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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. A digital optical compact disc comprising:
first and second sides and a center; and
a plurality of defined regions containing information which is
simultaneously both human and machine readable, said information being in
a format which is manually alterable and located on the first side of the
disk;
wherein said information is used to selectively access digitally encoded
data stored on the disc; and
at least one further defined region containing synchronization information,
said synchronization defined region being located substantially at a same
radial distance from a center of the disc as the plurality of defined
regions.
2. The digital optical compact disc of claim 1 wherein the plurality of
defined regions are adjacent to one another and form a first annular ring
of spaced apart defined regions surrounding the center of the disc.
3. The digital optical compact disc of claim 2 wherein a first area
containing a plurality of digitally encoded optically stored data bits is
located on the second side of the disc.
4. The digital optical compact disc of claim 2 wherein a second group of
defined regions containing information which is simultaneously both human
and machine readable, said information being in a format which is manually
alterable forms a second ring of annular spaced apart defined regions
surrounding the center of the disc and wherein a radius of the second ring
is larger than a radius of the first ring.
5. A method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc comprising the steps of:
a) providing a digital optical compact disc comprising a plurality of
defined regions containing information which is simultaneously both human
and machine readable, said information being in a format which is manually
alterable and located on a first side of the compact disc, said disc
further comprising at least one further defined region containing
synchronization information, said synchronization defined region being
located substantially at a same radial distance from a center of the disc
as the plurality of defined regions;
b) generating a first digital output representative of synchronization
information from the synchronization defined region and generating a
second digital output representative of information contained in at least
one of the plurality of defined regions by scanning the first side of the
disc with a single scanner electrically connected to a compact disc
player; and
c) retrieving a selected portion of data from the disc based on the second
digital output.
6. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc of claim 5, wherein the plurality of defined regions containing
information are adjacent to one another and form a first annular ring of
spaced apart defined regions surrounding a center of the disc.
7. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc of claim 5, wherein a first area containing a plurality of digitally
pre-recorded optically stored data bits is located on a second side of the
disc.
8. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc of claim 6, wherein a second group of defined regions containing
information which is simultaneously both human and machine readable, said
information being in a format which is manually alterable are located
adjacent one another and form a second ring of annular spaced apart
defined regions surrounding the center of the disc and wherein a radius of
the second ring is larger than a radius of the first ring.
9. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc of claim 6, wherein the step of generating the digital output
comprises scanning the defined regions with an electromagnetic source.
10. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 9, wherein the electromagnetic source is a laser
source.
11. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 6, wherein a first area containing a plurality of
digitally pre-recorded optically stored data bits is located on a first
side of the disc.
12. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 7, wherein the step of scanning is done using an
electromagnetic source which is different from a laser source used to scan
information contained in the first area of digitally pre-recorded
optically stored data bits.
13. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 5, further comprising the additional step of
manually marking at least one of the defined regions.
14. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 13, wherein the step of manually marking the defined
region comprises marking the defined region with a grease pencil.
15. An attachment for a digital compact disc comprising:
a label having a first side and a second side;
an adhesive located on the second side; and
a plurality of defined regions containing information which is
simultaneously both human and machine readable, said information being in
a format which is manually alterable and located on the first side of the
label, and at least one further defined region containing synchronization
information, said synchronization defined region being located
substantially at a same radial distance from a center of the disc as the
plurality of defined regions.
16. A digital compact disc player comprising:
a single scanner for reading a defined region containing information which
is simultaneously both human and machine readable, said information being
in a format which is manually alterable and located on a digital compact
disc, said scanner located adjacent a rotating disc in the disc player for
providing information related to selecting particular data contained on
the digital compact disc, and further wherein said single scanner reads
synchronization information contained in a synchronization region of the
disc.
17. A digital optical compact disc comprising:
first and second sides and a center; and
a plurality of defined regions containing information which is
simultaneously both human and machine readable and in a format which is
manually alterable and located on the first side of the disc, said
information defining whether a track of information will be skipped or
played;
and at least further region containing synchronization information located
on the first side of the disk substantially at a same radial distance from
the center of the disc as the plurality of defined regions.
18. The digital optical compact disc of claim 17 wherein a first area
containing a plurality of digitally encoded optically stored data bits is
located on the second side of the disk.
19. The digital optical compact disc of claim 17 wherein a second group of
defined regions forms a second ring of annular spaced apart defined
regions surrounding the center of the disc and wherein a radius of the
second ring is larger than a radius of the first ring.
20. A method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc comprising the steps of:
a) providing a digital optical compact disc having a plurality of defined
regions containing information which is simultaneously both human and
machine readable and in a format which is manually alterable and located
on a first side of the compact disc and wherein the plurality of defined
regions are located at substantially a same radial distance from a center
of the disc;
b) generating a digital output representative of information contained in
at least one of the defined regions by scanning at least one of the
defined regions with a scanner electrically connected to a compact disc
player after scanning a region containing synchronization information with
the scanner; and
c) retrieving a selected portion of data from the disc based on the digital
output.
21. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 20, wherein a first area containing a plurality of
digitally pre-recorded optically stored data bits is located on a second
side of the disc.
22. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 20, wherein a second group of defined regions are
each located adjacent one another and form a second ring of annular spaced
apart defined regions surrounding the center of the disc and wherein a
radius of the second ring is larger than a radius of the first ring.
23. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 20, wherein the step of generating the digital
output comprises scanning the defined regions with an electromagnetic
source.
24. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 23, wherein the electromagnetic source is a laser
source.
25. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 20, wherein a first area containing a plurality of
digitally pre-recorded optically stored data bits is located on a first
side of the disc.
26. The method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital
compact disc of claim 23, wherein the step of scanning is done using a
electromagnetic source which is different from a laser source used to scan
information contained in the first area of digitally pre-recorded
optically stored data bits.
27. A method of selecting a portion of data contained on a digital compact
disc comprising the steps of:
a) providing a digital optical compact disc having a plurality of defined
regions containing information which is simultaneously both human and
machine readable, said information being in a format which is manually
alterable and located on a first side of the compact disc, and at least
one region containing synchronization information being located at
substantially a same radial distance from a center of the disc as the
plurality of defined regions;
b) manually marking at least one of the defined regions
c) generating a digital output representative of information contained in
at least one of the defined regions by scanning at least one of the
defined regions with a scanner electrically connected to a compact disc
player after scanning the region containing synchronization information;
and
d) retrieving a selected portion of data from the disc based on the digital
output. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of digital optical
compact disc information storage devices and, more particularly, the
present invention relates to an improved compact disc storage device which
incorporates at least one further storage element or area for storing
additional information in a format which is both visually recognizable and
machine readable. The information in a preferred embodiment is related to
selective retrieval and/or identification of particular information
contained in the compact disc. A corresponding disc player which is
capable of reading both the information digitally stored in the compact
disc as well as the information which is contained in the further storage
element or area is also disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional digital optical compact discs are generally known in the art
and provide a reliable and convenient mechanism for storing and retrieving
information. In conventional optical discs, information is stored
digitally, usually on a single side of the disc. A plurality of holes or
pits in the surface of the disc define the stored information, and a laser
beam is used to scan the surface of the disc to provide an output
representative of the stored information. While these conventional systems
generally provide satisfactory information storage and retrieval
capability, these devices and the systems which access the stored
information would be greatly improved by a system which is capable of
repeatedly retrieving a selected portion of that information once the
selected information has been initially identified or selected. The
ability to maintain information related to the selection and/or retrieval
of particular information contained in the disc, on the disc, would
greatly enhance the performance of existing systems and increase overall
consumer satisfaction with digital optical compact disc products.
The shortcomings of conventional compact disc storage and retrieval systems
are apparent from the manner in which information is currently selected
for playback in these systems. In conventional compact optical discs and
in particular those optical discs which contain audio information such as
music, the sound information is digitally stored in read-only format by
the disc manufacturer. In optical compact discs which contain sound
recordings, each individual selection is stored in a separate location
called a track and each track is designated by a track number. The sound
recording stored in the particular track is usually identified by its
title and artist either by pre-printed material on the disc or in material
which accompanies the disc. In these systems, the disc user can only read
the information stored within the disc with a compact disc player and the
user typically is not able to store additional information on the disc.
When a user selects a particular compact disc containing the desired
information or sound recording which the user would like to hear, the user
must either listen to all of the selections on the disc or manually enter
programming information into the compact disc player identifying the
particular track or tracks which the user would like to hear.
Most conventional compact disc players are capable of playing selected
recordings from digital optical compact discs. These disc players allow
the user to program his or her track preferences into the machine so that
the machine may skip undesired selections and play only those tracks or
selections which the user wishes to hear. The track selection information
is typically temporarily stored in a memory of the player while the disc
player proceeds to play the selected tracks from the particular disc. In
conventional compact disc player systems which are capable of playing
selections from more than one disc at a time, the user is generally able
to choose from the various selections on each of the discs which are
inserted into the player by identifying the disc through its position in
the player and then subsequently identifying the particular tracks which
the user wishes to hear. (e.g., a user may select the desired tracks for
play as follows: disc number 1, tracks 2, 7, 10; disc number 2 tracks 3,
5, 8, etc.) These conventional programmable disc players require
relatively complex programming steps with which the user must become
familiar with in order to select the particular tracks on the disc or
discs which the user wishes to hear.
One of the problems with these conventional systems is that a person who
desires to hear only particular selections from a given disc is required
to use the disc player as an interface for making the selections, and the
selection information is lost once the disc player has played the
particular selection[s]or after the machine is turned off. As noted, the
selection programming process for these systems can be fairly complicated
especially in systems which are capable of playing a number of discs at a
time. Additionally, this process must be repeated each time the user would
like to listen to a particular disc after it has been removed from the
machine because the selection information is not maintained with the disc.
It has been recognized, however, that in most instances, the particular
track or track selections which the user initially identifies for playing
from a particular compact disc are the same selections which the user will
select at a later time so that the ability to maintain the selection
information is therefore desirable. This is due to the fact that most
digital optical compact discs, like most albums, have filler material
which most listeners usually do not enjoy hearing or a person using a
compact disc system may have certain favorite selections from a disc which
they particularly enjoy.
One proposed solution to the problems identified above is disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,872,151 invented by Smith. This reference describes a
conventional digital optical compact disc having a magnetic storage
element in the form of a magnetic strip for storing order of play data for
the compact disc. The magnetic strip is attached to the disc and the order
of play data stored in the magnetic strip can be maintained with the disc.
Although the solution proposed by Smith addresses some of the problems
identified in the art, the Smith disclosure has numerous disadvantages.
First of all, the apparatus disclosed in Smith requires that a person using
the system interface with the compact disc player system in order to
identify the selection information for a particular disc. As noted, this
process can be fairly complex especially for systems in which a number of
discs may be programmed at the same time for play. Additionally, because
the selection information is stored magnetically on the disc, there is a
significant risk that the selection information could be inadvertently
lost due to accidental contact with the magnetic media or by exposing the
magnetic media to a magnetic field. The system disclosed in Smith is also
undesirable because the selection information is not readily ascertainable
from viewing the surface of the disc. In order for a person using the
system disclosed in Smith to determine which selections have been selected
for play on a given disc, the person must insert the disc into the disc
player so that a magnetic head in the disc player can read the
magnetically stored track selection information. One further disadvantage
is that the system disclosed in Smith requires fairly complex additions to
existing disc player circuitry for implementation, most notably, the Smith
design requires that magnetic read and write heads be incorporated into
the disc player as well as fairly complex software for control of the
magnetic heads in order to write information to the disc and read
information from the disc.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for a compact disc and disc player
system which is capable of maintaining compact disc selection information
along with the disc in a non-volatile format which is at once machine
readable, visually recognizable and manually inscribable without the use
of a player.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a further
information storage element or area on conventional digital optical
compact discs which allows user selection information to be maintained in
non-volatile format on the disc.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
automatically reading and controlling a disc player via selection
information stored on a digital optical compact disc.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple mechanism
by which a person may manually select particular tracks on a compact disc
for playing without the use of a compact disc player.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a storage
mechanism for the track selection information which is both visually
recognizable and machine readable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a design for
reading disc selection information which is both simple to use and
economical to implement.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a further
storage element or area on conventional digital optical compact discs
which is compatible with existing optical discs and which may be easily
applied to existing discs.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the following summary of the invention, the drawings, and the
detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention eliminates the need for the user of a conventional
compact digital audio disc to re-program a disc player with user selection
information each time the user desires to access a particular selection or
a number of selections from a given compact disc. The selection
information is manually entered on the disc in a non-volatile format
without the aid of the disc player. In a preferred embodiment, the
additional information is recorded on the compact disc in a format which
is both visually recognizable and machine readable. The information is
stored on the same or opposite side of the disc as the optically recorded
data but is located in an area which does not contain the read only
optically stored data.
Most conventional compact discs have a centrally located region adjacent to
the central aperture of the disc which does not contain information and
which is suitable for locating the additional information storage area or
element. Furthermore, currently all CD's are single sided, the upper
surface being reserved for user-readable pre-printed data, graphics, etc.
In a preferred embodiment, the disc selection storage element is comprised
of defined information containing areas which are either light or dark in
appearance so that a device such as an opto-interrupter which passes over
the defined areas is able to determine whether or not the defined area is
shaded or otherwise manually differentiated from its surroundings. The
opto-interrupter "reads" the shading of the defined area and provides a
digital output which indicates whether the defined area is either light or
dark in appearance. Each defined area is associated with a corresponding
audio track on the disc and the digital output from the optical
interrupter for a corresponding defined area of a track determines whether
or not the disc player will skip or play the particular track.
It is preferred that the defined information containing areas be radially
located around the central aperture such that the center of each area is
located at substantially the same distance from the center of the disc as
are the others. This arrangement allows a single opto-interrupter to read
each of the defined areas as the disc player spins the disc. One defined
area, referred to as the synchronization region, is larger than each of
the remaining defined areas in order to provide a synchronization pulse
which is used to identify the relative position of the information
containing areas on the disc (based on known timing information). The
status of the first information containing defined area which passes the
opto-interrupter after the synchronization region, determines whether the
player will skip the first track on the disc and the status of each of the
remaining defined areas which subsequently pass the opto-interrupter
determine whether each of their corresponding subsequent tracks will be
skipped or played.
Once the disc spins up to speed, the opto-interrupter looks for the largest
reflective area which corresponds to the synchronization marker on the
disc. Because the disc controller is aware of the rotational speed of the
disc and label it therefore knows the approximate expected duration in
system clock cycles for the synchronization pulse on the disc. Once the
controller finds the synchronization pulse based on the duration of the
signal from the opto-interrupter, the locations of each of the information
containing defined areas are then determined with respect to the trailing
edge of the synchronization region and with reference to the disc player
system clock. The system is able to determine this information because
each of the defined information containing areas are located at a fixed
distance from one another. Although it is known that the rotational speed
for conventional compact disc players is not constant, it is recognized
that the changes which occur in rotational speeds for the disc are
insignificant from one revolution to the next for the purpose of
identifying the location of the defined information containing areas.
Compact disc controller circuits are also aware of the instantaneous
rotational velocity of the disc.
The information containing defined areas may either be manufactured into
the disc by the disc manufacturer or they may be added at some time after
the disc is manufactured. The ability to add the further storage element
or area to existing discs allows the system to be compatible with existing
discs simply by retrofitting the disc with the additional storage element
or area. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the
further storage element or area is either comprised of, or located on the
surface of an adhesive backed plastic or paper label which may be attached
with the adhesive to a principal surface of the disc, or the further
storage element may be comprised of, or located on a hard plastic surface
which snap-fits into, over or around the aperture of existing compact
discs or alternatively, the defined information containing regions may be
incorporated into the disc by the manufacturer.
In the first embodiment, the adhesive backed element is simply attached to
the disc in a portion of the disc which does not contain the sound
recording or other information. The adhesive label is an annular label
which matches the area on the compact disc adjacent to the central
aperture which does not generally contain the digitally encoded data or
any other available surface on the upper side of the disc. In each
embodiment, the surface of the defined information containing areas are of
a composition, texture or structure such that they facilitate manual
recording of selection information. In a preferred embodiment, the
composition, texture or structure is suitable for receiving alteration or
marking from a writing instrument such as a marker or grease pencil. In an
alternate embodiment, the information containing defined areas are
designed to receive tabs which may be added, removed or moved from or on
the disc in order to identify which tracks will be played or skipped.
The user programs a particular compact disc by either removing or applying
a tab to the compact disc or by filling in or erasing the defined areas on
the label associated with the particular track to be skipped. One skilled
in the art will appreciate that convention should dictate whether a
lightened region or a darkened defined region indicates that a particular
track should be skipped or played. Either choice will work equally well
and it is understood that it is desirable to have all disc systems operate
in a similar fashion so that a person may play the desired selections on
any disc player system which incorporates the present invention.
In the present invention, compact disc players would be suitably equipped
with an inexpensive opto-interrupter (conservatively a $0.50 component)
and therefore be able to detect the user-programming information and
subsequently direct the disc player's controller circuitry to avoid the
undesired tracks by issuing a "skip" command. The "skip" command is
typically already part of a conventional compact disc player instruction
set.
This improved digital optical compact disc and disc player allows the disc
user to selectively identify particular tracks of a compact disc for play
in a format which is both visually recognizable and machine-readable. The
track selection information may be stored along with the disc in a
non-volatile format and when the disc user wishes to hear the desired
selections from the disc, the disc user only needs to insert the disc into
a compatible disc player in order to play the desired selections. There is
no longer a need to reprogram a disc player each time the user inserts any
given disc into any suitably equipped player.
A "preferences" switch may also be incorporated within the player in order
to enter enable or disable the preferences. When the preferences are
disabled, the disc player ignores the selection information in the further
storage area.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described
in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the presently
preferred embodiments and from the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a new and improved optical compact disc in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention wherein the
further information storage area or element is comprised of a single ring
of information containing defined areas manufactured into the surface of a
compact disc.
FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present
invention wherein the further information storage area or element is
comprised of a double ring of information containing defined areas
manufactured into the surface of a compact disc.
FIG. 1C is a top plan view of a new and improved compact disc in accordance
with a further embodiment of the present invention wherein each of the
information containing defined locations has a central markable region for
identifying skip/play information.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate application of the further storage element to
the surface of a compact disc wherein the storage element is embodied as
an adhesive backed label.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the further storage element
similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B as applied to a compact
disc but of a smaller diameter.
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 A
wherein the further storage element is manufactured into the surface of
the disc.
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 2A and 2B showing the textured surface for the defined regions.
FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram for a typical opto-interrupter for
use with the present invention.
FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate operation of the present invention with respect to
an exemplary embodiment and the corresponding output from the
opto-interrupter.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustration of an improved compact disc player
which incorporates the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1A
wherein an improved compact disc 12 having an aperture 14 has a further
storage element or area comprised of a ring of information containing
defined areas 16 radially surrounding the aperture 14. Each of the defined
areas 16 are located at substantially the same distance from the center of
aperture 14. The information containing defined areas 16 are located in a
region of the digital optical compact disc which typically does not
contain the optically stored information. The ring of information
containing defined areas may be applied via an adhesive backed label or
alternatively this region may be attached to a hard plastic base which
snap-fits into the center aperture of the disc or additionally it may be a
region which is incorporated into the disc at the time of manufacture as
shown. The width and spacing between each of the defined areas 16 is
substantially the same in the preferred embodiment so that the spatial
relationship may be used to identify the defined areas as they pass under
an opto-interrupter, the operation of which will be described in greater
detail below. A shaded area 17 surrounds, separates and offsets the
defined regions 16. A larger synchronization area 18 is located within the
ring of information locations 16 at substantially the same distance from
aperture 14 as the defined areas 16. The interval of the synchronization
area 18 is approximately twice as long as that of the defined areas 16 so
that it may be easily recognized as providing a synchronization pulse when
the synchronization region 18 passes the opto-interrupter of a disc player
of the present invention.
FIG. 1B illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention which
is shown generally at 20. In this embodiment, a compact disc 22 having an
aperture 24 has a further storage element comprised of two rings of
information containing defined areas 26, 28 which surround the aperture
24. Outer ring of information containing defined areas 26 surrounds an
inner ring of information containing defined areas 28. Outer and inner
information synchronization regions 30 and 31 are also located within
their respective rings. As with the previous embodiment, a shaded region
33 surrounds, separates and offsets each of the defined regions and
synchronization regions. It is understood that this embodiment of the
present invention allows greater storage capacity for the further storage
element. In an alternate embodiment one of the rings may contain only
timing information for defining the locations of the other ring. In this
embodiment, as with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
FIG. 1A, the outer and inner rings of defined information containing areas
26, 28 are located in a region of the disc adjacent to the aperture 24
which typically does not contain the audio data that is stored on a
conventional compact disc. FIG. 1C illustrates a further embodiment, which
is shown generally at 34, wherein a compact disc 35 having a centrally
located aperture 36 has a ring of information containing defined areas 38
that surround the aperture 36. Each of the information containing
locations 38 have inner markable regions 40 which are surrounded by a
darkened border. A synchronization region 42 is also located in the ring
of information containing sections as in the previously described
embodiments. However, in this embodiment, the synchronization region is
shaded so that the synchronization pulse will be low and the reference
point will be based on the rising edge from the optical reader as will be
described in more detail below. As with the previously illustrated
embodiments of the present invention, the additional storage element is
located in a region of the disc which typically does not contain the
optically stored data. The arrangement of the information containing
defined areas in each of the illustrated embodiments allows a single
opto-interrupter located in the disc player to read the status of each of
the defined areas on the disc or two-opto-interrupters in the case of the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B. The opto-interrupter "reads" the
shading of the defined areas and provides a digital output which indicates
whether the defined area is either light or dark in appearance. In the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, each defined area is
associated with a corresponding audio track on the disc and the digital
output from the optical interrupter for the corresponding defined area of
a track determines whether or not the disc player will skip or play a
particular track. As noted, the synchronization region is approximately
twice the interval of the remaining defined regions on the disc and is
used to provide a synchronization pulse which is used to identify the
positions of the remaining defined regions on the disc. The status of the
first information containing defined region which passes the
opto-interrupter after the synchronization region determines whether the
first track of the disc will be skipped or played and the status of each
of the remaining defined areas which subsequently pass the
opto-interrupter determine whether each of their respective subsequent
corresponding track selections will be skipped or played.
In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the further storage
element or area is either located on the surface of an adhesive backed
plastic or glossy paper label which may be attached with the adhesive to
the surface of the disc or the further storage element may be attached to
a hard plastic base which snap-fits into the central aperture of a
conventional compact disc or alternatively, the further storage area may
be incorporated into the disc at the time of manufacture. FIG. 2A
illustrates the application of an adhesive backed label 42 containing an
embodiment of the further storage element. FIG. 2A illustrates the label
42 prior to application to the surface of disc 12. The label 42 is applied
to an area which typically does not contain the read-only optically stored
data on a conventional digital optical disc. As with the previous
embodiment, the information containing defined regions 43 and
synchronization region 44 are surrounded, separated and set off by a
shaded region 45. FIG. 2B shows a label as applied to a compact disc. FIG.
3 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a small diameter label as
applied to the surface of the disc showing the label 42, label adhesive
42' and disc 12. In one embodiment of the present invention, the surface
of the defined information containing regions such as 16, 26, 28, 40 and
43 are of a composition, texture or structure which is suitable for
receiving marking from a marker or grease pencil or other alteration. The
remaining areas of the further storage element are smooth so that they may
not be readily marked or altered in order to eliminate stray marks which
might degrade the performance of the system. As previously noted, in an
alternate embodiment, tabs may be applied to or removed from the defined
information containing areas in order to store the skip/play information
for the tracks on the disc.
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 1 showing a possible surface structure for the defined regions which
have been incorporated into the disc at the time of manufacture. In FIG.
4, the structure of the defined information containing areas is rougher
than the adjacent smooth surface of the shaded region 17. The information
containing regions 16, 18, 26, 28, 40 and 43 are such that they more
readily receive the markings from a grease pencil or marker. The roughened
surface of the defined information containing areas 43 contrasts with the
smooth adjacent areas of the shaded portion of the storage element 17
which do not readily receive markings and the like. FIG. 5 illustrates a
close-up cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the device
illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B showing the disc 12, label 42, adhesive 42'
and defined region 43 wherein there is a larger diameter for the label. As
with the previously illustrated embodiments, the roughened structure of
the defined information containing region 43 is apparent from the drawing.
It should be understood that the alternate embodiments of the present
invention which employ moveable or removable tabs or the like to define
the skip/play information for the disk do not necessarily require that the
surface of the information containing regions 16 be ridged or roughened in
order to receive markings. The tabs could also be attached with a Post It
type adhesive thus allowing the tabs to be added to as well as removed
from the surface of the information containing defined regions. The color
or tonality of the tabs only needs to contrast with the typical color or
shading of the information containing defined regions. It should also be
understood that the systems could be mutually compatible wherein textured
defined regions are receptive to the adhesive used in the tabs so that
someone having only tabs or only a grease pencil could still use the
system, thus increasing the overall usability and compatibility of the
systems.
FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a photo-interrupter for use with the
present invention which is shown generally at 60. The photo-interrupter
scans the disc with a photodiode 63 which transmits a steady beam of light
onto the surface of the disc 65 where it is reflected onto phototransistor
67 when a reflective surface lies under the beam. The presence of light
and dark regions at the surface of the disk 65 determine whether
phototransistor 67 conducts and thus is capable of providing a digital
output representative of the shading of the surface of the disc 65 which
lies beneath the photo-transistor 63. The embodiment of the
photo-interrupter shown in FIG. 6 is designed to reflect off the surface
of the disc so that the photo-interrupter would necessarily be located
above the surface of the rotating disc in a compact disc player which is
capable of playing discs having a further storage element in accordance
with the present invention. However, it should be understood that other
types of photo-interrupters or light-sensitive devices are suitable for
use with the present invention. Most notably, interrupters which pass
light across a gap without reflecting off a surface are suitable for an
embodiment which passes light through a transparent portion of an optical
disc such as the central region of conventional digital | | |
