Patent US3800099A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3800099A
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US
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Storing and reproducing information and carrier therefor with zones of different deformation characteristics
Assignee: Deutsche Thomson OHG
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Filing: 1972-03-31
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Granted: 1974-03-26
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Expires: 1992-03-31
Abstract
Abstract An information carrier for use in a signal reproducing system in which a pressure-responsive pickup bears against and compresses the carrier while traveling along an information-containing path on the carrier surface, the pickup being substantially immovable in the direction in which it bears against the carrier and producing an output proportional to the reaction force exerted by the carrier on the pickup, information being stored along the path in the form of zones of differing mechanical hardness. Such carrier can be produced by applying a suitable radiation in an appropriate intensity pattern to a suitably deformable material whose hardness can be modified by such radiation.
Inventors
- 👤 G Dickopp
- 👤 H Batsch
- 👤 W Runge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:52
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B11/00; G11B11/03; G11B11/06; G11B3/00; G11B3/44; G11B3/445
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
267 words
In the combination including: a. a carrier having deformable means by which signals are stored in mechanical form, said deformable means being arranged along a path; b. pressure sensitive pickup means capable of converting changes in mechanical pressure into electrical signals, said pickup means having a surface portion for engaging said deformable means; and c. means for causing relative movement of said pickup means along said path and for maintaining said surface portion of said pickup means and said deformable means in engagement with each other while said surface portion of said pickup means is maintained substantially immovable in the direction of the force acting to maintain said surface portion of said pickup means and said deformable means in engagement with each other, in consequence of which when there is relative movement of said pickup means along said path, said deformable means are deformed and said pickup means put out electrical signals which correspond to the signals that are stored in mechanical form, the improvement wherein said deformable means comprise a succession of zones disposed along the path, and said deformable means of said carrier is of a material which has a deformation resistance characteristic such that deformation of said deformable means at each zone by the same amount produces a reaction force which varies in values from one zone to the next in correspondence to the stored signals, whereby the reaction force exerted on said surface portion of said pickup means is proportional to the resistance to deformation of the portion of said deformable means contacted by said surface portion of said pickup at each instant.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
267 words
In the combination including: a. a carrier having deformable means by which signals are stored in mechanical form, said deformable means being arranged along a path; b. pressure sensitive pickup means capable of converting changes in mechanical pressure into electrical signals, said pickup means having a surface portion for engaging said deformable means; and c. means for causing relative movement of said pickup means along said path and for maintaining said surface portion of said pickup means and said deformable means in engagement with each other while said surface portion of said pickup means is maintained substantially immovable in the direction of the force acting to maintain said surface portion of said pickup means and said deformable means in engagement with each other, in consequence of which when there is relative movement of said pickup means along said path, said deformable means are deformed and said pickup means put out electrical signals which correspond to the signals that are stored in mechanical form, the improvement wherein said deformable means comprise a succession of zones disposed along the path, and said deformable means of said carrier is of a material which has a deformation resistance characteristic such that deformation of said deformable means at each zone by the same amount produces a reaction force which varies in values from one zone to the next in correspondence to the stored signals, whereby the reaction force exerted on said surface portion of said pickup means is proportional to the resistance to deformation of the portion of said deformable means contacted by said surface portion of said pickup at each instant.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
156 words
In a carrier in which information signals are stored along a path on a deformable surface portion of the carrier and reproduced by a pressure-sensitive pickup having a scanning surface which bears against and compresses the deformable surface portion while the pickup travels along the path, the transducer output being a function of the reaction force exerted on the scanning surface by the carrier, the improvement wherein said carrier surface portion has a succession of zones disposed along the path, said surface portion being of a material which has a deformation resistance characteristic such that deformation of the surface portion at each zone by the same amount produces a reaction force which varies in value from one zone to the next in correspondence to the stored signals, whereby the reaction force exerted on the scanning surface is proportional to the resistance to deformation of the carrier surface portion contacted by the scanning surface at each instant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
156 words
In a carrier in which information signals are stored along a path on a deformable surface portion of the carrier and reproduced by a pressure-sensitive pickup having a scanning surface which bears against and compresses the deformable surface portion while the pickup travels along the path, the transducer output being a function of the reaction force exerted on the scanning surface by the carrier, the improvement wherein said carrier surface portion has a succession of zones disposed along the path, said surface portion being of a material which has a deformation resistance characteristic such that deformation of the surface portion at each zone by the same amount produces a reaction force which varies in value from one zone to the next in correspondence to the stored signals, whereby the reaction force exerted on the scanning surface is proportional to the resistance to deformation of the carrier surface portion contacted by the scanning surface at each instant.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 which is free, along the path, of substantial surface unevennesses which would be able to exert substantial pressures on the pickup scanning surface being guided along the path.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein said carrier surface portion has zones of greater resistance to deformation protruding further from the carrier surface than intervening zones of lesser resistance to deformation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein the path is disposed in a groove.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2, comprising a first member on which the information is stored at the carrier surface in the form of alternating projections and depressions and a second member at least partially filling the depressions and of a solid material which is less deformation-resistant than the material of said first member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A carrier as defined in claim 6 wherein said second member is an elastic surface layer completely covering said first member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein said carrier is of a plastic which can be cross-linked by irradiation and which is irradiated to contain the information in the form of said zones with respectively different degrees of resistance to deformation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
A carrier as defined in claim 8 wherein the plastic is a polyolefin.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A carrier as defined in claim 8 wherein the plastic is a low pressure polyethylene mixed with benzophenone, hexachloro-benzol, sulfur monochloride, or hexachlorotetrahydronaphtha-lene to sensitize the polyethylene.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein the path is composed of a series of parallel tracks and said surface portion further has intermediate regions located between adjacent tracks and having a greater resistance to deformation than the less deformation-resistant zones.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A carrier as defined in claim 11 wherein the resistance to deformation of the intermediate regions is the same as that of the most deformation-resistant zones.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A carrier as defined in claim 12 wherein said intermediate regions form a barrier between adjacent tracks.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
A carrier as defined in claim 13 wherein the path is disposed in a groove.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
222 words
A method for recording information signals along a path on a deformable surface portion of a carrier, which signals are to be reproduced by causing a scanning surface of pressure-sensitive pickup means capable of converting changes in mechanical pressure into electrical signals to bear against and compress the carrier surface portion, and producing relative movement of the pickup means scanning surface along the path while maintaining the pickup means and deformable surface portion in engagement with each other and maintaining the pickup means scanning surface substantially immovable in the direction of the force acting to maintain the pickup means and deformable surface portion in engagement with each other, so that the deformable surface portion exerts on the scanning surface a reaction force which is due to the compression of the deformable surface and whose variation is a function of the stored signals, said method comprising: providing a starting body of a homogeneous material whose resistance to deformation along the path can be varied by an amount dependent on the intensity of incident radiation of a particular type; and applying radiation of such type to a surface of the body with an intensity which varies from one zone to another along the path in accordance with the information signals to be recorded to produce zones having respectively different degrees of resistance to deformation.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
222 words
A method for recording information signals along a path on a deformable surface portion of a carrier, which signals are to be reproduced by causing a scanning surface of pressure-sensitive pickup means capable of converting changes in mechanical pressure into electrical signals to bear against and compress the carrier surface portion, and producing relative movement of the pickup means scanning surface along the path while maintaining the pickup means and deformable surface portion in engagement with each other and maintaining the pickup means scanning surface substantially immovable in the direction of the force acting to maintain the pickup means and deformable surface portion in engagement with each other, so that the deformable surface portion exerts on the scanning surface a reaction force which is due to the compression of the deformable surface and whose variation is a function of the stored signals, said method comprising: providing a starting body of a homogeneous material whose resistance to deformation along the path can be varied by an amount dependent on the intensity of incident radiation of a particular type; and applying radiation of such type to a surface of the body with an intensity which varies from one zone to another along the path in accordance with the information signals to be recorded to produce zones having respectively different degrees of resistance to deformation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein said step of applying is carried out by disposing adjacent the body surface a mask having a radiation permeability pattern corresponding to the information to be recorded, maintaining the mask stationary with respect to the body surface, and directing radiation through the mask to the body surface.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the material of the starting body is a plastic which can be cross-linked by the radiation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the starting body is of a plastic and the radiation effects an increased deformation resistance of the plastic.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
73 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein said step of applying is carried out by irradiating the body surface with a beam, modulating the beam with a signal representing the information to be recorded so that the beam effects a varying change in the deformation resistance of the carrier surface to correspond to the information and moving the beam relative to the carrier surface in a direction parallel to the carrier surface.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as defined in claim 19 wherein the radiation increases the deformation resistance of the body and further comprising illuminating the body by a source of uniform light to produce intermediate regions of high deformation resistance extending adjacent the path serving to retain a pickup scanning surface on the path.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
60 words
A method as defined in claim 15 wherein said step of applying is carried out in such a manner as to cause the average deformation resistance of the carrier to be greater along the edges of the path than along its center, whereby the edge regions of higher deformation resistance serve to guide a pickup scanning surface along the path.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as defined in claim 21 wherein the radiation is in the form of a beam whose cross section has the shape of a narrow lemniscate surface.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as defined in claim 21 wherein the radiation is in the form of a beaM whose cross section has the shape of two acute triangles which together constitute the width of the path, whose apices abut one another, and whose bases are parallel to one another.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3652809A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-03-25 | 1977-09-24 | 1978-03-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-03-25 | 1981-09-24 | 1982-03-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-03-25 | 1985-09-24 | 1986-03-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |