Abstract: Disclosed is an optical data storage medium with enhanced contrast. The optical data storage medium includes a substrate having oppositely facing first and second surfaces. A first metal/alloy layer is formed overlaying the first surface of the substrate. The first metal/alloy layer is formed from tin, antimony and element selected from the group consisting of indium, germanium, aluminum, and zinc. After the first metal/alloy layer is formed, a first dielectric layer is formed overlaying the first metal/alloy layer. This dielectric layer is formed from silicon oxynitride. The first metal/alloy layer is positioned between the substrate and the first dielectric layer.

Abstract: An apparatus for dynamically positioning a rotary actuator that positions an objective lens in three dimensions relative to the surface of an optical disk. A first voice coil motor positions the actuator generally in two dimensions parallel to the surface of the disk and a second voice coil motor positions the objective lens generally along an arcuate path orthogonal to the surface of the disk.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for authenticating a device. A method includes receiving a certificate from the device, the certificate including a plurality of fields, including a field holding a digital signature from a certifying authority, verifying the digital signatures in the certificate, the verifying including at least one of verifying the certifying authority digital signature using the certifying authority public key; and verifying a device digital signature using a device public key, and receiving validation data from a source, the validation data identifying one or more data in the certificate as valid or invalid according to predetermined criteria, and if the digital signatures are verified and validated, transmitting a session key to the device to establish a secure communication channel.

Abstract: A tracking and servo system with a one-track jump is disclosed. The one track jump algorithm holds a control signal from the tracking servo system. The one track jump algorithm adds an acceleration control signal to the held control signal for a first period of time, delays for a second period of time, and adds a deceleration control signal to the held control signal for a third period of time. The algorithm then frees the control signal to close tracking on a new track separated by one track from the starting track.

Abstract: An optical head of a type useable in a optical disk reader/writer is provided. The optical head has a low profile, e.g., in a vertical direction parallel to the disk spin axis, such as less than about 5 mm preferably less than about 3 mm. Substantially all components of the optical system, including a laser source, objective lens, intervening optics and photo detector are provided in the optical head and mounted in a fixed position with respect to one another. Substantially all optical components of the optical head are moved as a unit, e.g., during tracking and/or focusing. Preferably, the optical head is fabricated using wafer scale and/or stacking technologies, e.g., stacking substantially planar components to achieve the final optical head configuration.

Abstract: A method of storing calibrated optical parameters is presented. In some embodiments, calibrated optical parameters are stored in place of stored parameters. In some embodiments, averages between the calibrated operating parameters and stored optical parameters are stored. In other embodiments, the stored optical parameters are allowed to vary only by a maximum amount. In some embodiments, if the calibrated parameters vary by more than threshold values, then the calibrated parameters are not stored.

Abstract: Media which stores protected content is distributed to users without the need for payment at the time of media distribution. Payment can be performed at a later time in response to which content may be enabled, and/or users may selectively pay for, and receive enablement of, content such that only portions of content on given media may be accessible at a given time. Following the first enablement of content, access rights may be expanded or otherwise changed, e.g., in response to a second payment.

Abstract: An optical disc drive waits to receive a command to perform a function on optical media in the disc drive. The optical media includes a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. Once a command is received, one portion of the disc drive processes the command while another portion of the disc drive monitors the processing of the command and waits until the command is processed. If an error condition is detected while processing the command, the disc drive generates an event request such as a notify event request, a focus event request, a spin event request, and a tracking event request. When an event issues, the disc drive interrupts processing of the command and attempts to recover from the error condition. The state of the disc drive when the requested event was received is saved before attempting to recover from the error condition.

Abstract: A secure electronic content system and method is provided. The system includes a controller including an interface component, a host system coupled to the controller, the host system configured to present content under predetermined conditions, the host system operable with a navigation protocol, the host system further including a system manager operable with an associations component configured to be at least partially run by the host system, a translator configured to provide meanings and generate commands within the host system at least a first digital rights management (DRM) component configured to provide encoding and access rules for the content; and a file system component including a file system application programming interface (API) configured to provide a logical interface between a plurality of components.

Abstract: A disc drive includes a tracking actuator, and determines when the tracking actuator is positioned off a formatted portion of optical media in the disc drive. The optical media includes a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. Tracking control effort is monitored to determine when the tracking actuator is in the off-format condition and whether tracking good or tracking bad is detected within a predetermined time period. An absolute value of the tracking control effort is generated and the absolute value of the tracking control effort is filtered. An off-format condition is indicated if the filtered value of the tracking control effort is not within a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A write abort algorithm of a tracking and focus servo system that can abort a write operation on an optical disk drive is presented. The write abort algorithm monitors at least one of a tracking error signal or a focus error signal and indicates a write abort status when the tracking error signal or the focus error signal indicates a threshold value. In some embodiments, the write abort algorithms suspends indication of the write abort status in the presence of a defect, suspension of the write abort status occurs more than a predetermined number of times.

Abstract: A focus error signal offset calibration is presented. The focus error signal offset can be calibrated by varying the focus error signal offset to optimize an operating characteristic of the optical disk drive. In some embodiments, the operating characteristic can be a servo function. In some embodiments, the operating characteristics can be a read function.

Abstract: An optical head of a type useable in a optical disk reader/writer is provided. One of the optical elements is provided in a fashion that one or more optical parameters or characteristics of the system are invariant, regardless of whether the one optical element is used, or not. In one embodiment the optical element is a beamshaper. In order to provide the desired invariant property, the surfaces of the optical element are preferably formed with high accuracy. One manner of economically achieving high accuracy is to measure errors or imperfections in a first formed, preferably etched, surface and adjust the shape or position of a second aligned etched surface so as to at least partially compensate for the errors or imperfections.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling operation of a motor system that addresses the design challenges for the small form factor optical disk system. The present invention includes starting the operation of a motor including windings and a rotor; placing the motor in a first operational state; driving the motor from the first operational state to a second operational state; and sensing a variation in an electrical waveform induced by driving of the motor to determine a cycle period from which the speed of the motor can be determined.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling operation of a motor system that addresses the design challenges for the small form factor optical disk system. The control system can be operable to read a physical sector address (PSA) from an optical medium, calculate a table index based on the PSA, enter a lookup table module to acquire reference data, and maintain a constant data rate transfer from the optical medium for a range of PSAs.

Abstract: A control system for controlling tracking and seeking in an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. The control system determines whether an optical pickup unit is over the premastered or the writeable areas of the optical media by measuring peak to peak amplitude of a tracking error signal. Gains and calibration values are selected based on whether an optical pickup unit is over the premastered or the writeable areas of the optical media. Reading from and writing to the optical media is disabled while jumping tracks. Control of jumping tracks on the optical media includes controlling: jumping a single track on the optical media; jumping a specified number of tracks every specified number of revolutions of the optical media; auto jumpbacks, and jumping in forward or reverse directions.

Abstract: A system for controlling focus in an optical disc drive for optical media with a premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a user-writeable area that can be overwritten includes instructions for turning focus on and off; and for acquiring focus on the optical media in response to a command to acquire focus. The actuator arm is moved according to a sinusoidal ramp function to prevent exciting resonances in the actuator arm. The amount of push-away force used while moving the actuator arm can be adjusted to avoid overshoot. The integrity of a focus error signal is determined and an attempt to re-acquire focus is made if the focus error signal indicates a bad focus status.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing, updating, adding, deleting, and locating file system objects on a WORM storage medium, wherein information can be written to, but not erased from, the storage medium. The WORM storage medium has a writeable area that includes a system area and a data area. The system area includes system information regarding the file system objects on the storage medium. A system sector is written starting at one end of the system area, while the content of the file system objects is written in the data area starting at another end of the writeable area. When a change is made to the file system objects in the writeable area, an updated system sector is generated that replaces the previous file system information for those modified file system objects. Since the previous system sector is not erasable, the updated system sector is written in a location in the system area where it will be read before any previous system sectors.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for coordinating tasks in a control system for an optical disc drive for optical media with a pitted premastered area that cannot be overwritten and a grooved user-writeable area that can be overwritten. The optical disc drive includes a first processor operable to communicate with a second processor, wherein the first processor includes instructions for performing non-time-critical tasks, and the second processor includes instructions for performing time-critical tasks, such as reading from and writing to optical media in the disc drive. The first processor monitors the status of the time critical tasks in the second processor and transmits commands to perform operations in the second processor. The first processor also controls power mode, manages recovery from errors, controls focus, tracking/seeking, spin, physical sector address (PSA), a laser, adjusts gains, and monitor cartridge load/eject.

Abstract: A system with a plurality of servo algorithms executing on a digital signal processor is presented. The digital signal processor receives a sensor interrupt, indicating availability of digitized data from optical sensors, and decides which of a plurality of servo algorithms to service in response to the interrupt. In some embodiments, the plurality of servo algorithms includes a tracking servo algorithm. In some embodiments, the plurality of servo algorithms includes a focus servo algorithm. In some embodiments, multi-track seek operations or one-track jump operations can also be serviced during the interrupt period.