Method for Uniquely Identifying Optical Media
A method for recording a unique identifier onto an optical medium said method comprising the stops of obtaining a manufactured optical medium and ink jet printing onto the read-side surface of said medium one or more light-changeable state change material(s) in a pattern, quantity, or combination which is uniquely different from another of the same type of optical medium, said light-changeable state change material being activatable between at least a first optical state to a second optical state by the read beam of an optical reader, the activation of which is detectable using the read beam of an optical reader for said optical medium.
1 . A uniquely identified optical medium comprising light-activated state change material uniquely associated with said optical medium, said light-activated state change material being readable by an optical reader at the wavelengths of the reader, and being decipherable by software and/or hardware as a unique marker.
2 . The medium of claim 1 wherein the light-activated state change material is a material that changes optical state upon application of a wavelength characteristic of the read beam of an optical reader.
3 . The medium of claim 2 wherein the light-activated state change material is a transient state material.
4 . The medium of claim 2 wherein the light-activated state change material is a temporary state material.
5 . The medium of claim 2 wherein the light-activated state change material is a temporary state material.
6 . The medium of claim 1 wherein the medium is a digital recording medium.
7 . The medium of claim 6 wherein the medium records data in a digital datum indicia.
8 . The medium of claim 1 wherein the medium is a transportable recording medium.
9 . A method for recording a unique identifier onto an optical medium said method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a manufactured optical medium; and
ink jet printing onto the read-side surface of said medium on one or more light-changeable state change material(s) in a pattern, quantity, or combination which is uniquely different from another of the same type of optical medium, said light-changeable state change material being activatable between at least a first optical state to a second optical state by the read beam of an optical reader, the activation of which is detectable using the read beam of an optical reader for said optical medium.
10 . A method for determining whether an optical medium is a medium authorized to access data, said method comprising:
determining a unique identifier on the read-side surface of said optical medium based on detection of optical state changes on the surface of the optical medium by the read beam of an optical reader;
comparing the unique identifier with those identifiers previously determined to have authorized access data; and
allowing access to said data only if said unique identifier correlates with an identifier previously determined to have authorized access to the data.