CLIAMS:STATEMENT OF CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A method for enabling a user to access contents on an optical disc using a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the method comprising of
` fetching codecs required to decode the contents from a content server by the BMDP, on detecting the optical disc being inserted into the BMDP;
storing the downloaded codecs in a volatile memory by the BMDP;
decoding the contents using the downloaded codecs by the BMDP; and
erasing the downloaded codecs from the volatile memory by the BMDP, on the BMDP detecting that the optical disc has been ejected from the BMDP.
2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises of checking by the content server if the user is authorized to access the contents, before enabling the BMDP to fetch the codecs from the content server.
3. The method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the method of checking if the user is authorized to access the contents comprises of validating a coupon code by the content server, wherein the coupon code is provided by the user.
4. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises of determining the codecs required for decoding the contents by at least one of the BMDP; or the content server.
5. A Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the BMDP configured for
` fetching codecs required to decode contents of an optical disc from a content server, on detecting the optical disc being inserted into the BMDP;
storing the downloaded codecs in a volatile memory;
decoding the contents using the downloaded codecs; and
erasing the downloaded codecs from the volatile memory, on the BMDP detecting that the optical disc has been ejected from the BMDP.
6. The BMDP, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the BMDP is further configured for
prompting the user to enter a coupon code, on detecting the optical disc being inserted into the BMDP; and
sending the coupon code to the content server.
7. The BMDP, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the BMDP is further configured for determining the codecs required for decoding the contents.
8. A computer program product for enabling a user to access contents on an optical disc using a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the product comprising:
an integrated circuit comprising at least one processor;
at least one memory having a computer program code within said circuit, wherein said at least one memory and said computer program code with said at least one processor cause said product to:
check if the user is authorized to access the contents;
send codecs required for decoding the contents to the BMDP, if the user is authorized to access the contents.
9. The computer program product, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at least one processor further causes said product to check if the user is authorized to access the contents by validating a coupon code by the content server, wherein the coupon code is provided by the user.
10. The computer program product, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at least one processor further causes said product to determine the codecs required for decoding the contents.

Dated: 28-05-2013 Signature:
Vikram Pratap Singh Thakur
Patent Agent
,TagSPECI:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

“A method and device for reading optical media”

APPLICANTS:

Name : HCL Technologies Ltd

Nationality : Indian

Address : HCL Technologies Ltd.
A8 & A9, Sector 60, Noida, 201301

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] This invention relates to digital media, and more particularly to reading digital media present on optical media.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[002] Currently, digital media may be accessed by a user using a variety of media such as an optical disc, internet and so on. When a user is accessing media on an optical disc, the user inserts a disc into a suitable player. The player decodes the content on the disc and displays the content to the user using a suitable means such as an external display, an inbuilt display and so on.
[003] However, the above process relies on the player being able to decode the contents. If the player does not have the proper codecs to decode the contents, the user is unable to view the contents.
[004] Also, piracy becomes an issue with content present on optical discs, with the user being able to copy and/or view the contents repeatedly and without the content provider having any control over the contents of the disc once the disc leaves the content provider.

OBJECT OF INVENTION
The principal object of this invention is to introduce a method and device that facilitates a user to access an optical disc on a bare metal disc player, irrespective of the type of content on the disc.
[005] A further object of the invention is to provide the content provider with a means for controlling the viewing of the content by a user.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION
[006] Accordingly the invention provides a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the BMDP configured for fetching codecs required to decode contents of an optical disc from a content server, on detecting the optical disc being inserted into the BMDP; storing the downloaded codecs in a volatile memory; decoding the contents using the downloaded codecs; and erasing the downloaded codecs from the volatile memory, on the BMDP detecting that the optical disc has been ejected from the BMDP.
[007] There is also provided a method for enabling a user to access contents on an optical disc using a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the method comprising of fetching codecs required to decode the contents from a content server by the BMDP, on detecting the optical disc being inserted into the BMDP; storing the downloaded codecs in a volatile memory by the BMDP; decoding the contents using the downloaded codecs by the BMDP; and erasing the downloaded codecs from the volatile memory by the BMDP, on the BMDP detecting that the optical disc has been ejected from the BMDP.
[008] There is also provided a computer program product for enabling a user to access contents on an optical disc using a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), the product comprising an integrated circuit comprising at least one processor; at least one memory having a computer program code within the circuit, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code with the at least one processor cause the product to check if the user is authorized to access the contents; send codecs required for decoding the contents to the BMDP, if the user is authorized to access the contents.
[009] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0010] This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP) connected to a cloud using the internet, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts a content server, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting the process of enabling a user to access media present on an optical disc using a BMDP, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting the process of a user ejecting an optical disc from the BMDP, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0016] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0017] The embodiments herein disclose a method and device that facilitates a user to access an optical disc on a bare metal disc player, irrespective of the type of content on the disc. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 1 depicts a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP) connected to a content server using the internet, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The figure depicts a BMDP 101 connected to the content server 102 via the internet. The BMDP 101 is a disc player comprising of a means to read the optical media (such as an optical laser and so on), spindle, a volatile memory, required hardware and driver software. However, the BMDP 101 does not comprise of any preloaded media codecs. The BMDP 101 comprises of a means to enable the BMDP 101 to connect to the internet, wherein the means may be a wired or wireless means. The wired means may be a Local Area Network (LAN) port, a USB link and so on. The wireless link may be a link using any one of WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi direct and so on. The BMDP 101 may also be using an external or an internal dongle to connect to the internet. The content server 102 may be implemented in the cloud.
[0019] On the user inserting an optical disc into the BMDP 101, the BMDP 101 checks whether the user is authorized to access the contents on the disc. The optical disc may be a CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD or any other form of optical disc. The BMDP 101 may check if the user is authorized to access the content using a coupon code entered by the user and details of a user account (such as a user ID and/or a password). In an embodiment herein, the user details may be present in the BMDP 101 and the user need not enter the user details repeatedly. In another embodiment herein, each BMDP 101 may be associated with the user. In another embodiment herein, the user enters the user details, on receiving a prompt from the BMDP 101. The BMDP 101 communicates the coupon code and the account details to the content server 102. The content server 102 using the coupon code and the account details, checks whether the user is authorized to access the contents. This may comprise of checking if the coupon code is valid and/or the user has sufficient balance in the user account to view the content, wherein the balance may be in the form of money, credits, tokens or any other suitable means.
[0020] In another embodiment herein, the authorization process may comprise of the content server 103 checking if the coupon code is valid.
[0021] On verifying that the user is authorized to access the contents, the content server 102 informs the authorization to the BMDP 101. The BMDP 101 checks for the type of contents. In an embodiment herein, the BMDP 101 may inform the type of contents to the content server 102 and the content server 102 determines the codecs required to decode the contents. In another embodiment herein, the BMDP 101 determines the codes required to decode the contents and informs the determined codecs to the content server 102.
[0022] The content server 102 sends the codecs to the BMDP 101. The BMDP 101 stores the codecs in the volatile memory. The BMDP 101 then uses the codecs to decode the contents and enables the user to access the contents. The BMDP 101 may enable the user to access the content repeatedly.
[0023] On the user ejecting the optical disc from the BMDP 101, the BMDP 101 erases the codecs from the volatile memory.
[0024] FIG. 2 depicts a Bare Metal Disc Player (BMDP), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The BMDP 101 is a disc player comprising of an optical media reader 201 (such as an optical laser and so on), a data recognition module 202, a controller 203, a communication interface 204, a volatile memory 205 and a user interface 206. The communication interface 204 enables the BMDP 101 to connect to the internet using a wired or wireless means. The wired means may be a Local Area Network (LAN) port, a USB link and so on. The wireless link may be a link using any one of WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi direct and so on. The communication interface 204 may also use an external or an internal dongle to connect to the internet. The user interface 206 may be present internal to the BMDP 101 or present external to the BMDP 101. The user interface 206 may be the same interface used by the user to view the contents. The user interface 206 may comprise of at least one of a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch sensitive display to enable the user to use the display as a keyboard, a touchpad and any other equivalent means which enables the user to view contents and/or input data.
[0025] On the user inserting an optical disc into the BMDP 101, the optical media reader 201 detects the presence of the optical disc and informs the presence of the optical disc to the controller 203. The controller 203 prompts the user for the coupon code using the user interface 206. The user may enter the coupon code using the user interface 206. On receiving the coupon code from the user, the controller 203 communicates the coupon code to the content server 102 using the communication interface 204.
[0026] In an embodiment herein, the controller 203 may also prompt the user to enter the user account details. The user may enter the user account details using the user interface 206. In another embodiment herein, the controller 203 may fetch the user details from a location such as a database, memory and so on, wherein the user has previously provided the details using the user interface 206 or any other suitable means and the controller 203 has stored these details. The controller 203 may also communicate the user account details to the content server 102 using the communication interface 204.
[0027] On the content server 102 verifying that the user is authorized to access the contents, the content server 102 informs the authorization to the controller 203 via the communication interface 204. The controller 203 may inform the successful authorization to the user using the user interface 206. If the authorization is not successful, the controller 203 informs the unsuccessful authorization to the user using the user interface 206. The controller 203 may also inform the reason for the unsuccessful authorization to the user using the user interface 206.
[0028] On receiving the authorization, the controller 203 requests the data recognition module 202 to check the type of content in the optical disc. The data recognition module 202 checks for the type of contents and informs the same to the controller 203. In an embodiment herein, the controller 203 informs the type of contents to the content server 102 via the communication interface 204. In another embodiment herein, the controller 203 determines the codes required to decode the contents and informs the determined codecs to the content server 102 via the communication interface 204.
[0029] On receiving the codecs from the content server 102, the controller 203 stores the codecs in the volatile memory 205. The controller 203 then uses the codecs to decode the contents and enables the user to access the contents. The controller 203 may enable the user to access the content repeatedly.
[0030] On the user ejecting the optical disc from the BMDP 101, the optical media reader 201 informs the ejection of the optical disc to the controller 203. The controller 203 erases the codecs from the volatile memory 205.
[0031] FIG. 3 depicts a content server, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The content server 102 may be implemented in the cloud and may be connected to a plurality of BMPDs 101. The content server 102 may be operated by the publisher of the contents on the optical disc or any third party authorized by the publisher of the contents. The content server 102, as depicted, comprises of a controller 301, a communication interface 302 and a database 303. The database 303 comprises of codecs required to decode content, user account details and so on. The user account details comprises of details required for authenticating the user, the balance present with the user and so on. The balance may be in the form of money, credits, tokens or any other suitable means.
[0032] The controller 301 receives the coupon code and the account details from the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302. The controller 301 using the coupon code and the account details, checks whether the user is authorized to access the contents. This may comprise of checking if the coupon code is valid and/or the user has sufficient balance in the user account to view the content using information present in the database 303. In another embodiment herein, the authorization process may comprise of the controller 301 checking if the coupon code is valid. Against a list of valid coupon codes present in the database 303.
[0033] On verifying that the user is authorized to access the contents, the controller 301 informs the successful authorization to the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302. If the authorization is unsuccessful, the controller 301 informs of the failure to the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302. The controller 301 may also inform the reason for the failure to the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302.
[0034] The BMDP 101 may inform the type of contents to the controller 301 via the communication interface 302. The controller 301 determines the codecs required to decode the contents. In another embodiment herein, the BMDP 101 informs the determined codecs to the content server 102. The controller 301 checks if the codecs are present in the database 303. If the codecs are present in the database 303, the controller 301 fetches the codecs and sends the codecs to the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302. If the codecs are not present in the database 303, the controller 301 may perform a search for the required codecs on other accessible sources such as the internet, privately available networks and so on. On detecting the codecs, the controller 301 fetches the codecs from the source and sends the codecs to the BMDP 101, via the communication interface 302.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting the process of enabling a user to access media present on an optical disc using a BMDP, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. On the user inserting (401) an optical disc into the BMDP 101, the BMDP 101 detects (402) the presence of the optical disc. The BMDP 101 prompts (403) the user for the coupon code. The user enters (404) the coupon code. On receiving the coupon code from the user, the BMDP 101 communicates (405) the coupon code to the content server 102. The content server 102 checks whether the user is authorized to access the contents by verifying (406) the coupon code and if the coupon code is valid, the user may be authorized to access the contents. On the content server 102 verifying that the user is authorized to access the contents, the content server 102 informs (409) the successful authorization to the BMDP 101. The BMDP 101 informs (410) the successful authorization to the user. If the authorization is not successful, the BMDP 101 informs (407) the unsuccessful authorization to the user. If the user wants (408) to enter the code again, the above steps 403 – 406 repeats. On receiving the authorization, the BMDP 101 checks (411) the type of content in the optical disc and determines (412) the codecs required for decoding the content. The step of determining the codes required to decode the contents may be performed by the BMDP 101 or the content server 102. The content server 102 fetches (413) the codecs and sends (414) the codecs to the BMDP 101. The BMDP 101 stores (415) the codecs in the volatile memory. The BMDP 101 then uses the codecs to decode (416) the contents and the user accesses (417) the contents. The various actions in method 400 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 4 may be omitted.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting the process of a user ejecting an optical disc from the BMDP, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. On the user ejecting (501) the optical disc from the BMDP 101, the BMDP 101 erases (502) the codecs from the volatile memory. The various actions in method 500 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 5 may be omitted.
[0037] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0038] The embodiment disclosed herein describes a method and device that facilitates a user to access an optical disc on a bare metal disc player, irrespective of the type of content on the disc. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in a preferred embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g. Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0039] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.