Optical recording disc capable of preventing illegal copy

• US 6,262,967 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2000
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajiyama, Seiji, Tada, Kouichi, Tsuchiya, Youichi, Torazawa, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, TAN X
• Application Number:
  US09/487,866
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 369/275.4, 369/275.1, 369/58, 369/54, 369/59, 369/44.26, 369/84, 380/201, 380/203
• US Class Current: 369/275.4
• 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 23/281 by changing the physical properties of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/284 on the record carrier
• 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 7/261 Preparing a master, e.g. exposing photoresist, electroforming

Abstract

An illegal disc copying protection system which includes an optical disc with recorded information as a series of pits aligned to a track direction from the optical disc, a recording system which records information as a series of pits aligned to the track direction from the optical disc, and a reading system which reads information being recorded as a series of pits aligned to the track direction from the optical disc.

Claims

1. An optical disc which is recorded information as a series of pits aligned to track direction, wherein:

lengths of each of the pits and pit-to-pit spaces are set to one of predetermined discrete values respectively according to first information, and the lengths are minutely varied from their discrete values respectively according to second information.

2. A recording system which records information as a series of pits aligned to track direction on an original disc, comprising:

a duty compensator for outputting a setting signal to a control unit of a recording head to set lengths of each of the pits and pit-to-pit spaces;

a first information output unit for outputting a first signal according to first information to the duty compensator to generate the setting signal which sets lengths of each of the pits and pit-to-pit spaces to one of perdetermined discrete values respectively; and

a second information output unit for outputting a second signal according to second information to the duty compensator to vary the setting signal based on the first signal and minutely vary lengths of each of the pits and pit-to-pit spaces from their discrete values respectively.

3. A reading system which reads information from a loaded optical disc, the information being recorded as a series of pits aligned to track direction, wherein each of the pits and pit-to-pit spaces having lengths of one of predetermined discrete values respectively according to first information, and the lengths are minutely varied from their discrete values respectively according to second information, the reading system, comprising:

a first information detector for decoding the first information from a detecting signal by removing a variation component derived from the minute variation in lengths of pits and pit-to-pit spaces; and

a second information decoder for decoding the second information from a detectable signal by extracting the variation component.

4. A reading system according to claim 3, wherein the second information refers to security information, and the reading system further comprising:

a disabling unit for disabling to read a loaded optical disc when the second information is not decoded.