Apparatus and method for providing data storage device security

#Data storage devices such as optical storage disks and other optical storage media are increasingly being used to store digitized video, digitized music, digitized photographs, computer programs and other types of data. There are a large variety of types of data storage devices currently being used and others being developed. For example, among the currently most popular types of optical storage devices are compact disks (CD) and Digital Versatile Disks (DVD). CDs and DVDs can be in various formats such as read only memory (ROM), recordable (R), and read/write (RW).

#Without some implementation of security, data stored on data storage devices can be freely copied and used. To discourage software copying, various types of low level security is used. For example, computer software sold on a disk may require a user to access a manual or a piece of paper on which a password key is printed. When software is loaded from the disk, the software prompts the user to type in the password key. Such security has the advantage of setting up some barriers to copying as well as being minimally burdensome to a user.

#Security of the type described above is easily defeated by distributing a copy of the password key with a copy of data from the data storage device. Additionally, if the manual or piece of paper containing the password key is lost, this can significantly inconvenience a user.

#FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a data security system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of a data security system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 shows separate labeling regions on the surface of a disk in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#In various embodiments of the present invention, software security associated with data storage devices such as optical disks, for example CDs and DVDs is enhanced by placing machine readable security information on the label. This method of providing security can be automatic so a user is not required to memorize or otherwise store a password. The security information can be updateable, for example by re-recording the label or replacing the label.

#FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a combined optical system that reads both data from a data storage device and information on a label on the data storage device. The system uses a head 15 to read data stored within a data storage device 17. The system uses a head 16 to read a label surface 19 of data storage device 17. For example, head 15 and head 16 both include lenses, optical detectors and optical sources such as photo diodes and lasers which perform illumination and optical detection. Data storage surface 9, for example, conforms to standards for CD-R, CD-RW, DVD−R, DVD−RW, DVD+RW, or some other disk storage format.

#A motor 18 is part of a disk drive used to turn data storage device 17 during reading or writing. A processor 10 interfaces with an optical data controller 13, a label reader controller 14 data storage 12 and user input/output (I/O) 11.