Method and apparatus for controlling access to storage media
First Claim
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1. A data storage medium comprising:
- a structure adapted to support data which is optically-readable by an optical reader;
a material associated with said structure adapted to support data, said material characterized by displaying at least two different optical states to an optical reader, a first of said optical states occurring prior to exposure to an activating radiation and a second optical state after exposure to said activating radiation;
a software instruction set comprising code preventing read of one or more portions of said structure of data unless an optical change of said material from said first optical state to said second optical state occurs on said data storage medium.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling access to a storage medium, such as an optically readable medium. Light sensitive or other materials that are adapted to change state and affect reading of a storage medium are used to control access to data that may be stored on optical medium and/or to control use of the medium.
330 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A data storage medium comprising:
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a structure adapted to support data which is optically-readable by an optical reader; a material associated with said structure adapted to support data, said material characterized by displaying at least two different optical states to an optical reader, a first of said optical states occurring prior to exposure to an activating radiation and a second optical state after exposure to said activating radiation; a software instruction set comprising code preventing read of one or more portions of said structure of data unless an optical change of said material from said first optical state to said second optical state occurs on said data storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An optical recording medium comprising:
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a recording medium; a plurality of areas in or on said recording medium providing for distinctly different optical characteristics readable by an optical reader, said plurality of areas encoding data which is convertible by a processor coupled to said optical reader into data; and a material capable of existing in a first optical state and a second optical state disposed on at least a portion of said recording medium wherein said material is of a character, and is positioned with respect to said plurality of areas in a manner, such that said material provides different reads of said data encoded by said plurality of areas when said material is in its first optical state versus when it is in its second optical state, a first of said optical states occurring prior to an activating radiation and a second optical state after exposure to said activating radiation; an instruction set incorporated onto said recording medium, said instruction set limiting decoding of at least a portion of said data encoded by said plurality of areas when said material is in its first optical state. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of verifying the authenticity of an optical storage medium having optically-stored data embodied therein and comprising a material capable of a change from a first optical state to a transient second optical state, said method comprising the steps of:
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reading optically-stored data with said optical reader at least one locus on the optical medium comprising said material positioned with respect to said optically-stored data to cause different data reads when said material is its first optical state and its second optical state; and determining that the optical medium is authentic if the read of said optically-stored data at such locus is different upon one optical read than a subsequent optical read wherein said transient second optical state eventuates upon interaction of the material with one or more electromagnetic radiation sources, and said second optical state spontaneously converting to said first optical state, said optically-stored data being readable by an optical reader, and change from said first optical state to said second optical state being effectuated by said optical reader. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A data storage medium comprising:
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a structure adapted to support data so that the data may be optically read; and a material disposed in or on the structure, wherein said material is adapted to be altered between at least two states, and wherein it is positioned with respect to said structure to affect a read of at least some of said data by an optical reader in a manner that when it is in a first state it inhibits read of said data, but when it is in a second state it allows read of said data, said material requiring an input signal to change from its first state to its second state wherein said input signal is electromagnetic radiation. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification