USOO883 0806B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,830,806 B2 Smith et al. (45) Date of Patent: *Sep. 9, 2014 (54) OPTICAL DISC WITH A THEFT DETERRENT (58) Field of Classification Search COATING USPC .............................. 726/35; 369/53.21, 21, 53 See application file for complete search history. (75) Inventors: Wayne M. Smith, La Cañada, CA (US); Christopher J. Cookson, Studio City, (56) References Cited CA (US); Lewis S. Ostrover, Los Angeles, CA (US); Alan E. Bell, San U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Marino, CA (US)(US 3,073.955 A 1, 1963 Hale (73) Assignee: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., 3,595,655 A 7, 1971 Robinson et al. Burbank, CA (US) (Continued) (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS patent is extended or adjusted under 35 EP 1416294 A1 9, 2008 U.S.C. 154(b) by 1073 days. WO OOf79228 A1 12/2000 This patent is Subject to a terminal dis- WO O2/O75733 A1 9, 2002 claimer. OTHER PUBLICATIONS (21) Appl. No.: 12/174,841 Cronin, et al., Electochromic Glazing, Materials Research, vol.2, No. 1, 1-9, 1999. (22) Filed: Jul. 17, 2008 (Continued) (65) Prior Publication Data US 2009/OO1O127 A1 Jan. 8, 2009 Primary Examiner — Pramila Parthasarathy Assistant Examiner — Dao Ho Related U.S. Application Data (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Gottlieb, Rackman & Reisman, P.C. (62) Division of application No. 1 1/398,062, filed on Apr. 5, 2006, now Pat. No. 7,417,713. (57) ABSTRACT (60) Provisional application No. 60/668,690, filed on Apr. An optical disc used for storing content includes a theft con 6, 2005. trol area selected to render the disc unreadable. The disc must be exposed to radiation of a specific wavelength before it can (51) Int. Cl. be readby a regular device. The theft control area may include G06F2L/00 (2013.01) an area that contains data that instructs the device not to read GIB 7/24 (2013.01) the disc. This area includes a coating that changes its optical GIIB 23/28 (2006.01) characteristics when exposed to the radiation. The material GIB 20/00 (2006.01) could be radiochromic or thermochromic. Alternatively, the (52) U.S. Cl. theft control area includes an RFID device that includes an CPC ................ GIIB 7/24 (2013.01); GII B 23/282 element that is radiation sensitive. In this embodiment, when (2013.01); GII B 23/286 (2013.01); GI IB the disc is irradiated, the element changes its electrical char 20/00086 (2013.01); GI IB 20/00876 (2013.01); acteristics. GI IB 20/00608 (2013.01) USPC ....................................................... 369/53.21 22 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets US 8,830.806 B2 Page 2 (56) References Cited 2004/0054594 A1 3/2004 Forster et al. ................... 705/18 2005, 0083181 A1* 4/2005 Jalkanen et al. ........... 34.0/10.34 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 2005, 0083829 A1 4/2005 Selinfreund et al. ....... 369,2721 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 4,918,317 A 4, 1990 Hess et al. 5,253,275 A 10, 1993 Yurt et al. Beshir et al., “Eosin Dyed Poly(Vinyl Butyral) Films for High-Does 5,315,448 A 5/1994 Ryan Radiation Dosimetry.” Int'l Journal of Polymeric Materials, vol. 52, 6,232,610 B1* 5/2001 Pageau et al. .............. 250/474.1 No. 6, pp. 485-498, Jun. 2003. 6,733,950 B2 5/2004 Breitung et al. Abdel-Fattah et al., “Thin Film Dosimeters Based on Rose Bengal 7,008,456 B1* 3/2006 Tanaka et al. ................... 726/35 Dyed Poly (Vinyl Alcohol).” Int'l Journal of Polymeric Materials, 7,786,861 B2 * 8/2010 Howarth et al. ........... 340,568.1 vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 413-427, May 2002. 2003/0234190 A1 12, 2003 Kuo 2004/0012496 A1 1/2004 De Souza et al. .......... 340,5723 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Sep. 9, 2014 Sheet 1 of 3 US 8,830,806 B2 F.G. 1A FIG. 1B FG. 2A FIG. 2B U.S. Patent Sep. 9, 2014 Sheet 2 of 3 US 8,830,806 B2 Fig. 3 A to r a re near we as sat a s are as a - w is as a TOP FRON PANEL Yax aga- 88 ral a- a? s r. m. mar w row are a we war as a raker or he r -a - a "r - we s- w we with w- as as a was as we as a Before irradiation BACK PANEL TOP FRON PANE ce us are - s- as wr ur arr as as a is lar r - as After frradation 12 U.S. Patent Sep. 9, 2014 Sheet 3 of 3 US 8,830,806 B2 VA 46 44 FIG. 4B FIG.5 DSC PLAYER/ RECORDER US 8,830,806 B2 1. 2 OPTICAL DISC WITH A THEFT DETERRENT in U.S. Patent Publication 20030234190 (application Ser. No. COATING 10/178.465), do not provide complete solutions as the con tainer itself with the enclosed disc may be removed from the RELATED APPLICATION retail environment without detection. Other approaches that are designed to render a disc unplayable employ oxygen This application is a Division of U.S. Ser. No. 1 1/398,062 penetrable substrates whereby the data layer corrodes and filed Apr. 5, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,417,713, which claims loses reflectivity upon exposure to air, Such as that described priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/668,690 in PCT Patent Publication no. 02075733 (application no. filed on Apr. 6, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated PCT/US02/05050) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,950. Such herein by reference. 10 approaches, however, are not reversible and cannot be readily employed to fashion a theft deterrent system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Invention This invention pertains to an optical disc. Such as CD, a 15 Briefly, an optical disc for storing digital content includes DVD, and the like, that is partially coated with a material a hub, a lead-in area, a standard data storage area and a theft having characteristics that are changed when the material is control area. The theft control area optionally includes data Subjected to radiation of a particular frequency, and this used for selectively enabling or disabling the playing or change either activates the optical disc So that it can be used in recording of the disc in a respective device. a device, or is disabled so that it cannot be used. In one embodiment of the invention, the theft control area B. Description of the Prior Art is coated with a material that chances its optical characteris The theft of DVDs, computer and platform games, soft tics when exposed to radiation of a specific wavelength. A ware, music CDs and other media on optical discs is a grow material of this type is a radiochromic material. For example, ing problem for retailers. Although it is possible to place theft the material may be originally transparent but becomes deterrent devices in optical disc packaging, such devices are 25 opaque or absorbent after exposure to radiation. Alterna often unsuccessful in deterring theft. Such devices, which are tively, the material may be originally opaque or absorbent but typically triggered when the consumer exits the store, can be then becomes transparent after radiation. Preferably, the easily overcome by simply removing the optical disc from the material changes its characteristics permanently after irradia package and concealing it on one's person before exiting the tion. StOre. 30 The theft control area may be in either the lead-in area of Typically, theft of DVDs and other optical disc products the disc or in the standard data storage area of the disc. housed in the commonly used “clam shell” case is accom In another embodiment, the theft control area includes an plished by cutting the packaging material at the vertical edge RFID device that includes an element made of a radiation of the case where it opens, applying pressure on the top and sensitive material. This element then changes its electrical bottom of the case so that the cut opening expands, and 35 characteristics when exposed to radiation of a specific wave removing the disc. The disc can be removed by either shaking length. The element in turn is then used to selectively enable it loose from the center spindle and sliding it out of the or disable the RFID device. opening, or by physically removing it from the spindle by inserting a finger or other device into the opening of the case BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS and applying pressure to the disc so that it is detached from 40 the spindle and can then be easily removed from the case. FIGS. 1A and 1B show a disc with a coated lead-in area Theft also occurs by simply opening the case in its entirely before and after irradiation, respectively; and removing the disc in usual fashion. Once the disc, which FIGS. 2A and 2B show a disc with a coated data area before is Smaller than the case, is removed therefrom, it can be easily and after irradiation, respectively; concealed on one’s person—in a pocket or purse—and Sur 45 FIGS. 3A and 3B show a disc clam-shell before and after reptitiously removed from the retailer's environs. Although irradiation, respectively; various improvements have been made to DVD cases to frus FIGS. 4A-4C show an embodiment in which an RFID trate the removal of discs in the retail environment, such as by device is incorporated in a disc; and the addition of improved spindles and locking tabs, these FIG.