Abstract:
A removable memory media, such as a compact disk, has an alterable alphanumeric display thereon. The display comprises an array of elements, such as bichromal balls, which can be selectably altered in appearance. A head associated with a port for accepting the disk creates images in the display when the disk is ejected from the port, thus allowing the disk to be automatically labeled incidental to use.

Description:
CONTINUATION-IN-PART APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent Ser. No. 09/324,593, filed Jun. 3, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,817. 
    
    
     INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,945, assigned to the assignee hereof, is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to removable data storage media as used with, for example, computers and other data-processing devices, such as compact disks. In particular, the present invention relates to a system whereby such removable media can be automatically labeled for visual identification thereof. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Removable data storage media, such as compact disks, are well known in the computer industry. A single compact disk may have loaded thereon data which varies with every use of the compact disk. A common practical problem in environments where removable media such as compact disks are in widespread use is that it is inconvenient for users to label and re-label various compact disks with information relating to the data stored on the compact disk at any particular time. Labeling a compact disk in the first instance is often inconvenient to begin with, and subsequent crossing out or erasing of any written label on a compact disk is merely an opportunity for confusion. 
     The present invention relates to a design of a compact disk (or other type of removable data storage media) which enables automatic visual labeling of the media as it is used. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,102 discloses an electro-optical display for a floppy disk. The apparatus utilizes a modified disk housing and a modified disk drive to automatically label the disk with file names being copied to or deleted from the disk. Disposed on the disk housing is an electronic display such as an LCD display, as well as a receiving device for receiving digital data, and a logic/memory device coupled to the receiving device and the display. While the disclosure in this patent represents a disk or other media with an electrically-alterable display, the rather sophisticated arrangement of a processor and an LCD display on a disk will represent a serious cost disadvantage to each disk. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,389,945 and 5,708,525 are examples of patents which disclose an “electric paper” concept. In the particular embodiments shown in these patents, a substrate has embedded therein a two-dimensional arrangement of “bichromal balls,” each ball having essentially a white hemisphere and a black hemisphere, and each ball being rotatable within the substrate. By external electrostatic or magnetic manipulation of the balls within the substrate, individual bichromal balls can be oriented to have their black hemisphere or their white hemisphere oriented in a particular direction. By selectively orienting various balls in the two-dimensional array, the black hemispheres of certain balls can be oriented such that the hemispheres can collectively form alphanumeric characters. Significantly, the electrical, electrostatic or electromagnetic devices which selectably orient the bichromal balls within the substrate are external to the substrate itself. 
     Another technology similar in concept to “electric paper” is being developed by E Ink™ of Cambridge, Mass. In the E Ink™ concept, small transparent spheres filled with dark blue fluid and white particles are sandwiched between pieces of clear film. Electrical currents applied to the film control the movements of the particles within the spheres, pushing them up or drawing them down. A description of the E Ink concept is given in the article “Firm Turns a Page in Designing Prototype Flexible Display,” San Jose Mercury News, Jul. 20, 1998. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory media, comprising a member for retaining data, and an electrically-alterable display associated with the member, the display being alterable through means which are not attached to the member and wherein there is no circuitry attached to the member. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing device, comprising a port for accepting a memory media, the memory media including a member for retaining data, and a display associated with the member, the display being alterable through means which are not attached to member and wherein there is no circuitry attached to the member; and means for altering the display while the computer memory media is disposed in the port. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a removable computer memory media, in the form of a compact disk, incorporating the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view through line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1, showing a detail of a compact disk according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a compact disk inserted into the port of a computer, according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a removable computer media, in this particular case a compact disk  10 , incorporating an electrically alterable display according to the present invention. The disk  10  defines a data-bearing side  12 , which is face-down in the Figure: as is known in the art, such a compact disk retains digital data by defining a set of readable “pits” or other structures, which are writable and readable by use of, for example, a laser. (Of course, although the phrase “compact disk” is used to apply to a popular media for retaining digital data as of the filing hereof, it is to be expected that other structures for retaining digital data will become available in the future, and the present invention, within the scope of the claims, shall apply to the later formats as well.) On the opposite side of the data-bearing side  12  is a display  18 . Display  18  is preferably of such a size to accommodate a reasonable number of alphanumeric characters which may appear on the display. These alphanumeric characters are used to label the compact disk  10  with particular identifying data. Display  18  thus serves as an electrically alterable display or label attached to compact disk  10 . 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view through line  2 — 2  of a portion of the disk  10 , showing a structure of “bichromal balls,” as generally described in the patents referenced above. In brief, there is provided just below the top surface of display  18  an evenly-distributed population of bichromal balls  20 , each ball  20  being disposed in a cavity defined in the structure of the disk. Each ball  20  defines, in general, a black hemisphere and a white hemisphere: by the influence of an external electric or magnetic force, one or the other hemisphere is made to face the surface of display  18 , and thereby make the small area above the particular ball  20  appear black or white. A large quantity of such balls  20  over an area can be used to create alphanumeric characters on other images on display  18 . The characters or images, significantly, endure after the forces creating the image are removed. 
     With specific reference to the claims herein, the display  18  is an electrically alterable display which is alterable through means which are not attached to the member. Specifically, display  18  is of such a construction that the application of what is here called electrical energy (but which term can also include magnetic, electro-magnetic, or electrostatic energy) can be used to alter information which is visible on display  18 . Preferably, according to the present invention, there is no ancillary circuitry associated with the display  18 : any electrical devices which serve to alter the information displayed on display  18  would be placed external to the compact disk  10  such as within a computer or other data-processing device (such as a digital printer, audio-visual device, bar code scanner, infrared or radio receiver, etc.) 
     Depending on the specific implementation, the structure forming display  18  can be affixed to the bulk of the digital-data-bearing member forming surface  12 , such as in a sheet which is attached to the member with an adhesive or a fastener, or can be formed directly in the member. In either case, with regard to the claims below, the display shall be considered “attached” to the member which bears the digital data. 
     FIG. 3 is a view showing a compact disk  10  according to the present invention removably disposed within a computer (or other information-processing device, such as a printer or audio-visual device)  100 , a portion of which is shown in phantom in the figure. As is typical in office equipment, the compact disk  10  is inserted for use in a port  102  on an exterior surface of the computer  100 , and as such would include a disk-drive apparatus (not shown) for reading and/or writing digital data on what is here shown as the underside of the disk  10 . There is provided what is here called simply a “head”  110 . Head  110  includes means for selectably charging (or, in an alternate embodiment, magnetizing) small areas within the main surface of display  18  when a compact disk  10  is inserted in port  102 . Digital image data to form characters or other images is supplied to head  110  when a series of small areas of the display  18  move near it. As will be described in detail below, electrostatic charging of small areas within display  18  will cause the areas to turn black (or some other color) to form the desired alphanumeric characters as each small area moves past the head  110 . Such addressable heads, of the magnetic or electrostatic variety, are known in the context of, for example, the “electric paper” patents referenced above. 
     As is shown in the FIG. 3 embodiment, the disk  10  sits in a drawer  112  which opens out of port  102 , in a manner familiar in the art of compact disk drives. The drawer can be assisted by a motor (not shown) or other mechanical means to ensure that the motion of drawer  112 , and thus the motion of the disk  10  past head  110  is of a reasonably constant velocity when the drawer  112  is opened or closed. The constant velocity of the motion of drawer  112 , in combination with the action of head  110 , allows the head  110  to make the desired alphanumeric characters or other images on display  18  disk  10 , particularly when the drawer  112  is being opened to remove the disk  10 . 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is desired to place alphanumeric characters on display  18  which relate to the data stored on the disk  10  at any particular time. A suitable time to cause the display  18  to display certain alphanumeric characters is when the compact disk is expelled from port  102  immediately following a use in computer or other device  100 . Thus, according to the present invention, every time the compact disk  10  is expelled from port  102  and thereby moves past head  110 , it will be effectively labeled or re-labeled with suitable title data which identifies the data on the compact disk  10 . The alphanumeric data for determining what characters to place on the disk  10  at any time can be derived from a control system (not shown) associated with the computer or audio-visual device: for example, when a software window associated with a disk is closed, the title of the window can be used, along with a date and time, as the data to label the disk when the disk is ejected through port  102 . 
     Because, in the illustrated embodiment, the main surface of disk  10  is of course circular, alphanumeric information is most usefully placed near the diameter of the disk  10 , particularly along the direction which disk  10  moves when it emerges from port  102 . Thus, one embodiment of the invention provides alphanumeric-capable head  110  toward the widest portion of disk  10  as it moves through port  102 ; residual characters or images on display  18  (i.e., if any previous characters were placed thereon in a previous writing step) can be erased by supplemental heads  111 , which simply provide a charge or other force to erase the areas of display  18  which are not accessible to alphanumeric-capable head  110 . Thus, whenever the disk  10  is ejected from port  102 , a “clean” set of characters will result, without any image left over from a previous use of the disk. 
     With reference to the claim language below, the phrase “disposed in the port” shall be construed to encompass any physical relationship or interaction between the media and the port, including insertion or removal of the media relative to the port, as well as when the media is located in the port, such as when the digital data thereon is being read or written. 
     When packaging a compact disk or cassette (or sets thereof) incorporating the invention, it may be desirable to provide light-transmissive packaging, whereby a display such as  18  may be visible inside the packaging. The display can then be provided with a message thereon, or otherwise including a trademark, which becomes part of the total appearance of the packaged item.