Machine-readable optical disc with reading-inhibit agent

USRE42011E1 · kind E1 · reissue

Assignee

• Flexplay Technologies, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Philip E. Rollhaus · Chicago, US
• John R. Powell · Arlington, US
• Eric J. Carlson · Andover, US
• Daniel J. Ehntholt · Hudson, US
• Irwin C. Winkler · Arlington, US
• Christopher J. Marmo · Nashua, US
• James R. Valentine · Reading, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 29, 2004
• Grant date: Dec 28, 2010
• Expiry date: Jan 29, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

An optical disc having machine-readable, information-encoding features is provided with a barrier layer secured to the disc. This barrier layer is configured to prevent machine-reading of the features. A reading-inhibit agent, included in the disc and activated by removal of the barrier layer, is operative, once activated, to alter the disc to inhibit reading of the disc, after some period of time. Alternately, the barrier layer can be eliminated, and the reading-inhibit agent can be activated by initial reading of the disc, as for example by exposure to optical radiation associated with reading of the disc, or rotation of the disc.