Directory read inhibitor for optical storage media

• US 6,641,886 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2000
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flexplay Technologies
• Original Assignee: Flexplay Technologies
• Inventors: Bakos, Yannis, Brynjolfsson, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): MULVANEY, ELIZABETH EVANS
• Application Number:
  US09/608,328
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 428/64.1, 428/64.2, 428/64.4, 428/457, 428/913, 430/270.12, 430/495.1, 430/945, 369/283, 369/288
• US Class Current: 428/64.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 7/0033 Natural products or derivatives thereof, e.g. cellulose, proteins
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/252 of layers other than recording layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/2533 comprising resins
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/2534 polycarbonates [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/2542 consisting essentially of organic resins
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/258 of reflective layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/21 Circular sheet or circular blank
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for inhibiting the readability of an optical media due to changes in a pseudo-reflective material that composes the optical media after the optical media has been exposed to air for a predetermined time. An optical media includes a data encoded component. At least a fraction of the data encoded component transforms from a substantially optically reflective state to a substantially optically non-reflective state as at-least-in-part a function of time from an initializing event. The systems and methods provide advantages because of low cost, limited content lifetime, avoidance of rental returns and minimum changes to existing manufacturing processes.

Claims

1. An optically-readable media for storing data and instructions to be read by a reading device, said optically-readable media comprising:

at least one substrate layer having defined thereon a region for storing control data, said control data includes instructions used by said reading device to read said optically-readable media;

at least one reflective layer coupled to said at least one substrate layer;

at least one reactive substance that changes at least one optical property or physical property in response to a predefined stimulus, wherein said at least one reactive substance is in at least one of said substrate layer or said reflective layer and is localized to said region for storing control data; and

an agent for controlling the rate said at least one reactive substance changes at least one optical property or physical property, wherein said agent controls the rate of change by at least one of slowing or stopping the rate of change until said agent is exhausted.

2. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said at least one region for storing control data is selected from the group consisting of lead-in, directory area, table of contents area, and combination thereof.

3. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said at least one reactive substance is in said at least one substrate layer and transforms from a substantially transparent state to a state that interferes with the passage of light in response to said predefined stimulus.

4. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein the change in at least one physical property occurs by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of delamination, fractures in at least one of said at least one substrate layer or said at least one reflective layer as the result of mechanical stress, enlargement of a central hole, and combinations thereof.

5. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein the predefined stimulus is a user executing a prescribed action to make said region for storing control data accessible to said reading device.

6. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein the predefined stimulus is a user executing a prescribed action.

7. The optically-readable media of claim 6, wherein said prescribed action applied to said optically-readable media includes heating, cooling, squeezing, shaking, exposing to microwave radiation, exposure to bright light, exposure to ultraviolet light, dipping in water or other substances, wiping with moist cloth, wiping or otherwise exposing to some chemical, removing or changing some component of the optically-readable media, and combinations thereof.

8. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said at least one substrate layer further comprises trenches or pores aligned with said at least one region for storing control data.

9. The optically-readable media of claim 8, wherein said trenches or pores comprises at least one reactive substance, wherein said at least one reactive substance changes at least one of its refractive index upon exposure to an ambient environment and its physical size by physically shrinking or physically expanding in response to said predefined stimulus.

10. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said change in at least one optical property or physical property occurs by at least one of formation of small bubbles, formation of crystals, formation of particles, formation of cracks, formation of a precipitate, separation of constituent layer, change in permitivity of to a gas of said at least one substrate layer, photodepolymerization, photogeneration of an acid, photogeneration of singlet oxygen.

11. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said predefined stimulus is the resultant centrifugal force created by the reading device reading the optically-readable media.

12. The optically-readable media of claim 11, further comprising small radial, spiraling or circular trenches or tubules localized to said region for storing control data, wherein said small radial, spiraling or circular trenches or tubules comprises at least one reactive substance.

13. The optically-readable media of claim 1, further comprising a protective enclosure enclosing said optically-readable media, said protective enclosure controls the exposure of at least one environmental constituent to said optically-readable media.

14. The optically-readable media of claim 13, wherein the protective enclosure encloses an inert gas.

15. The optically-readable media of claim 13, wherein said protective enclosure encloses a reducing gas.

16. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said at least one reactive substance comprises at least one light activated catalyst.

17. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said agent for controlling the rate said at least one reactive substance changes at least one optical property or physical property comprises an antioxidant.

18. The optically-readable media of claim 17, wherein said antioxidant comprises at least one organometallic compound.

19. The optically-readable media of claim 1, further comprising a lacquer layer coupled to said reflective layer.

20. The optically-readable media of claim 19, further comprising a second reflective material adjacent to said at least one region for storing control data and coupled to said first reflective layer, wherein said second reflective material acts as a cathode and said first reflective layer acts as an anode.

21. The optically-readable media of claim 19, further comprising a second reflective material coupled to said lacquer layer and adjacent to said region for storing control data, wherein said second reflective material acts as a cathode and said first reflective layer acts as an anode.

22. The optically-readable media of claim 21, wherein said lacquer layer comprises at least one copolymer selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylonitrile), poly(4-vinylpyridine) and poly(1-vinylimidiazole).

23. The optically-readable media of claim 21, wherein said lacquer layer comprises hydrolyzed polyacrylate lacquer.

24. The optically-readable media of claim 21, wherein said lacquer layer comprises 2-hydroxyethylacrylate copolymer.

25. The optically-readable media of claim 1, wherein said at least one reactive substance is a chromophore.