Method and apparatus for patterning cards, instruments and documents

• US 7,104,449 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Victor Zazzu, Wenyu Han
• Original Assignee: Victor Zazzu, Wenyu Han
• Inventors: Zazzu, Victor, Han, Wenyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Seung H
• Application Number:
  US09/745,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20010010333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235487-488, 235/490, 235/491, 235/494, 360/60, 360/59
• US Class Current: 235/454
• 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: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/086 with markings consisting of randomly placed or oriented elements, the randomness of the elements being useable for generating a unique identifying signature of the record carrier, e.g. randomly placed magnetic fibers or magnetic particles in the body of a credit card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• 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 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0042 with provision for auxiliary features sensing such features G11B17/00, G11B19/02
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/281 by changing the physical properties of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/40 Identifying or analogous means applied to or incorporated in the record carrier and not intended for visual display simultaneously with the playing-back of the record carrier, e.g. label, leader, photograph

Abstract

An instrument (e.g., a card or an optical data storage disc such as a CDROM) embodying the invention includes a pattern formed on or within the instrument, whereby the instrument, when illuminated by a light source, produces a unique output light pattern which can be detected by a photo sensor. The formed pattern may take any number of different and randomly formed shapes ranging from stripes of different size and spacing, as in a bar code, to complex two dimensional shapes and images. The pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces of an instrument may include randomly distributed light pipes (paths) extending from one side of the instrument to one, or more, other side(s) of the instrument. Alternatively, the pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces may include a number of “pitted” optical fibers extending from a side of the instrument to a “hidden” region internal to the instrument, which does not extend to any of the sides or surfaces of the instrument. Alternatively, the pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces of the instrument (e.g., a CDROM) may include opaque optical fibers extending within a region of the instrument. Alternatively, a pattern may be formed on an instrument (e.g., a CDROM) by laser etching or scribing a random pattern on a surface of the instrument.

Claims

1. A method for impeding a counterfeiting of an instrument having top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween comprising the step of:

forming a random optical pattern in one of (a) said top surface, (b) said bottom surface and (c) the space between said top and bottom surfaces, for producing an instrument having an optical pattern which is extremely difficult to duplicate, whereby said random optical pattern and corresponding spectral response are normally different than an optical pattern and a spectral response of any other instrument.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the instrument is an optical data storage disc having a region which is translucent and wherein the step of forming random optical patterns includes distributing a multiplicity of strands randomly between the top and bottom surfaces within said translucent region.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the strands are opaque fibers.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the instrument is an optical data storage disc having a region which is translucent and wherein the step of forming random optical patterns includes etching or laser burning a multiplicity of randomly selected points on one of the top and bottom surfaces within said translucent region.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said instrument is an optical data storage disc having a first annular region extending a given distance from the center of the disc and having a second annular region extending between the first annular region and the edge of the disc, wherein said first annular region is translucent and said second annular region is for the storing of data to be read;

and wherein the step of forming random patterns includes the step of distributing a multiplicity of strands randomly between the top and bottom surfaces within said first annular region.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said strands are opaque fibers.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said instrument is an optical data storage disc having a first annular region extending a given distance from the center of the disc and having a second annular region extending between the first annular region and the edge of the disc, wherein said first annular region is translucent and said second annular region is for the storing of data to be read;

and wherein the step of forming random patterns includes the step of etching or laser burning a multiplicity of randomly selected points on one of the top and bottom surfaces within said translucent region.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 further including the steps of:

illuminating the instrument for producing a signal pattern indicative of the random pattern within the instrument;

sensing the signal pattern corresponding to the random pattern; and

encoding information corresponding to the signal pattern on an information storage medium located on the instrument.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the instrument includes a portion for storing data and wherein the step of forming the optical pattern on or within the instrument occurs simultaneously with the step of writing data into the portion of the instrument intended for the storing of data.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said instrument is an optical data storage disc having a first annular region extending a given distance from the center of the disc and having a second annular region extending between the first annular region and the edge of the disc, wherein said first annular region is translucent and said second annular region is for the storing of data to be read;

and wherein the step of forming random optical patterns in one of (a) said top surface, (b) said bottom surface and (c) the space between said top and bottom surfaces occurs at the same time as the step of writing data to be stored;

the random optical patterns being formed within the first annular region and the data to be stored being written in the second annular region.

11. In an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device, the improvement comprising:

a random optical pattern formed within said first region for producing a disc which is extremely difficult to duplicate and having a spectral response within the first translucent region of the disc which is generally different from an optical pattern and a spectral response of any other disc.

12. In an optical data storage disc as claimed in claim 11, wherein information pertaining to the random optical pattern present in the first translucent region is stored in the second data storage region.

13. In combination with an optical data storage disc as claimed in claim 11 further including:

means for sensing selected characteristics of the random optical pattern formed in the first region and encoding data corresponding thereto within said second region of the disc; and

means for subsequently sensing the pattern formed within the first region and for reading the corresponding encoded data within the second region to validate the disc.

14. In an optical storage disc as claimed in claim 11 wherein the random optical pattern is formed within said first region at the same time as the storing of information into said second region.

15. A combination for impeding a counterfeiting of an optical data storage disc comprising:

an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device;

means for forming a random optical pattern within said first region;

means for sensing selected characteristics of the random optical pattern formed in the first region and encoding data corresponding thereto within said second region of the disc; and

means for subsequently sensing the pattern formed within the first region and for reading the corresponding encoded data within the second region to validate the disc.

16. A combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein said means for forming a random optical pattern within said first annular region includes the placement of opaque strands within said first region.

17. A combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein said optical disc has top and bottom surfaces, and wherein the random optical pattern is formed between the top and bottom surfaces.

18. A combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein said means for forming a random optical pattern within said first annular region includes one of etching and laser scribing selected portions of the first annular region of the disc.

19. A combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein the random optical pattern is formed within said first region at the same time as information to be read is stored in the second region.

20. A system for impeding a counterfeiting of an optical data storage disc comprising:

an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device;

means for forming a random optical pattern within said fist region which is extremely difficult to duplicate;

means for sensing selected characteristics of the random optical pattern formed within the first region and encoding data corresponding thereto within said second region of the disc; and

means for subsequently sensing the pattern formed within the first region and for reading the corresponding encoded data within the second region to determine the validity of the disc.

21. A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said means for forming an a random optical pattern within said first annular region includes the placement of opaque strands within said first region.

22. A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said means for forming random optical pattern within said first annular region includes one of etching and laser scribing selected portions of the first region.

23. A system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said information to be read by said reading device is introduced into the disc at the same time as the random optical pattern is formed in said first region.