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Reactive materials for limited play optical devices and methods of making same

USPTO Application #: 20060194016
Title: Reactive materials for limited play optical devices and methods of making same
Abstract: Methods and apparatus for making optically readable storage media in which reading beam passes through bonding layer configured with reactive material that transforms from optically transparent state to optically opaque state after exposure to predefined stimulus, thereby inhibiting access to data encoded on optically readable storage media. The method includes steps of synthesizing blocked dye, combining the blocked dye with carrier material, curing the resultant combination, deblocking dye to produce a reduced dye in the resultant bonding layer, exposing optically readable storage media with the reactive material in its bonding layer to predetermined stimulus. A further aspect includes optically readable storage media wherein reading light passes through bonding layer and data encoded information is encoded on L1 substrate. Another aspect includes processes for making optically readable storage media with at least two mechanisms for limiting access to encoded data of the optically readable storage media. (end of abstract)



Agent: Morris Manning & Martin LLP - Atlanta, GA, US
Inventors: Edward P. Lindholm, Louis Cincotta, Larry Takiff, Richard A. Minns
USPTO Applicaton #: 20060194016 - Class: 428064400 (USPTO)

Related Patent Categories: Stock Material Or Miscellaneous Articles, Circular Sheet Or Circular Blank, Recording Medium Or Carrier, Optical Recording Medium Or Carrier

Reactive materials for limited play optical devices and methods of making same description/claims


The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060194016, Reactive materials for limited play optical devices and methods of making same.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/651,627, filed Aug. 29, 2003, which claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/415,480 filed Oct. 2, 2002; and which claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120 from co-pending Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/163,473 filed Jun. 5, 2002, application Ser. No. 10/163,855 filed Jun. 5, 2002, application Ser. No. 10/163,472 filed Jun. 5, 2002, application Ser. No. 10/163,474 filed Jun. 5, 2002, and application Ser. No. 10/163,821 filed Jun. 5, 2002, all of which claim priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/295,903 filed on Jun. 5, 2001. The disclosures of all of the above prior Patent Applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to optically readable data storage media and, more particularly, to methods, compositions, and articles of manufacture of optically readable data storage media wherein the data is accessible for a finite period of time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Optical discs such as CDs and DVDs are sold and rented to consumers. The content of the optical discs may be music, movies, video clips, software or data. The purchase price of CDs and DVDs can be high; this reflects the value of the information encoded on the discs, such as movies or software, rather than the manufacturing cost of these optical discs. Frequently, content providers, such as movie studios or software companies, do not want to sell at a low cost copies of their information that will have a long lifetime in the marketplace. Consumers frequently want to access content information only for a brief period and at a low cost. Rentals of CDs and DVDs enable consumers to access content information at a lower cost than if consumers had to purchase the media, but the need to return the physical media is inconvenient. It would be desirable to have limited play/expiring optical media that the user could purchase at a low cost, would address the concerns of the content providers about lifetime of their content in the marketplace, and which would not have the disadvantage of having to be returned, as is the case with videotape movie rentals today. It would also be desirable to manufacture such optical media at low cost and with minimum changes to existing manufacturing processes for optical discs. Finally, in order for the content providers to be willing to provide their content through limited play/expiring optical media, the mechanism that limits playing of the media should not be easily defeatable, enabling access to the content beyond the intended period of use.

[0004] Heretofore, the requirements of low cost, limited content lifetime, avoidance of rental returns, resistance to attempts to defeat, and minimum changes to existing manufacturing processes referred to above have not been fully met. What is needed is a solution that simultaneously addresses all of these requirements. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to meeting these requirements, among others.

[0005] Several approaches have been proposed to make a limited play (expiring) optical disc based on a layer that changes from a non-interfering ("transparent") state where it does not interfere with the reliable reading of the information on the optical disc to an interfering ("opaque") state where the layer interferes with the reading of the data on the optical disc (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,484 ("Smith et al."), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,772 ("Rollhaus et al."), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The interference may be due to the layer becoming dark, reflective, highly birefringent, pitting, bubbling, shattering, corroding, bending, changing refractive properties or combinations of these, among other possibilities.

[0006] Optical discs with such a layer changing from a transparent to an opaque state in response to a stimulus such as exposure to oxygen in the atmosphere, or the light of the reading laser, can be used to manufacture limited-play optical discs (such as DVDs) that become unusable in a predetermined way (such as within a certain period of exposure to environmental oxygen). Such discs can find a variety of commercial applications, such as the viewing of a video by consumers at a moment chosen by the consumer and without the need to return the expired optical disc.

[0007] The interfering layer that renders the disc unplayable by inhibiting the reading of the data can be applied via a variety of techniques to the surface of an optical disc. Such an approach, however, has a number of disadvantages. For example, it may be defeated by finding a way to reverse the transition of the layer to an opaque state, such as exposing the disc to a reducing chemical substance that reverses an oxidation reaction, or by entirely removing the layer through chemical means (such as solvents) or mechanical means (such as polishing or grinding). Also, adding an additional layer can complicate manufacturing of the optical discs, for example by requiring additional capital equipment and additional steps in the manufacturing process, and thus can increase the costs and/or decrease the yields for the manufacturing of optical discs.

[0008] A protective layer engineered to resist attempts to defeat the disc can be applied on top of the interfering layer, an approach that has been used by at least some of the present inventors. However, this introduces still another step in the manufacturing process, further adding to costs and possibly further reducing manufacturing yields. Furthermore, since the protective layer would still be at the surface of the disc, it could still be removed by chemical means (such as solvents) or mechanical means (such as polishing or grinding), of could be defeated by chemical substances that could diffuse through the protective layer and reach the reactive layer.

[0009] As explained above, when manufacturing expiring optical discs, it is desirable to employ a cost effective manufacturing process and to make discs that are not easily defeatable. In addition, it is desirable for the disc to make a rapid transition from the playable to the expired state. Among other benefits, this would reduce the variation of the playing period among optical media players and drives, despite the fact that there is substantial variability in the ability of the players and drives in the market to play discs with a given deterioration in their physical playability characteristics (such as the reflectivity to the light of the reading laser).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Under a first aspect of the present invention limited play optical devices are provided with an interstitial reactive layer and methods of making same.

[0011] Under a second aspect of the present invention a method is provided for authoring a master to produce a substrate of a multi-substrate, optically-readable storage medium wherein a topology having a plurality of pits and lands is used to create an inverted version of the topology in which said inverted version of the topology is used as the topology of the master.

[0012] Under a third aspect of the present invention a method is provided for forming a multi-substrate, optically-readable storage medium, wherein the medium has information defined as a plurality of pits and lands on an upper substrate and said information is to be read by light being transmitted through a lower substrate wherein an adhesive layer bonds the upper substrate and lower substrate together.

[0013] Under a fourth aspect of the present invention a data storage device is provided having a first substrate halving defined thereon a plurality of pits and lands covered by a reflective material and a second substrate wherein a bonding layer containing a reactive agent, which inhibits transmission of light in response to a predetermined stimulus, resides between the first substrate and the second substrate.

[0014] Under a fifth aspect of the present invention an adhesive is provided for bonding a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein said adhesive comprises a carrier material and a reactive material that renders the data encoded substrate unreadable.

[0015] Under a sixth aspect of the present invention a mechanism is provided that causes the data stored on an optically-readable data storage medium to first become unreadable and second destroyed.

[0016] Under a seventh aspect of the present invention an optically-readable data storage medium is provided having a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein at least one of said first substrate and said second substrate has information encoding features, and a bonding layer between first substrate and second substrate in which said bonding layer comprises a carrier material and a reactive material where said reactive material changes from a transparent state to an optically opaque state as a result of a predefined stimulus.

[0017] Under a eighth aspect of the present invention a method making an adhesive is provided for bonding a first substrate and a second substrate wherein a blocked dye is combined with a carrier material in which said blocked dye is subsequently unblocked resulting in the reduced form of the unblocked dye.

[0018] Under another overlapping embodiment of the present invention a class of compounds as shown below is described wherein

[0019] Y is O, S, Se, CR.sub.17R.sub.18, NR.sub.13, wherein R.sub.13, R.sub.17, R.sub.18 is each independently selected from hydrogen, C.sub.1-C.sub.3 alkyl and substituted aryl groups and unsubstituted aryl groups;

[0020] R.sub.2, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, and R.sub.9 each is independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl, C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkoxy, aryl, nitro, azo and fused aromatic groups;

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