Recording medium having copying protection signals recorded in superposition on main signals

• US 6,011,765 A
• Filed: 04/07/1997
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishio, Ayataka
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US08/826,660
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 369/275.3, 369/59, 369/48, 369/47, 369/58, 369/124, 386/3, 386/4, 386/22, 386/94
• US Class Current: 369/47.12
• 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 20/00891 embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00065 Sigma-delta audio encoding

Abstract

A signal processing apparatus in which an analog signal having a first band is summed to a copying protection signal having a pre-set frequency in a second band sufficiently separated from the first band and the resulting sum signal is converted into a 1-bit digital signal which is then recorded on a recording medium. Therefore, if a user annuls the copying protection on purpose, the sum signal is converted into a multi-bit signal at the time of removing the pre-set frequency, preventing the original 1-bit signal from being copied. Thus it becomes possible to inhibit copying of the 1-bit digital signal in the high-band high-quality state proper to the 1-bit digital signal.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus for reproducing a recording medium having recorded thereon, as a Σ

Δ

modulated 1-bit digital signal, an audio signal having a first band containing an audible range and a copying protection signal having a pre-set frequency in a second band separated from said first band and outside of the audible range of the audio signal, comprising;

reproducing means for reproducing the 1-bit digital signal containing said audio signal and said copying protection signal from said recording medium;

output means for outputting the 1-bit digital signal reproduced by said reproducing means;

first extraction means for extracting the audio signal having the first band from the 1-bit digital signal reproduced by said reproducing means;

second extraction means for extracting the copying protection signal contained in the second band from the 1-bit digital signal reproduced by said reproducing means; and

control means for inhibiting outputting of the 1-bit digital signal from said output means based on a presence of the copying protection signal extracted by said second extraction means, wherein said second extraction means includes;

filtering means for extracting the copying protection signal having the pre-set frequency contained in said second band from the 1-bit digital signal; and

comparator means for comparing a level of the copying protection signal extracted by said filtering means to a reference level, wherein when said comparator means finds that the level of the copying protection signal extracted by said filtering means is larger than said reference level said control means inhibits outputting of the 1-bit digital signal.

2. The reproducing apparatus for reproducing a recording medium having recorded thereon, as a Σ

Δ

modulated 1-bit digital signal, an audio signal having a first band containing an audible range and a copying protection signal having a pre-set frequency in a second band separated from said first band and outside of the audible range of the audio signal, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Σ

Δ

modulated 1-bit signal was recorded by;

addition means for summing said audio signal and said copying protection signal;

Σ

Δ

modulation means for converting an addition output of said addition means into a 1-bit digital signal; and

recording means for recording said 1-bit digital signal containing said audio signal and said copying protection signal on the recording medium.

3. The reproducing apparatus for reproducing a recording medium having recorded thereon, as a Σ

Δ

modulated 1-bit digital signal, an audio signal having a first band containing an audible range and a copying protection signal having a pre-set frequency in a second band separated from said first band and outside of the audible range of the audio signal as claimed in claim 2 further comprising;

second Σ

Δ

modulation means for converting said main signal into a 1-bit digital signal; and

a digital oscillator for generating said copying protection signal having said pre-set frequency contained in said second band separated from said first band.