Method of manufacturing a limited use data storing device

• US 7,748,012 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K. Y., Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, David D
• Application Number:
  US11/223,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20070253316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 360/99.12, 369/275.1, 369/273, 340/572.7, 359/1, 705/51
• US Class Current: 720/718
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/051 Direct insertion, i.e. without external loading means
• 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 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00608 wherein the material that the record carrier is made of is altered, e.g. adding reactive dyes that alter the optical properties of a disc after prolonged exposure to light or air
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00695 said measures preventing that data are read from the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00855 involving a step of exchanging information with a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00927 wherein said defects or errors are generated on purpose, e.g. intended scratches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2537 Optical discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/282 Limited play
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/12 Disposition of constructional parts in the apparatus, e.g. of power supply, of modules
• 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 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, methods of retrieving information from a data storage device previously deactivated by modification or degradation of at least a portion of the data storage device are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a data storage device comprising:

storing primary read-support information in a first data storage region of the data storage device, the first data storage region having an expected lifetime limit during which the primary read-support information can be read from the first data storage region with a first type of data read system;

storing secondary read-support information in a second data storage region of the data storage device, the secondary read-support information readable from the second data storage region with a second type of data read system but not with the first type of data read system;

storing data of interest in the second data storage region, the data of interest readable with support of the primary read-support information by the first type of data read system and readable with support of the secondary read-support information by the second type of data read system.

2. The method of claim 1, including storing the primary read-support information in a degradable first data storage region, wherein the expected lifetime limit during which primary read-support information can be read from the first data storage region with the first type of data read system is determined by the degradation of the degradable first data storage region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary read-support information includes at least one of a decryption key or index information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary read-support information includes a decryption key selected from a private key or a public key.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data of interest includes at least one of an audio recording, a video recording, a software code, or decryption or encryption key.

6. A method of manufacturing a memory device comprising:

providing a substrate;

providing a primary data storage medium on the substrate; and

storing machine readable data in the primary data storage medium including multiple copies of data of interest or including redundancies within the data of interest, said machine readable data being initially readable by a first type of data read system;

wherein at least a portion of at least one of the substrate and the primary data storage medium is modifiable by a limited expected lifetime to render at least a portion of the machine readable data unreadable by the first type of data read system, and wherein the machine readable data is modifiable by the limited expected lifetime so that the redundancy in the data of interest is reduced.