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00695 said measures preventing that data are read from the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/281 by changing the physical properties of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/34 Signal means additional to the main recording track, e.g. photoelectric sensing of sprocket holes for timing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/38 Visual features other than those contained in record tracks or represented by sprocket holes the visual signals being auxiliary signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/005 Reproducing G11B7/0065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0079 Zoned data area, e.g. having different data structures or formats for the user data within data layer, Zone Constant Linear Velocity [ZCLV], Zone Constant Angular Velocity [ZCAV], carriers with RAM and ROM areas
• 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 7/24094 Indication parts or information parts for identification

Abstract

A CD-ROM is provided with an area for forming a character/graphic pattern. The character/graphic pattern is formed in such a way that data, which generate on the CD-ROM two sorts of pit patterns having average reflectances different from each other to a perceptible extent, are respectively recorded inside and outside the character/graphic pattern. Unless an illegal copy disc is produced by duplicating the legal original disc of the CD-ROM at a very high precision, the character/graphic pattern of the copy disc is invisibly deformed by the discrepancy between the arrangements of the pit patterns of the copy disc and the original disc.

Claims

1. A play back system for playing back data recorded on a rotational type information recording medium comprising:

a motor which rotates an information recording medium mounted on the system;

a pickup which reads out data from said information recording medium to output a reproduction signal;

an apparatus which moves said pickup over said information recording medium;

a signal processor which demodulates said reproduction signal; and

a controller which output the demodulated signal and controls the operation of said pickup and said motor;

wherein said controller includes a memory for storing therein positional information, with respect to said information recording medium to be played back, which is indicative of a position of a region provided at, at least one of an outer peripheral side of a lead-out area indicating an end position of a data recording area and an inner peripheral side of a lead-in area indicating a start position of said data recording area, for recording specific data in said region;

said controller being operative to control reading out of the positional information stored in said memory when said information recording medium is mounted on the system, to move said pickup to said region where said specific data are recorded, and to suspend further playback upon failure of reading out of said specific data from said region.

2. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said positional information stored in said memory is information indicative of either a region provided at a position beyond a supecular surface area adjacent to an outer periphery of said lead-out area or a region provided at a position beyond a supecular surface area adjacent to inner periphery of said lead-in area, for recording specific data in said region.

3. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said memory further stores a password which corresponds to a password recorded in said information recording medium to be played back, and said controller suspends further playback of the system when said password in said memory does not agree with said password in said information recording medium.

4. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said memory further stores collating data, and said controller suspends further playback of said information recording medium mounted on the system, when said collating data does not agree with the data stored in said region storing the specific data.

5. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said controller reads out information indicative of contents of the information stored in said information recording medium to be played back, and determines whether or not said information recording medium is a recording medium for music, and if determined to be music, to play back the data without moving said pickup to said region where said specific data are stored.

6. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said specific data stored in said region in said information recording medium are data for creating character/graphic patterns which are visually recognizable.

7. A playback system according to claim 1, wherein said information recording medium is optically read out to output data.

8. A play back system for playing back data recorded on a rotational type information recording medium comprising:

a motor which rotates an information recording medium mounted on the system;

a pickup which reads out data from said information recording medium to output a reproduction signal;

an apparatus which moves said pickup over said information recording medium;

a processing unit which demodulates the reproduction signal read out from said information recording medium; and

a controller which outputs the demodulated signal and controls operations of said pickup and said motor;

wherein said controller includes a memory for storing therein positional information, with respect to said information recording medium to be played back, which is indicative of a position of a region provided at, at least one of an outer peripheral side of a lead-out area indicating an end position of a data recording area and an inner peripheral side of a lead-in area indicating a start position of said data recording area, for recording specific data in said region;

said controller being operative to control reading out of the positional information stored in said memory when said information recording medium is mounted on the system, to have said pickup access said region storing said specific data, and to suspend further playback of the system upon failure of reading out of said data from said region.

9. A play back system for playing back data recorded on a rotational type information recording medium comprising:

a motor which rotates an information recording medium mounted on the system;

a pickup which reads out data from said information recording medium to output a reproduction signal;

a circuit for controlling the rotation of said motor to rotate at a given rotating speed;

an apparatus which moves said pickup over said information recording medium;

a processing unit which demodulates the production signal read out from said information recording medium; and

a controller which outputs the demodulated signal and controls the operation of said pickup and said motor;

wherein said controller includes a memory for storing therein positional information, with respect to said information recording medium to be played back, which is indicative of a position of a region provided at, at least one of an outer peripheral side of a lead-out area indicating an end position of a data recording area and an inner peripheral side of a lead-in area indicating a start position of said data recording area, for recording specific data in said region;

said controller being operative to control reading out of the positional information stored in said memory when said information recording medium is mounted on the system, and to have said pickup access at least two tracks in said region storing said specific data, and to compare rotation speeds of said information recording medium when accessing said at least two tracks to each other to determine a recording method of said data in said region, and to suspend further playback of the system, when the recording method of said data thus determined does not agree with a predetermined recording method.

10. A playback system according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined recording method is the CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) method.

11. A playback system according to claim 9, wherein said controller controls said pickup to keep tracking one track during the determination of the recording method, and obtains a timing at which said specific data is played back and detects rotation speed based on the obtained timing.

12. A playback system according to claim 10, wherein said memory preliminarily stores a specific data pattern for measuring the rotating speed, and said controller obtains a timing at which the same data as said predetermined data stored in said memory is played back.

13. A playback system according to claim 9, wherein said memory further comprising a rotation speed detector for detecting a rotation speed of said motor and said controller obtains each of the rotation speeds of the motor when said pickup is located on different tracks using a signal from said rotation speed detector.

14. A playback system for playing back an optical disc comprising:

rotation means for rotating an optical disc mounted on the system;

an optical pickup which traces tracks of the optical disc and detects pit patterns formed on the tracks;

rotation control means which controls the rotating speed of said rotation means so that a fixed frequency is detected with respect to the pit pattern;

rotation speed detecting means for detecting the rotating speed of said rotation means;

a memory for storing therein positional information, with respect to said optical disc, which is indicative of a position of a region provided at, at least one of an outer peripheral side of a lead-out area indicating an end position of a data recording area and an inner peripheral side of a lead-in area indicating a start position of said data recording area, for recording specific data in the region;

means for accessing at least two tracks in said region specified by said positional information stored in said memory;

means for comparing rotation speeds of the motor when accessing said at least two tracks which are detected by said rotation speed detection means, and means for determining, based on the result of the comparison, whether or not the data in the region specified by said positional information stored in said memory is recorded based on a predetermined recording method; and

means for suspending further playback of the optical disc when it is determined that the data in the region specified by the positional information stored in said memory is not recorded in the predetermined recording method.

15. A play back system for playing back data recorded on a rotational type information recording medium comprising:

a device which rotates an information recording medium mounted on the system and which reproduces data from a specified region of the information recording medium;

a controller controls the operation of the device for reproducing the data;

wherein said controller includes a memory for storing therein positional information, with respect to the information recording medium to be played back, which is indicative of a position of a region provided at, at least one of an outer peripheral side of a lead-out area indicating an end position of a data recording area and an inner peripheral side of a lead-in area indicating a start position of said data recording area, for recording specific data in the region;

said controller being operative to control reading out of the positional information stored in said memory when said information recording medium is mounted on the system, and to have the reproducing device to read out data from the region storing the specific data, and to suspend further playback of the system upon failure of reading out of the specific data from said region by the playback device.