Device and method for reducing piracy of digitized information
US6598164B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 12, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 22, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 12, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B23/28
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
As advances continue to be made in the area of high density data storage devices, the storage of such data as music (as is presently stored on audio CD-ROM's), books on tape, videos, movies and the like will become more common. However, when this type of information is stored digitally, the risk of data piracy will increase. What is needed is an integrated copy deterring mechanism for stored digitized information such as audio recordings and the like. The present invention is a digital data storage device which comprises one or more Digital to Analog Converters (DAC's). By incorporating Digital to Analog Converters on the chip or within the chip's packaging (a hybrid device), data being output could be made available in an analog form only (although some portion of the stored information could still be made available in a digital format). A device employing the analog output means disclosed could comprise read only data storage means or writable or one time programmable data storage means. By outputting data in analog format only, successive copies of that data will degrade. This degradation of the quality of the stored data will act as a deterrent to some forms of data piracy.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.