Method and system for fluid mediated disk activation and deactivation

• US 7,596,073 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Goodall, Eleanor V., Jung, Edward K. Y., Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Tianjie
• Application Number:
  US11/124,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 360/135, 422/68.1, 422/72, 435/6, 506/32, 369/275.1
• US Class Current: 369/275.1
• 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 20/0021 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 23/0035 means incorporated in the disc, e.g. hub, to enable its guiding, loading or driving means for driving the head G11B21/06; guiding the disc for centering or locking G11B17/022; turntables or spindles for driving G11B19/2009
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/282 Limited play
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, fluid-mediated modification of information or access to information is utilized. According to various embodiments, data storage devices designed for rotating access are described which include rotation-activated fluid control mechanisms.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

a substrate configured for rotating access;

a data storage medium capable of storing machine-readable data carried by said substrate; and

a rotation activatable fluid release mechanism on said substrate responsive to rotation to release fluid within the data storage device to render unreadable or unusable at least a portion of machine-readable data stored on said substrate, the rotation activatable fluid release mechanism including a pressure-sensitive fluid barrier.

2. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said rotation activatable fluid release mechanism is a centrifugally activatable mechanism.

3. The data storage device of claim 1, including a fluid switch configured to be opened by release of a conductive fluid from said fluid release mechanism.

4. The data storage device of claim 1, including a fluid switch configured to be closed by release of a conductive fluid from said fluid release mechanism.

5. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said rotation activatable fluid release mechanism is configured to release a fluid into a region of the data storage device containing said portion of machine-readable data, and wherein said fluid renders data in said portion of machine-readable data unusable or unreadable.

6. The data storage device of claim 5, wherein said data storage medium in at least said region is sensitive to degradation by said fluid.

7. The data storage device of claim 5, wherein data stored in said data storage medium in at least said region is sensitive to degradation by said fluid.

8. The data storage device of claim 5, wherein said fluid renders data in said portion of machine-readable data unusable or unreadable by at least one of producing a change in said substrate in at least said region that inhibits reading of said machine-readable data, interfering optically with reading of data in said portion of machine-readable data, or acting in cooperation with an additional degradation inducing factor to cause degradation of data in said portion of machine-readable data.

9. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said release of said fluid initiates a process whereby at least a portion of machine-readable data stored on the data storage device is rendered unusable or inaccessible.

10. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said rotation activatable fluid release mechanism is activatable during at least one of angular acceleration of said substrate and angular deceleration of said substrate.

11. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said pressure-sensitive fluid barrier includes at least one of a frangible barrier, a capillary break, a hydrophobic break, or a hydrophobic valve.

12. A data storage device comprising:

a substrate configured for rotating access;

a data storage medium capable of storing machine-readable data carried by said substrate; and

a rotation activatable fluid release mechanism on said substrate responsive to rotation to release fluid within the data storage device to render unreadable or unusable at least a portion of machine-readable data stored on said substrate, the rotation activatable fluid release mechanism including a micromechanical valve.