Abstract:
An apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock is described. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system is applied in an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing, and managing optical disk stock. The apparatus has a disc, a RFID chip arid an antenna. The disc has a first annular area, a second annular area and a third annular area. The second annular area is a data recording area with a metal recording layer. The first annular area and the third annular area both are areas without data. The RFID chip is embedded in the disc and the antenna connects to the RFID chip. The RFID chip and the antenna are located in the third annular area. The apparatus further has a foldable matching circuit to increase an inductance of the antenna and shorten the length of the antenna with even poles.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. In particular, the present invention applies the radio frequency identification (RFID) system to an apparatus that can impede counterfeiting, impede stealing and manage stocks for optical discs.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     RFID has many advantages. For example, RFID can be read by a non-contact method. Data stored therein can be updated. RFID has a large data capacity and can be used repeatedly. More than one RFID tag can be read at one time. RFID provides good security for data. RFID is an acceptable replacement for the bar-code system. RFID also doesn&#39;t need manpower during the identification process and can be operated in environments with oil sludge and heavy dust.  
         [0005]     Because optical discs, such as audio discs, video discs and data discs CD, VCD, CD-ROM and DVD, can be illegally and easily duplicated, legal manufacturers lose a lot of money, the creative will of the original creator is reduced, and the development of the software industry is obstructed. Therefore, stopping counterfeiting and copyright protection are considered urgent issues. Stolen discs also easily affect retail sales.  
         [0006]     Due to the development of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the operating frequency of the RFID, the volume of the RFID tag has become smaller. An RFID tag can be embedded in a disc and the identification rate of the RFID tag reaches almost 100% due to the development of the RFID technology. An RF-EAS (electronic article surveillance) adapted to the RFID technology is a good solution for&#39;these issues. Therefore, many solutions with RFID technology are disclosed to solve the issues of counterfeiting, stealing and stocks management.  
         [0007]     The technology for embedding an RFID tag in a disc of the prior art embeds the RFID tag in a blank central area of a disc. The U.S. publication patents, such as US 2003/0034400A1, US 2004/0054594A1 and US 2004/0052202A1, disclose a technology where an RFID tag is embedded in the blank central area of the disc. This method provides a larger space to embed the RFID tag and reduces the balance problem when the disc is rotated at a high speed. However, the readable distance between the tag reader and the RFID tag is very short because the antenna radiation field is affected by the metal parts of the disc and the quantity of discs.  
         [0008]     Besides, because the input impedance of the RFID chip has a larger capacity, the prior art that adopts a simple even antenna needs an antenna longer than one wavelength of the radio frequency to provide a larger inductance.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention provides an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. The present invention applies a radio frequency identification (RFID) system to an apparatus that can impede counterfeiting, impede stealing and manage optical disk stock.  
         [0010]     In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. The present invention symmetrically embeds an RFID chip into an exterior area of a disc to solve the issue of imbalance when the disc is rotated at a high speed and to increase the readable distance.  
         [0011]     In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. The present invention aligns the two poles of the RFID chip to the exterior surface of the disc. Therefore, the two ends of the antenna also are pasted on the exterior surface of the disc and directly connect to the two poles of the RFID chip to simplify the manufacturing process of the disc.  
         [0012]     In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. The present invention symmetrically embeds the RFID chip in the exterior area of the disc and adds a foldable matching circuit to increase an inductance of the antenna with even poles. This can shorten the length of the antenna with even poles.  
         [0013]     In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock. The present invention symmetrically embeds an RFID chip into a rim of a disc and prints an antenna made of conducting material on the rim of the disc. The present invention solves the issue of imbalance when the disc is rotated at a high speed and increases the readable distance.  
         [0014]     The apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention comprises a disc, a RFID chip and an antenna. The disc includes a first annular area, a second annular area and a third annular area. The second annular area is a data recording area with a metal recording layer. The first annular area and the third annular area both are an area without data. The second annular area wraps around the first annular area and the third annular area wraps around the second annular area. The RFID chip is embedded in the disc and the antenna connects to the RFID chip. The RFID chip and the antenna are located in the third annular area.  
         [0015]     The apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention further comprises a foldable matching circuit to increase an inductance of the antenna and shorten the length of the antenna with even poles.  
         [0016]     For further understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description illustrating the embodiments and examples of the invention. The description is only for illustrating the invention and is not intended to be considered limiting of the scope of the claim. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The drawings included herein provide a further understanding of the invention. A brief introduction of the drawings is as follows:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the first embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the first embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the first embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the second embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the second embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the second embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of the third embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the third embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view of the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0028]      FIG. 11  is another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIG. 12  is another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 13  is a schematic view of the fifth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention; and  
         [0031]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip embedded in the disc of the fifth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]     Reference is made to  FIG. 1 , which shows a schematic view of the first embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention. The RFID chip  140  receives the power via the antenna  150  and provides the power to the interior analog and digital circuit of the RFID chip  140 . The coded information of the RFID chip  140  can thus be transmitted to the tag reader for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock  20 . The disc  20  is, for example, a CD, DVD, or Blue-Ray disc, which can be read by a non-contact method via laser.  
         [0033]     The present invention embeds a RFID chip  140  into an annular area of a disc  20 . The disc  20  includes a first annular area  100 , a second annular area  120  and a third annular area  130 . The second annular area  120  is a data recording area with a metal recording layer. The first annular area  100  and the third annular area  130  both are an area without data. The second annular area  120  wraps around the first annular area  100  and the third annular area  130  wraps around the second annular area  120 . The disc  20 , from inside to outside, is the first annular area  100 , the second annular area  120  and the third annular area  130 . In other words, the third annular area  130  is located in the exterior part of the disc  20 .  
         [0034]     The disc  20  can be composed of two annular discs with a thickness 600 μm, such as a DVD, or by one annular disc with a thickness of 1200 μm, such as a CD. The disc  20  composed of two annular discs with a thickness of 600 μm includes an upper annular disc  210 , a lower annular disc. 220  and an adhesive layer  230 .  FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20 . The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  2  in  FIG. 1 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210  and is located in the third annular area  130  of the upper annular disc  210 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210  and the antenna  150  is pasted on the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210 . The material of the antenna  150  is, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contacts the two ends of the antenna  150 . The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 . There is an adhesive layer  230  with a thickness of 60 μm between the two annular discs  210 ,  220  to separate the upper annular disc  210  and a metal layer  270 . Data is recorded on the metal layer  270 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  shows another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220  and is located in the third annular area  130  of the lower annular disc  220 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220  and the antenna  150  is pasted on the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220 . The material of the antenna  150  is, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0036]     When the disc is composed of one annular disc (not shown in the figure), the RFID chip  140  is embedded in an upper surface or a lower surface of the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the upper surface or the lower surface of the third annular area  130  and the antenna is pasted on the upper surface or the lower surface of the third annular area  130 .  
         [0037]     Reference is made to  FIG. 4 , which shows a schematic view of the second embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention. Because the input resistance of the RFID chip  140  has a larger capacity, a single antenna with even poles cannot provide larger impedance. The second embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention adds a foldable matching circuit  170  in the disc  20 .  FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the second embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  5  in  FIG. 4 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210  and is located in the third annular area  130  of the upper annular disc  210 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210  and the antenna  150  is pasted on the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210 . The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contacts the two ends of the antenna  150 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20  with a thickness of  1 . 2 mm. The material of the antenna  150  and the foldable matching circuit  170  is, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  shows another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the second embodiment. The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220  and is located in the third annular area  130  of the lower annular disc  220 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220  and the antenna  150  is pasted on the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220 . The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20  with a thickness of 1.2 mm. The material of the antenna  150  and the foldable matching circuit  170  are, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0039]     When the disc is composed of one annular disc (not shown in the figure), the RFID chip  140  is embedded in an upper surface or a lower surface of the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the upper surface or the lower surface of the third annular area  130  and the antenna is pasted on the upper surface or the lower surface of the third annular area  130 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20  with a thickness of 1.2 mm.  
         [0040]     Reference is made to  FIG. 7 , which shows a schematic view of the third embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention.  FIG. 8  shows a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the third embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  8  in  FIG. 7 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and is located in the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20 . The antenna  150  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130 . The material of the antenna  150  is, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0041]     Reference is made to  FIG. 9 , which shows a schematic view of the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention. Because the input resistance of the RFID chip  140  has a larger capacity, a single antenna with even poles can&#39;t provide larger impedance. The fourth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention adds a foldable matching circuit  170  to the disc  20 .  FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the fourth embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  10  in  FIG. 9 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and is located in the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20 . The antenna  150  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130 . The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the exterior surface  240  of the third annular area  130  of the upper annular disc  210 . The material of the antenna  150  and the foldable matching circuit  170  are, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0042]      FIG. 11  shows another cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the fourth embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  10  in  FIG. 9 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and is located in the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20 . The antenna  150  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130 . The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the exterior surface  250  of the third annular area  130  of the lower annular disc  220 . The material of the antenna  150  and the foldable matching circuit  170  are, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0043]      FIG. 12  shows a third cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the fourth embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  10  in  FIG. 9 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and is located in the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20 . The antenna  150  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130 . The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the exterior surface  240  of the third annular area  130  of the upper annular disc  210  and the exterior surface  250  of the third annular area  130  of the lower annular disc  220 . The material of the antenna  150  and the foldable matching circuit  170  are, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0044]     When the disc is composed of one annular disc (not shown in the figure), the RFID chip  140  is embedded in a side surface  260 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and the antenna is pasted on the side surface of the third annular area  130 . The foldable matching circuit  170  is pasted on the upper surface and the lower surface of the third annular area  130 .  
         [0045]     Reference is made to  FIG. 13 , which shows a schematic view of the fifth embodiment of an apparatus for impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock of the present invention.  FIG. 14  shows a cross-sectional view of the RFID chip  140  embedded in the disc  20  of the fifth embodiment. The cross-sectional view comes from cutting the disc along cutting line  14  in  FIG. 13 . The RFID chip  140  is vertically embedded in the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  and is located in the third annular area  130 . The exterior surface of the RFID chip  140  is aligned with the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130  of the disc  20 . The antenna  150  is pasted on the side surface  260  of the third annular area  130 , the exterior surface  240  of the upper annular disc  210  and the exterior surface  250  of the lower annular disc  220 . The material of the antenna  150  is, for example, conducting ink or conducting material. The two poles of the RFID chip  140  directly contact the two ends of the antenna  150 . The power and the signal emitted from the tag reader are transmitted to the RFID chip  140  via the antenna  150 .  
         [0046]     The present invention embeds a RFID tag into the third annular area  130  of a disc  20 . The third annular area  130  is located on the external area outside the data area of the disc. The readable distance of the RFID tag is not shortened when discs are stacked. The present invention also increases the identification efficiency even when the discs are lined up parallel to each other. When the RFID chips are symmetrically embedded in the third annular area of the disc by even quantity and the type of the antenna is also symmetrical, the present invention solves the issue of imbalance when the disc is rotated at a high speed. The present invention has the functions of impeding counterfeiting, impeding stealing and managing optical disk stock.  
         [0047]     The description above only illustrates specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims.