The USPTO has issued a patent for compression on CD-ROM and DVD to CD ROM-USA, Inc.
Washington DC September 16, 1997 -In 1992, CD ROM-USA, Inc. pioneered a new technology that first permitted real-time access to compressed data on optical media. An application for a patent protecting this technology was filed in 1994.
CD ROM is pleased to announce that this application has matured into an issued United States patent. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, after an extensive examination, awarded CD ROM with a patent on September 16, 1997. The patent number is 5,668,970.
The patent claims cover a method and system for accessing compressed data on optical media, including both CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, as well as ASICs, ICs, and EPROMS. The process distinguishes itself from its counterparts in the industry because other systems place compressed data on CD-ROM and then copy the compressed data to the hard drive prior to access. With the process employed by USA, the compressed data is accessed in real-time directly from the optical media. One of the allowed claims, for example, covers:
“.… A method for interfacing a data processing mechanism with a storage medium having no file allocation table stored thereon and having compressed data stored thereon, to directly locate the compressed data from said storage medium…”
CD ROM’s patented technology, being marketed under the trademark CRI-X™, permits standard off-the-shelf or custom compression algorithms commonly used on a read-write magnetic media to be used effectively on read-only optical media. The technology offers at least two significant competitive advantages in the rapidly evolving optical industry. First, the amount of information which can be stored on the CD-ROM increases from a standard 650 million bytes of data to on average three times that amount. Second, access to the compressed data on the optical media speeds up in direct proportion to the compression ratio. A CD-ROM or DVD-ROM which has the CRI-X™ code can be read at double or triple the normal data transfer rate. The technology can be applied to the recordable marketplace.
Dr. Roger Hutchison, President and CEO of CD ROM-USA, Inc. recently said of the patented technology:
“The CRI-X™ technology offers a more efficient means of first placing and then accessing information from optical media. The CRI-X™ technology conforms to the international standards governing file and volume structure for CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. Our customers have two competitive advantages. First, they can place more information of what they have on optical discs. Second, they can access that compressed data faster than if the data was not compressed.”
The Company has begun shipping a beta copy of CRI-X3™ on a free 30-day trial basis to qualified customers. After the beta period is over, a commercial product will be released having 16-bit and 32-bit code for operation within the DOS, Windows 3.X and Windows 95 environment. The Company plans to release a Windows NT version later this fall and offer customized operating system integration for its clients in the banking, commercial and Government sectors.
The Company is the oldest privately-held CD-ROM and optical products company in the industry. The Company has been widely acknowledged as being an industry pioneer. This patent adds to its existing portfolio.
Contact: Lisa Weber
CD ROM-USA, Inc.
Email: laweber@cdrominc.com
Phone: 303-384-2922
Fax 303-384-3926