Information carrier, apparatus, substrate, and system

• US 6,986,151 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2001
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ukoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lenssen, Kars-Michiel Hubert, Hart, Cornelis Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): CASTRO, ANGEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/940,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20020036977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 720/718, 720/719, 369/14, 369/52.1, 369/100, 369/273
• US Class Current: 720/718
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/045 the record carrier being of the non-contact type, e.g. RFID, and being specially adapted for attachment to a disc, e.g. a CD or DVD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/28 Indicating or preventing prior or unauthorised use, e.g. cassettes with sealing or locking means, write-protect devices for discs write-protect devices for tapes G11B23/042, G11B23/08714; dummy cassettes for locking in the drive G11B33/005

Abstract

An information carrier that contains a storage unit, an integrated circuit and a first and a second coupling element. The coupling elements are intermediate in the transfer of data and energy from a base station to the integrated circuit and vice versa. Between the base station and the coupling elements the transfer of data and energy is contactless, and preferably by capacitive coupling. Between at least the first of and preferably both of the coupling elements data and energy are transferred by means of capacitive coupling. The base station is preferably incorporated in an apparatus further containing the reading device of the storage unit. To facilitate the capacitive coupling, the base station contains a first and a second capacitor plate. The information carrier (1) and the apparatus (40) with the base station containing the capacitor plates together constitute the system, which is suitable for any protection of the information on the storage unit.

Claims

1. An information carrier in the form of a disc provided with:

a storage unit,

an integrated circuit, and

a first and a second coupling element for the transfer of data and energy between a base station and the integrated circuit, wherein the first and the second coupling elements comprise a first and a second conductive layers within the disc,

which first and second coupling element in the operational state are each coupled to both the base station and the integrated circuit,

and which coupling elements are coupled contactlessly to the base station, while the first coupling element is coupled to the integrated circuit by capacitive coupling.

2. An information carrier as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first and the second coupling element are coupled to the base station by means of capacitive coupling.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a device for reading out information from the storage unit of an information carrier as claimed in claim 2, and

a base station with a first and a second capacitor plate for the transfer of data and energy from and to the integrated circuit by means of which the capacitor plates of the base station in the operational state are coupled to the first and the second coupling element by means of capacitive coupling.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that

the apparatus is suitable for use with the information carrier, is constructed as a disc, and in that information stored in the storage unit is optically readable,

the information carrier is clamped in between a carrier body and a compression body in operational state,

the first capacitor plate forms part of the carrier body and

the second capacitor plate forms part of the compression body.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that:

the apparatus is provided with a first carrier body for the information carrier is constructed as a disc, and in that information stored in the storage unit is optically readable,

the carrier body has an inner ring and an outer ring, which rings are concentric,

the first capacitor plate lies inside the inner ring, and the second capacitor plate lies inside the outer ring.

6. An information carrier as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first and the second coupling clement are coupled to the base station by means of inductive coupling, for which purpose the first coupling element is at least partly spiraling in shape, and the second coupling element is in electrical contact with the first coupling elements.

7. An information carrier as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the second coupling element is coupled to the integrated circuit by means of capacitive coupling.

8. An information carrier as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that information stored in the storage unit is optically readable.

9. An information carrier as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the disc comprises:

an information-carrying layer provided with the storage unit,

a metal layer serving as one of the coupling elements,

a protective layer of electrically insulating material, and

a layer of electrically insulating material serving as the other coupling element, which layer is electrically insulated from the metal layer,

wherein the integrated circuit is present between the metal layer and the layer of electrically insulating material.

10. An information carrier as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that:

an inner, an intermediate, and an outer ring are present on the disc, which rings are concentric,

the metal layer is present in the intermediate and the outer ring, and

the layer of electrically conductive material is present in the inner and the intermediate ring.

11. An information carrier as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the electrically conductive material is provided in the form of a conductive ink.

12. An information carrier as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the disc comprises an inner ring and an outer ring of conductive material as the first and the second conductive layers, which inner ring is one of the coupling elements, while the outer ring is the other coupling element.

13. A system of:

an information carrier in the form of a disc provided with an optically readable storage unit, an integrated circuit, and a first and a second coupling element, wherein the first and the second coupling elements comprise a first and a second conductive layer within the disc, and

an apparatus provided with a device for reading information from the storage unit of the information carrier,

a base station with a first and a second capacitor plate for the transfer of data and energy from and to the integrated circuit of the information carrier,

which first and second coupling element in the operational state are each coupled to both the base station and the integrated circuit,

wherein said coupling elements are coupled to the base station by means of capacitive coupling, and wherein the first coupling element is coupled to the integrated circuit by means of capacitive coupling.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the first and the second coupling element are coupled to the base station by means of capacitive coupling.

15. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the first and the second coupling element are coupled to the base station by means of inductive coupling, for which purpose the first coupling element is at least partly spiraling in shape, and the second coupling element is in electrical contact with the first coupling elements.

16. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the second coupling element is coupled to the integrated circuit by means of capacitive coupling.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the electrically conductive material is provided in the form of a conductive ink.

18. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the disc comprises:

an information-carrying layer provided with the storage unit,

a metal layer serving as one of the coupling elements,

a protective layer of electrically insulating material, and

a layer or electrically insulating material saving as the other coupling element, which layer is electrically insulated from the metal layer.

wherein the integrated circuit is present between the metal layer and the layer of electrically insulating material.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that:

an inner, an intermediate, and an outer ring are present on the disc, which rings are concentric,

the metal layer is present in the intermediate and the outer ring, and

the layer of electrically conductive material is present in the inner and the intermediate ring.

20. A system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the disc comprises an inner ring and an outer ring of conductive material as the first and the second conductive layers, which inner ring is one of the coupling elements, while the outer ring is the other coupling element.