Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2004-03-02
Hindi, Nabil (Department: 2655)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
C369S047500, C369S053200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06700843
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an information record medium, the information record medium, an information recording apparatus and an information recording method, which can effectively avoid an illegal copy of record information recorded on the information record medium, such as a DVD or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an optical disc having a large storage capacity represented by a DVD has been rapidly popularized as an information record medium for recording thereon various contents such as image, voice and the like. Those contents recorded as digital data on the information record medium such as a DVD or the like are typically protected by copyrights. Thus, it is necessary to take some measures to avoid those contents from being illegally copied to other record media.
As one of the countermeasures against the illegal copy, there is a method of carrying out a scramble by using key data written to a predetermined area when the contents are reproduced from the information record medium. For example, in a case of a DVD format, such key data is written together with copy prohibition information as control data in a lead-in area, so that it is possible to avoid the illegal copy of the information record medium.
However, there may be such a case that, for the information record medium in which the copy is prohibited as mentioned above, the hard copy is tried to another information record medium as a whole irrespectively of the content of the key data of the scramble or the copy prohibition information, by reading an RF (Radio Frequency) signal from DVD-ROM or the like. Recently, a DVD recordable (DVD-R) type, to which information can be recorded only one time, and a repeatedly recordable DVD rewritable (DVD-RW) type are developed. Thus, by writing the above-mentioned RF signal onto the DVD-R or the DVD-RW, it is possible to produce an optical disc having the same data content as that of the original information record medium. This results in the infringement of copyright.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a writable information record medium in which an illegal copy of the information record medium can be effectively protected even if a hard copy is tried by reading an RF signal from the information record medium, an apparatus for manufacturing such an information record medium, and an information recording apparatus for and an information recording method of recording information onto such an information record medium.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an apparatus for manufacturing an information record medium, on which record information can be recorded one time or a plurality of times by a predetermined record format, by using a stamper. The manufacturing apparatus is provided with an embossed pit array forming device for forming on the stamper as an embossed pit array, pre-record data which is a predetermined data row to disable overwriting on the record information in a pre-record area, which is set in advance in a range including an area assigned to information required to control a reproduction of the record information, which is recorded by the predetermined record format.
In one aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the information record medium has a lead-in area located prior to a data area where the record information is recorded, and the pre-record area is located in a control data area within the lead-in area.
In this case, the record information may be recorded on the information record medium by a DVD format, and the pre-record area may be set in an arrangement including at least a record area for predetermined control information in the control data area, same arrangement being repeated over a plurality of continuous ECC blocks each having a same data structure.
Further, a lead position of the pre-record area may be set in an arrangement not overlapping with a synchronization code-located at a lead of each synchronization frame constituting the ECC blocks.
In another aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the manufacturing apparatus is further provided with. a wobbling amplitude varying device for increasing an amplitude of wobbling in the pre-record area, with respect to an information record medium to which wobbling is applied by wobbling a record track, on which the record information is recorded, at a constant frequency.
According to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, when cutting the stamper to manufacture the information record medium, the pre-record area is judged and the embossed pit array corresponding to the pre-record data is formed in this pre-record area. Then, the same embossed pit array is formed on the information record medium manufactured by using this stamper, so that another record information cannot be overwritten on the embossed pit array. Especially, if it is tried to copy all of the data of another information record medium, which is exclusive for reproduction and whose record format is common, onto this information record medium produced by the present invention, the information required to perform the reproduction control such as the key data for scramble etc., is missed. Consequently, it is possible to effectively avoid the illegal copy.
Here, in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, in case of manufacturing the information record medium having the lead in area including the control data area, it is preferable to set the pre-record area in this control data area. By this, it is possible to appropriately avoid overwriting with respect to various control information.
Also, in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, in case of manufacturing the information record medium based on the DVD format, it is preferable that the arrangement of the pre-record area is set such that it covers the predetermined control information in the control data area and that, if the ECC blocks each having the same data structure are repeated, the same arrangement of the pre-record area is repeated over those ECC blocks. By this, it is possible to avoid the illegal copy from the information record medium, on which the key data for scramble etc., is written in the disc production information.
Also, in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferred that the boundary of the pre-record area is not overlapped with the synchronization code, which is set at the lead when the respective ECC block is divided into synchronization frames. By this, at the time of reproducing the record information, it is possible to certainly detect the synchronization code.
Further, in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable, in case of manufacturing the DVD etc., to which wobbling is applied, to cut the stamper such that the amplitude of the wobbling is increased at the portion where the embossed pit array is formed. By this, it is possible to compensate the reduction in the level of the wobbling signal as the reflection light amount from the record track is reduced due to the formation of the embossed pit array.
The above object of the invention can be also achieved by an information record medium, on which record information can be recorded one time or a plurality of times by a predetermined record format. The information record medium is provided with: a pre-record area set in advance in a range including an area assigned to information required to control a reproduction of the record information, which is recorded by the predetermined record format; and pre-record data formed as an embossed pit array which is a predetermined data row to disable overwriting on the record information in the pre-record area.
In one aspect of the information record medium of the present invention, the information record medium has a lead-in area located prior to a data area where the reco
Hindi Nabil
Pioneer Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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