JP2005235359A - Drive for external storage media being printable on label surface, media, program, and terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable printing on a label surface with laser by making the label surface of an external storage medium a material discolored by laser irradiation or the like and inserting the medium into a drive turning over it. <P>SOLUTION: Read-out of data, write-in of data, further, write-in of label information in the label surface utilizing a label information write-in program are performed in a state in which the external storage medium is loaded in a drive for external storage medium provided with an external storage media loading part, data from the external storage media read-out means, data write-in means for the external storage media, and a label information write-in means in which label information is written in a label surface area provided in the external storage media. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention uses a laser for writing / reading data by turning a CD or DVD medium whose surface is changed in color by light, heat, magnetic field, electricity, chemical reaction, etc. into the drive. The present invention relates to an external storage medium drive that enables printing on a label surface, an external storage medium, a label information writing program, and a terminal device that includes a label information writing program.

Conventionally, as external storage media used in computers and various digital devices, typical examples include disc-shaped data recording media, such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, There are DVD + RW, DVD-RAM, Blu-ray Disc, and the like.
The user prints the title, file name, date, picture, etc. on the label surface with a printer or handwriting with a magic pen so that the recorded contents can be understood.
Printers that can perform label printing include a printer dedicated to label printing, a general-purpose printer that also supports label printing using an optional kit, or a general-purpose printer that supports label printing from the beginning. Examples of the printing method include an inkjet method, a laser method, a melting method, a sublimation method, and a thermal transfer method. There are many other types of products on the market, such as those that are printed on a sticker and then affixed to media.

However, in any method, since the data writing device and the label printing device are separate casings, the data writing and the label printing cannot be performed at the same time, and the printing device also takes up the place.
Although it is not a disk-shaped medium, MICROMV cassette with microcassette memory is available from Sony. In addition to the basic information on the tape, various data such as “cassette ID / date / title information” and “camera information” are recorded. During shooting, the microcassette memory stores the shooting start position of the scene. It has a multi-screen search function that can display the first image (thumbnail). However, the thumbnails cannot be viewed unless they are displayed on the LCD screen of the video camera. Since the cassette itself is small, only limited information can be written on the label surface.

JP 2000-173096 A

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-173096 “Optical recording medium” enables label display without direct printing on a bonded single-sided recording type optical recording medium in DVD-R, etc. An optical recording medium that is strongly resistant to printing and has no deviation in the weight of the medium has been proposed.
Label printing is possible without printing on the surface of DVDs, etc. It has a recording layer that absorbs laser light and a metal reflective layer on the recording layer, and decomposes when it absorbs light on it. Alternatively, the label recording layer is changed in quality.
However, this application does not disclose how to perform label recording, and does not describe what kind of device is used to perform label recording. Therefore, an individual user cannot create a label only with an optical recording medium.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the above-mentioned various problems are solved, and without preparing a printer capable of label printing, the label surface of an external storage medium such as a CD or DVD is made of a material that changes color by laser irradiation, and the medium is turned over. External storage media drive, external storage media, label information writing program, and label information writing program capable of printing the label surface with a laser by inserting it into the drive and printing immediately on the media in the drive It aims at providing the terminal device provided with.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 1,
A drive for external storage media,
An external storage medium loading unit;
Means for reading data from an external storage medium;
Means for writing data to an external storage medium;
Label information writing means for writing label information on the label surface area provided in the external storage medium,
The external storage medium drive is capable of reading and writing data and writing label information on the label surface with the external storage medium loaded in the drive.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 2,
In the invention of claim 1,
The external storage medium is a drive for external storage media including at least one of CD-R / RW, various DVDs, Blu-rays, and optical disks.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 3,
In the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
Label information writing to the label surface area of the external storage medium is controlled by the label information writing means according to at least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. Further, the present invention is characterized in that it is a drive for an external storage medium that performs a quality change process on the variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface area.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 4,
In the invention of claim 3,
Write label information to the label surface area of the external storage medium according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. It is characterized by being a drive for an external storage medium that performs writing control and performs alteration processing by laser irradiation on a variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 5,
In the invention of claim 3,
Label information writing to the label surface area of the external storage medium is based on at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. It is a drive for an external storage medium that performs writing control by a method and performs a quality change process by an ink jet method or a thermal transfer method on a variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface area.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 6,
In the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The label information writing means includes a laser irradiation means for irradiating the label surface of the external storage medium with a laser and laser irradiation according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information. An irradiation control means for controlling,
The laser irradiation means is provided on the same side as the data reading means and the data writing means, and the external storage medium is turned over and loaded when writing the label information in the label surface area. It is characterized by being a drive.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 7,
In the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The label information writing means includes a laser irradiation means for irradiating the label surface of the external storage medium with a laser and laser irradiation according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information. An irradiation control means for controlling,
The laser irradiation means is provided on the side opposite to the data reading means and the data writing means, and when writing the label information in the label surface area, the external storage medium is loaded as it is without being turned over. It is a drive for external storage media.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 8,
In the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 7,
The laser irradiating means is a drive for an external storage medium that is capable of irradiating lasers having a plurality of wavelengths and that can write a plurality of colors in the label surface area.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 9,
In the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 8,
The variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area is rewritable with a discolorable material, and the label surface print can be erased by adjusting the laser power. It is a drive for storage media.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 10,
External storage comprising an external storage medium loading unit, data reading means from the external storage medium, data writing means to the external storage medium, and label information writing means for writing label information to a label surface area provided in the external storage medium When loaded in the media drive,
A variable quality layer is provided in which alteration processing is performed in accordance with at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of label information to be printed in response to writing control from the label information writing means. And an external storage medium provided with a label surface and a data storage surface on which data is written and read.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 11,
A label information writing program provided in a terminal device for sending label information to the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive according to claim 1,
The label information writing program reads file information written to the external storage medium or file information written to the external storage medium, and instructs the label information writing means provided in the drive for external storage media to write the file information. Is a label information writing program which is printed on the label surface.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 12,
A label information writing program provided in a terminal device for sending label information to the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive according to claim 1,
The label information writing program reads the thumbnail of the file written to the external storage medium or the thumbnail of the file written to the external storage medium, and instructs the label information writing means provided in the drive for external storage media to write, It is a label information writing program in which thumbnails are printed on the label surface.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 13,
In the invention of claim 12,
The label information writing program prints thumbnails on the label surface by instructing the label information writing means included in the drive for external storage media to write thumbnails of still images recorded each time recording is performed by the moving image recording apparatus. It is characterized by being a label information writing program.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 14,
In the invention of claim 12,
The label information writing program uses thumbnails of still images extracted from multiple still images based on the shooting date or time of the still image recording device or the creation date or file name of the still image file. It is a label information writing program in which thumbnails are printed on the label surface by instructing writing to label information writing means provided in the storage medium drive.

In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 15,
It is a terminal device provided with the drive for external storage media in any one of Claims 1-9.
In order to solve the above problem, in the invention according to claim 16,
It is a terminal device provided with the label information writing program in any one of Claims 11-14.

  According to the present invention, without preparing a printer capable of label printing, the label surface of an external storage medium such as a CD-R / RW, DVD, Blu-ray, or optical disk is made of a material that changes color by laser irradiation, and the medium is turned over to drive. The label side can be printed with a laser, and the drive for external storage media, external storage media, label information writing program, and label information writing program that can immediately print on the media in the drive The terminal device provided can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are system configuration diagrams showing an example of a basic configuration of the system of the present invention.
(First embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention is a drive for an external storage medium, and includes an external storage medium loading unit.
Typical external storage media are CD-R / RW, various DVDs, Blu-rays, optical discs, and the like.
A typical form of a drive for these external storage media is a CD-R / RW drive capable of reading / writing a CD-R / RW, etc. It is envisaged to print label information about the written data file.
Also, CD-R / RW writing, DVD-RAM writing, DVD video writing, DVD-RAM reading / writing DVD-RAM drive or DVD writing media DVD-R can be written. There are a DVD-R drive, a DVD-RW drive (recorder) capable of writing DVD-RW, which is mainly used in a DVD recorder, and a DVD + RW drive capable of writing DVD + RW. Examples of the DVD-RAM drive include a drive capable of reading and writing an external storage medium in the form of a disk only, or an external storage medium in the form of a cartridge surrounding the disk, a Blu-ray drive, an optical disk drive, and the like.
Various composite drives capable of reading and writing a plurality of external recording media among these have been developed.
In the present invention, any one of a single external drive or recorder and a drive built in a computer device or other devices may be used.

The drive for external storage media includes means for reading data from the external storage media.
A typical reading method of an external storage medium drive is an optical pickup method using a laser diode. CD-R / RW drives and various DVD drives differ greatly from magnetic disk drives (flexible disk drives and hard disk drives) by using light instead of magnetic fields to read data from the data surface of external storage media. To read the data.
CD-R / RW reads irregularities (referred to as pits) formed on the surface of the disk by reflection of laser light and discoloration / degeneration of the recording layer.
The laser beam emitted from the laser diode passes through an optical system composed of a series of lenses and the like, focuses on the data surface, and the laser beam reflected from the data surface returns to the detector. The system sends a reflected beam to the photodiode, which detects the amount of light in the reflected beam. The read data is converted into a bit pattern by decoding the pattern on the data surface by a photodetector.

Next, the external storage medium drive includes data writing means for writing to the external storage medium.
The external storage medium writes and stores data by imparting physical irregularities on the surface and changing or altering the recording layer.
In writing a CD, a laser is irradiated to heat a base having a multilayer structure as shown in FIG. 3 to form pits (recesses), but relatively large-scale equipment is required.
On the other hand, in an external storage medium such as a CD or DVD that can be written by a user such as a CD-RW, as shown in FIG. Erasing is enabled.

Next, the external storage medium drive includes label information writing means for writing label information in a label surface area of the external storage medium.
The label information writing means writes label information in the label surface area of the external storage medium having a label surface area corresponding to label information writing.
Label information writing to the label surface area of the external storage medium is controlled by the label information writing means according to at least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. The alteration process is performed on the variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface area.
The label surface area is provided on the opposite surface of the external storage medium to the data surface for recording data, on the same surface as the data surface for recording data, or on the external storage medium. The form etc. which are provided in both surfaces are employable. Further, the external storage medium may have a shape such as a disk, a dice, a business card, or a stamp, or other shapes, and a label surface area where label information can be written can be provided according to the shape of the external storage medium.

Write label information to the label surface area of the external storage medium by incorporating a printer with the drive so that at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed Accordingly, the label information writing means can perform writing control by the ink jet method or the thermal transfer method, and the variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface region can be subjected to the alteration process by the ink jet method or the thermal transfer method.
A CD-R / RW or DVD drive may be used for printing by an ink jet method instead of a laser. A CD-R / RW or DVD drive may be used for printing by a thermal transfer method instead of a laser.

A preferred form of writing label information to the label surface area provided in the external storage medium is to perform alteration / discoloration processing on the recording layer, which is a variable quality layer, using a laser. In accordance with at least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed, the label information writing means performs writing control by laser irradiation, and is applied to the laser irradiation provided on the label surface area surface. The variable quality layer is altered by laser irradiation.
Further, if the rotational speed is decreased, the laser irradiation temperature can be increased.
In addition, when writing label information with laser irradiation means, it is possible to change and control the laser irradiation temperature by changing the rotation speed of the drive of the external storage medium, and to write by changing the alteration / discoloration processing. .

When using a laser, the label information writing means includes a laser irradiation means for irradiating the label surface of the external storage medium with a laser, and the laser irradiation position, power, timing, etc. Irradiation control means for controlling according to at least one of an image, a pattern, and a color.
The laser irradiation means is an irradiation device typified by a laser diode. The irradiation control means receives data such as characters and figures to be written from a computer device or image / video input device, converts it into a bit pattern, and controls the position, power, timing, etc. of laser irradiation. is there.

The recording layer is coated with a material that undergoes a chemical change due to the heat of the laser and changes the light reflectance. The portion corresponding to the pits and lands of the CD is written by irradiating the recording layer with a laser with a larger output than that at the time of reading. The dye of the recording layer changes its properties only in response to a laser beam having a certain wavelength.
The laser irradiation means is provided on the same side as the data reading means and the data writing means, and when writing the label information in the label surface area, the external storage medium may be turned over and loaded.
In this case, the laser irradiation means may be the same device as the data reading means and data writing means for writing data on the data surface, or may be a device provided separately.

In order to print on the label side of a medium such as a CD-R / RW or DVD, a data writing / reading laser is used. For this purpose, the label surface is made of a material that changes color by laser irradiation, and the media is turned over and inserted into the drive.
The laser irradiation means is provided on the side opposite to the data reading means and data writing means, and when writing label information in the label surface area, the external storage medium is loaded as it is without being turned over. Also good.
The external storage medium drive is capable of reading and writing data and writing label information on the label surface with the external storage medium loaded in the drive.
A label surface printing laser may be attached to the label surface side of the drive separately from the data writing / reading laser so that printing can be performed without turning the media over.

Further, writing on different surfaces of the label surface provided with the variable quality layer (recording layer) and the data storage surface (recording layer) may be performed from the same direction by the laser irradiation means.
Data is transmitted through a label surface composed of a substance that can be irradiated with laser from the label surface side where the variable quality layer (recording layer) is provided to the data storage surface (recording layer) on the opposite side. It is composed of a material that can write data to the surface, or conversely, can irradiate a laser from the data storage surface side where the variable quality layer (recording layer) is provided to the opposite label surface. The label information is written on the label surface through the data storage surface.

If the laser irradiation means is configured to be able to irradiate lasers having a plurality of wavelengths, it is possible to write a plurality of colors in the label surface area.
In the case of a drive having a laser having a plurality of wavelengths of two wavelengths, three wavelengths or more, it is possible to print in two colors or colors. Irradiation of a plurality of wavelengths may be performed using separate laser diodes, but a monolithic high-power dual-wavelength laser diode that can emit two or more types of laser light with one LD chip, etc. Can be realized with a single laser diode.

Further, it is preferable that the label information can be erased by changing and changing the color of the variable quality layer again.
The variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area is rewritable with a discolorable material, and the label surface printing can be erased by adjusting the laser power or rotation speed. The When the discolorable material is rewritable, the label surface printing can be erased by adjusting the laser power or rotation speed.
Alternatively, the variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area is rewritable, and the label surface print can be erased using a strobe built into the drive. Is done.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention is provided with a label surface provided with a variable quality layer on which alteration processing is performed, and a data storage surface on which data is written and read. It is a compatible external storage medium.
In the external storage medium, label information is written in a label surface area provided in the external storage medium, a data reading means from the external storage medium, a data writing means to the external storage medium, and a label surface area provided in the external storage medium. In the state loaded in the drive for the external storage medium comprising the means, the label information writing means receives the writing control from the label information writing means, and prints the characters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. A label surface provided with a variable quality layer on which alteration processing is performed in accordance with at least one of them, and a data storage surface on which data is written and read are provided.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an external storage medium provided with a label surface provided with a variable quality layer (recording layer) and a data storage surface (recording layer) on which data is written and read. .
The label surface provided with the variable quality layer (recording layer) and the data storage surface (recording layer) where data is written and read correspond to the respective laser wavelengths for data writing and label information writing. Thus, a variable material that undergoes alteration or discoloration is provided by coating or vapor deposition.
In order to write the label information on the label surface only once, the alteration / discoloration of the variable layer (recording layer) becomes a burnt state instead of the pit, and the burnt organic dye does not return. A substance may be used.
On the other hand, in order to make it rewritable, the substance used for the variable layer (recording layer) may be a substance that reacts with the intensity of the laser beam to crystallize (during erasing) or melt (recording state).

Further, in order to enable writing in two or more colors, the material used for the variable quality layer (recording layer) may be a material having a different degree of alteration depending on the wavelength of the laser beam.
Another method for enabling writing with two or more colors is to use two, three or more layers of materials used for the variable quality layer (recording layer) as shown in FIG. Thus, depending on the wavelength and intensity of the laser beam, up to which layer of the plurality of recording layers may be changed.
When the external storage medium is a medium containing a cartridge such as a DVD-RAM, it is desirable that the cartridge is made of a transparent or translucent material and the label surface is visible from the outside. In the case of media with a cartridge, the cartridge case may be transparent so that the printing surface can be seen.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present invention is a label information writing program provided in a terminal device that transmits label information. The terminal device is a computer device, an image / moving image input device, or a computer device provided in a drive for external storage media.
The label information writing program can be used for titles and graphics such as CD-R / RW and DVD, or description of data recorded in these external storage media, file information such as file name, file format, date and time, or This is a program for writing thumbnails such as images as label information.

  A typical example of a preferred form of the label information writing program is a label provided in a terminal device that sends label information to label information writing means provided in the external storage media drive according to any one of claims 1 to 9. An information writing program, the label information writing program reads file information written to the external storage medium or file information written to the external storage medium, and writes it to the label information writing means provided in the drive for the external storage medium. By instructing, the file information is printed on the label surface. The file information can include file name, file format, creation date / time, storage date / time, creator, data size, and other information.

The file information may be input on the screen of the computer device by an input form or an input window provided in the label information writing program. However, the file information managed by the operating system is automatically referred to. Then, it may be possible to eliminate the input by extracting.
The label information writing program preferably has an input function for graphics and symbols, editing functions for graphics, lines, various decorations, and other graphics. In addition, by preparing graphics, lines, various decoration templates, label information templates, etc. in advance, the user can simply select these, specify characters, layout, format, etc. It is preferable to be able to edit and determine.

Another typical example of a preferred form of the label information writing program is provided in a terminal device that transmits label information to the label information writing means provided in the external storage media drive according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Label information writing program, which reads a thumbnail of a file written to an external storage medium or a thumbnail of a file written to an external storage medium, and writes label information provided in the drive for the external storage medium By instructing the means to write, thumbnails are printed on the label surface.
For these thumbnails, images or the like may be designated on an operation window or the like provided in the label information writing program on the screen of the computer device, etc., but the thumbnail information managed by the operating system and the image / video input device You may make it acquire automatically from.

An example of automatically acquiring thumbnails from a computer device or an image / moving image input device has the following form.
The label information writing program writes a thumbnail of a still image that is recorded every time recording (for example, at the start, every predetermined timing) by the moving image recording device to the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive. By instructing, the thumbnail is printed on the label surface.
For example, each time a recording start button is pressed with a video camera, a still image is recorded and printed as a thumbnail on the label side of the media. The stored contents of the media are displayed as images on the label surface, making it easy to understand.

Another example of automatically acquiring thumbnails from a computer device or an image / moving image input device has the following form. Examples of the image / moving image input device include a moving image recording device such as a digital video camera, a still image recording device such as a digital camera, and a moving image reproducing device such as a digital television.
The label information writing program is extracted from a moving image or a plurality of still images based on the shooting date or time zone taken with the still image recording device or the moving image recording device, or the creation date or file name of the still image file. By instructing the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive to write the thumbnail of the still image, the thumbnail is printed on the label surface.
For example, when shooting in the still image mode of a digital camera or video, if the time zone changes even on the shooting date or the same day, the top image is recorded for each time zone and printed as a thumbnail on the label side of the media.

The label information writing program also supports file information such as file name, file format, creation date / time, storage date / time, creator, data size, file thumbnails, characters, layouts, It is desirable to store label information such as format designation as data on the data surface of the external storage medium.
When duplicating an external storage medium, the label information data can be read and the same label information can be written.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment of the present invention is a terminal device including an external storage medium drive. The terminal device is a computer terminal such as a personal computer, workstation, server device, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, camera-equipped mobile phone, an image recording device such as a digital camera, or a moving image recording device such as a digital video camera. And a moving image reproducing apparatus such as a digital television.
A terminal device according to this embodiment includes a terminal device including the external storage medium drive according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the label information writing program according to any one of claims 11 to 14. It is a terminal device.
With the configuration described in detail above, the label surface of the CD-R / RW or DVD is made of a material that changes color by laser irradiation or the like, and the label surface is printed with a laser by turning the media over and inserting it into the drive. Without having to prepare a printer capable of label printing, the label information can be printed immediately by turning the external storage medium in the drive upside down (or without turning it over).

Hereinafter, the basic operation and action of the present invention will be described using a preferred example.
Currently, various materials that change color by laser irradiation have been put into practical use. There are various types, such as those due to changes in crystal structure (phase change), those that can be electronically rewritten (electronic paper from Xerox Corporation), those using organic dyes, and those due to chemical changes. Some of these colors can be repeatedly developed and erased, and others cannot be restored once they are discolored.
Some DVDs and Blu-ray drives are equipped with a plurality of lasers with different wavelengths so that CDs can be read and written. If there are three-wavelength lasers, color printing is possible by preparing three types of materials whose sensitivity characteristics are matched to the wavelength and applying them in three layers on the label surface. If two layers have two wavelengths, two-color printing is performed.
Taking video at home is often used for events such as children's athletic events and travel, but it often does not turn until the title is written after the event. If you try to write later, you may not know unless you play the video again and check the contents. If the recording start position of each scene can be stored and displayed as a thumbnail like Sony's MICROMV cassette, the thumbnail image is printed on a DVD or CD-R / RW label, and the recorded video image is recorded on a DVD or CD-R. / RW saves the video content on the label easily without playing the video. For example, in the case of an athletic meet video, the thumbnails at the start of shooting are admission, greetings from the principal, radio gymnastics, student race, large ball feed, and so on.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an external storage medium showing an example in which label information is printed on a label surface area.
(Example of thumbnail printing of images on DVD drive devices such as DVD drives and DVD video recorders)
Prepare DVD media with a label surface coated with a material that develops color with laser light or heat (such as leuco dye).
Insert the media into the DVD drive. Save video images, digital camera images, etc. to media. At that time, a laser is irradiated on the data surface.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which data is written to the data surface.
Next, the laser irradiation means is provided on the same side as the data reading means and the data writing means, and when writing the label information in the label surface area, the external storage medium is turned over and loaded. If a media drive is used, the external storage medium is taken out from the DVD drive and turned over and inserted.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the external storage medium is taken out and inserted upside down.
Next, a label information writing program for performing label surface editing is started. The label information writing program may be automatically activated.
You can lay out and edit thumbnails of videos and digital camera images, and edit titles.
FIG. 10 shows an example of an editing screen using a label information writing program.
Next, the label information is determined and a writing instruction is issued, whereby the laser of the DVD drive device is irradiated onto the label surface of the medium and printed.

(Example of file name text printing on DVD drive)
Prepare DVD media with a label surface coated with a material that develops color with laser light or heat (such as leuco dye).
Insert the media into the DVD drive. Save data to media. At that time, the data surface is irradiated with a laser.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which data is written to the data surface.
Next, the laser irradiation means is provided on the same side as the data reading means and the data writing means, and when writing the label information in the label surface area, the external storage medium is turned over and loaded. When a media drive is used, the media is taken out from an external storage such as a DVD drive device, and inserted inside out.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the external storage medium is taken out and inserted upside down.
Next, a label information writing program for performing label surface editing is started. The label information writing program may be automatically activated.
File information field text etc. can be laid out and edited, and titles can be edited.
FIG. 11 shows an example of an editing screen using a label information writing program.
Next, the label information is determined and a writing instruction is issued, whereby the laser of the DVD drive device is irradiated onto the label surface of the medium and printed.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external storage medium in which text data such as file information is written as label information.

(Example of label printing using a single-sided recording medium in a dual-sided recording DVD recorder)
Prepare DVD media with a label surface coated with a material that develops color with laser light or heat (such as leuco dye). It becomes a single-sided recording medium.
The DVD recorder supports double-sided (A side / B side) recording, and is equipped with lasers on both sides. The above single-sided recording medium is inserted into this.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state where a single-sided recording medium is inserted.
Each time recording is started, a thumbnail of the first image of the scene is automatically acquired. When recording is finished, the thumbnail of the first image of the recorded scene is automatically printed on the label surface with the laser on the opposite side (B surface) to the recording side (A surface).
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which image data such as thumbnails is written to the external storage medium as label information.

Further, in a recording apparatus such as a broadcast program such as a DVD recorder, an example in which a recording device automatically acquires program information such as a program name from a program receiving apparatus is as follows.
The label information writing program records program information (title, sponsor name, broadcast station name, broadcast date / time, etc.) of a program acquired every time recording is performed (for example, at the start, every predetermined timing) by the moving image recording apparatus. Program information is printed on the label surface by instructing writing to label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive. The program information (title, sponsor name, broadcast station name, broadcast date, etc.) of the program may be transmitted from the broadcast station side, received by the recording device side and written, or recorded by the recording device side. Then, writing may be performed by reading characters on the screen by OCR processing or the like.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the label surface of an external storage medium such as a CD-R / RW, DVD, Blu-ray, or optical disk is discolored by laser irradiation or the like without preparing a printer capable of label printing. By making the material, turning the media over and inserting it into the drive, the label surface can be printed with a laser, and the drive for external storage media, external storage media, and label information writing that can be printed immediately on the media in the drive A terminal device including a program and a label information writing program can be provided.

It is a system configuration figure showing an example of the basic composition of the system of the present invention. It is a system configuration figure showing an example of the basic composition of the system of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the multilayered structure of CD. It is sectional drawing of external storage media, such as CD and DVD which can be written by a user. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the external storage medium provided with the label surface in which the variable quality layer (recording layer) was provided, and the data storage surface (recording layer) in which writing and reading of data are performed. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the external storage medium which made the substance used for a variable quality layer (recording layer) into three layers. It is a figure which shows the external storage medium which shows an example which printed label information on the label surface area | region. It is a figure which shows the state which performs the data writing to a data surface. It is a figure which shows the state which took out the external storage medium and turned over and inserted. An example of the edit screen using a label information writing program is shown. An example of the edit screen using a label information writing program is shown. It is a figure which shows an example of the external storage medium in which text data, such as file information, was written as label information. It is a figure which shows the state which inserts a single-sided recording medium. It is a figure which shows an example of the state by which image data, such as a thumbnail, is written in an external storage medium as label information.

Claims (16)

A drive for external storage media,
An external storage medium loading unit;
Means for reading data from an external storage medium;
Means for writing data to an external storage medium;
Label information writing means for writing label information on the label surface area provided in the external storage medium,
A drive for external storage media, wherein data can be read and written and label information can be written on a label surface in a state where the external storage media is loaded in the drive. The external storage medium drive according to claim 1, wherein the external storage medium includes at least one of CD-R / RW, various DVDs, Blu-ray, and an optical disk. Label information writing to the label surface area of the external storage medium is controlled by the label information writing means according to at least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. 3. The external storage medium drive according to claim 1, wherein the variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface area is subjected to a quality change process. Write label information to the label surface area of the external storage medium according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. 4. The external storage medium drive according to claim 3, wherein write control is performed, and a quality change process by laser irradiation is performed on a variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area. Label information writing to the label surface area of the external storage medium is based on at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information to be printed. 4. The external storage medium according to claim 3, wherein write control is performed by a method, and a quality change process is performed on the variable quality layer provided on the surface of the label surface area by an ink jet method or a thermal transfer method. drive. The label information writing means includes a laser irradiation means for irradiating the label surface of the external storage medium with a laser and laser irradiation according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information. An irradiation control means for controlling,
The laser irradiation means is provided on the same side as the data reading means and the data writing means, and when writing label information to the label surface area, the external storage medium is turned over and loaded. The drive for external storage media according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The label information writing means includes a laser irradiation means for irradiating the label surface of the external storage medium with a laser and laser irradiation according to at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of the label information. An irradiation control means for controlling,
The laser irradiation means is provided on the side opposite to the data reading means and data writing means, and when the label information is written in the label surface area, the external storage medium is loaded as it is without being turned over. The drive for external storage media according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 8. The laser irradiation unit according to claim 4, wherein the laser irradiation means is configured to be able to irradiate a plurality of wavelengths of laser, and a plurality of colors can be written to the label surface region. Drive for external storage media. The variable quality layer for laser irradiation provided on the surface of the label surface area is rewritable, and the label surface print can be erased by adjusting the laser power. The drive for external storage media according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the drive is for external storage media. External storage comprising an external storage medium loading unit, data reading means from the external storage medium, data writing means to the external storage medium, and label information writing means for writing label information to a label surface area provided in the external storage medium When loaded in the media drive,
A variable quality layer is provided in which alteration processing is performed in accordance with at least one of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, drawings, patterns, and colors of label information to be printed in response to writing control from the label information writing means. An external storage medium comprising a label surface and a data storage surface on which data is written and read. A label information writing program provided in a terminal device for sending label information to the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive according to claim 1,
The label information writing program reads file information written to the external storage medium or file information written to the external storage medium, and instructs the label information writing means provided in the drive for external storage media to write the file information. Is printed on the label surface, and a label information writing program. A label information writing program provided in a terminal device for sending label information to the label information writing means provided in the external storage medium drive according to claim 1,
The label information writing program reads the thumbnail of the file written to the external storage medium or the thumbnail of the file written to the external storage medium, and instructs the label information writing means provided in the drive for external storage media to write, A label information writing program, wherein a thumbnail is printed on a label surface. The label information writing program prints thumbnails on the label surface by instructing the label information writing means provided in the drive for external storage media to write thumbnails of still images recorded each time recording is performed by the moving image recording apparatus. The label information writing program according to claim 12, wherein The label information writing program uses thumbnails of still images extracted from a plurality of still images based on the shooting date or time of the still image recording device or the creation date or file name of the still image file. 13. The label information writing program according to claim 12, wherein the thumbnail is printed on the label surface by instructing writing to label information writing means provided in the storage medium drive. The terminal device provided with the drive for external storage media in any one of Claims 1-9. The terminal device provided with the label information writing program in any one of Claims 11-14.