Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Storage medium structure – Optical track structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-20
2003-10-14
Dinh, Tan (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Storage medium structure
Optical track structure
C369S275400, C380S201000, C386S349000, C705S057000, C713S193000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06633534
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an optical disk into which information can be written, such as a write-once optical disk or the like, which can be managed so as to protect the copyright of information recorded in a read-only optical disk or the like, for example so as to prevent unjust copying of the information, and relates to an optical disk drive for recording information into the optical disk or reproducing the recorded information.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, there has been widely used an optical disk for recording various digital information on document, image, video, voice, sound or the like in such a manner that the information can be read using laser rays. The above-mentioned optical disk has various advantages such as higher recording density, shorter access time, higher durability against disturbance due to electromagnetic field or the like, and longer living time, in comparison with a conventional magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic disk or the like. As the optical disk described above, there may be concretely pointed out, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) which is suitable for recording video information (AV data) or data for computer use etc., or a CD (Compact Disk) which is suitable for recording audio information or document data etc.
As one of the above-mentioned optical disks, there has been known an optical disk into which a user can write information (hereinafter, called “writable optical disk”)), for example a write-once optical disk into which the user can write information once only (for example, a write-once DVD (DVD-R), a write-once CD (CD-R) or the like). Among the above-mentioned various writable optical disks, the write-once optical disk is suitable for being used as a mass storage file for a document data or image data, because it can stably store the written information for a long time (for example, several ten years).
Meanwhile, as for the conventional writable optical disk such as the CD-R or RW, for example the write-once optical disk, the user can copy information recorded in another optical disk to the writable optical disk by reconstructing a normal optical disk drive with a recording function (writing function). Accordingly, from a physical point of view, the user can arbitrarily copy various information recorded in an optical disk acting as an information source (hereinafter, called “source disk”) such as a read-only optical disk on the market, to the writable optical disk.
However, in general, the information recorded in the source disk is a literary property produced by a specified literary worker. In this case, as a rule, the literary worker has a copyright for the information of the literary property, in accordance with the provision of the copyright law or the like. Therefore, such an action as to copy the information recorded in the source disk to the writable optical disk without a just reason, is an illegal action as a rule. Thus, it cannot be denied that the regulation for the above-mentioned action is a matter which should be legally solved by adjusting the legislation for the intellectual properties, on one hand. However, on the other hand, it may be said that the above-mentioned illegal action is caused or facilitated by such a fact that the information of the source disk can be physically copied to the writable optical disk with ease, if an optical disk drive on the market is used. That is, in the conventional optical disk or optical disk drive, there may exist such a problem that it is impossible to physically prevent the information of the source disk from being illegally copied or utilized.
Besides that, in the conventional writable optical disk, there exists also such a problem that it is impossible to sufficiently manage the disk information when the information is read or written, namely it is impossible to sufficiently construct a system for managing the disk information. Because ID (Identification) information for each disk or ID information relating to the information to be recorded into the disk is not treated, the function for protecting the copyright, which includes electronic delivery or the like, is not provided. Therefore, there exists such a problem that it is impossible to construct a system for managing disk information in the electronic information circulation using a communication means such as a network or satellite etc., or to construct an organization for managing information to be read or written except coping organization in the aspect of an organization for managing sensitive information of the user disk.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention, which has been achieved to solve the conventional problems described above, has an object to provide an optical disk or optical disk drive, which can physically prevent the information recorded in the source disk from being copied without a just reason, and further which can sufficiently manage the disk information.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, which has been achieved to solve the above-mentioned problems, there is provided an optical disk, in which (a) requisite information (information to be conserved) of digital type can be written into a recording layer in such a manner that the requisite information can be read using a light, the optical disk including, (b) a data area having a groove extending along a spiral track (getting on the track), the data area being able to record the requisite information in the recording layer within the groove, (c) a lead-in area disposed at a position preceding the data area, the lead-in area being able to record information for managing the optical disk, and (d) a pre-groove area (for example, a test area used for adjusting power characteristics of the optical disk) disposed at a position preceding the lead-in area, the pre-groove area having a pre-groove extending along the track (getting on the track), characterized in that (e) a prepit section is provided at a position corresponding to the track within the lead-in area, the prepit section including at least prepits which have previously stored key information (hereinafter, referred to “copy management key information”) relating to a regulation (prevention) against copying information into the optical disk, and other prepits which have previously stored information (hereinafter, referred to “disk type identifying information”) for identifying whether the optical disk is provided with the prepits. Hereupon, the term “position preceding” means a fore position in the direction that the optical pickup moves forward, namely a position of central side of the optical disk.
Hereupon, it is possible that the disk type identifying information includes ID information at every disk. Meanwhile, the prepits may be formed on a substrate in the form of embossment by means of an injection molding process, or may be formed by means of a process using laser rays.
As the above-mentioned optical disk, for example, there may be pointed out a DVD-R, a CD-R, a DVD-RW, a CD-RW, a DVD-RAM or the like.
Hereupon, the lead-in area may be provided with only a prepit section, or provided with both of a prepit section and a groove.
Further, in order to raise the detecting precision of the signals at the prepits, it is preferable that the width of each of the prepits is set to a value that is larger than or equal to the width of the groove, and is smaller than a half of the track pitch (track pitch×½>prepit width≧groove width). In addition, it is more preferable that the depth of each of the prepits is set to a value that is approximately equal to the depth of the groove.
In this optical disk, the copy management key information and the disk type identifying information have been previously stored in the prepit section. Therefore, when information in another optical disk is copied to the present optical disk, on the basis of the above-mentioned information, the data information can be prevented from being copied if a predetermined condition for allowing the copy is not satisfied. In consequence, by propagating the
Hosaka Tomiharu
Kunieda Toshiaki
Matsubara Akira
Tosaki Yoshihiro
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