GRAMOPHONE PLATE WITH RECORDED IMAGE

Abstract

A gramophone plate (P) having at least one face, the at least one face including at least one region on which is recorded audio data (2), wherein the said at least one region of the at least one face also has at least one visual image (7), or a portion of at least one visual image, recorded thereon.

Claims

1. A gramophone plate having at least one face, the at least one face including at least one region on which is recorded audio data, wherein the said at least one region of the at least one face also has at least one visual image, or a portion of at least one visual image, recorded thereon.

2. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) is recorded collectively in a plurality of surface portions of the said at least one region of the at least one face in between individual surface portions thereof on which are recorded the said audio data.

3. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein individual portions of the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) are recorded in respective ones of a plurality of surface spaces between adjacent audio log lines in which are recorded the audio data on the said at least one region of the at least one face of the plate.

4. A gramophone plate according to claim 3, wherein the spaces between adjacent audio data log lines, in which are recorded respective individual portions of the at least one visual image (or portion thereof), have widths of from 1 or 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 micrometres (microns) up to about 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 or 90 or 100 micrometers (microns).

5. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein the gramophone plate has two opposite faces, and either: (i) the audio data and the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) are both recorded in at least one region of one of those faces, whereby one of the faces of the plate comprises both audio data and the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) in at least one region thereof; or (ii) the audio data and the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) are both recorded in at least one region of each of both of those faces, whereby both faces of the plate each comprise both audio data and at least one visual image (or portion thereof) in at least one respective region thereof.

6. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein either: (i) the audio data and the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) are recorded in one region only of the or the respective face of the plate; or (ii) the audio data and the at least visual image (or portion thereof), or optionally a respective portion of each of one or more visual images (or a respective portion thereof), are recorded in each of a plurality of regions of the or the respective face of the plate.

7. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein the or the respective face of the plate further comprises at least one other region on which is not recorded audio data, and at least a portion of the said visual image is recorded on the said at least one other region, whereby regions of the or the respective face of the plate on which are recorded the said visual image comprise both recorded and unrecorded audio data regions.

8. A gramophone plate according to claim 1, wherein the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) is recorded in the form of a or a respective optical relief pattern.

9. A gramophone plate according to claim 8, wherein the optical relief pattern comprises a diffractive relief pattern, especially a holographic relief pattern.

10. A gramophone plate according to claim 8, wherein the optical relief pattern comprises a non-diffractive optically functional relief pattern.

11. A gramophone plate according to claim 8, wherein: (i) the depths of the optical relief features that constitute the relief are in the range of from 0.1 or 0.5 or 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 10 nanometres up to 0.1 or 0.5 or 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 10 or 20 micrometres (microns); or (ii) the periods of the optical relief features that constitute the relief are in the range of from 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 nanometres up to 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or 100 or 200 or 300 micrometres (microns); or (iii) both (i) and (ii) above are present or satisfied.

12. A method for the manufacture of a gramophone plate according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: providing a gramophone plate having at least one face, the at least one face including at least one region having at least one visual image, or a portion of at least one visual image, recorded thereon; and recording audio data on the said at least one region of the at least one face.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of recording the audio data on the said at least one region of the at least one face comprises cutting a substantially continuous spiral groove into the material of the plate to form audio data log lines therein that record the audio data.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one visual image (or portion thereof) is recorded in the form of a or a respective optical relief pattern, and the said cutting step comprises cutting the said groove or audio data log lines through the optical relief of the recorded visual image (or portion thereof), especially through the optical relief and into the material of the plate therebeneath.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the provision of the gramophone plate having the at least one visual image, or a portion of at least one visual image, recorded on the at least one region of the at least one face, comprises: providing a gramophone plate having the at least one face; and recording on the at least one region of the face the said at least one visual image, or portion thereof.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the image recording step comprises forming an optical relief pattern in the material of the plate, which relief pattern records or defines the said image, or portion thereof.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the method comprises the following sequence of production stages: (i) creation of a basic gramophone plate carrier with one or more portions or regions on at least one face surface thereof having optical relief formed thereon which records one or more portions of the desired visual image; (ii) cutting of audio data log lines, in the form of a substantially continuous spiral groove, through the optical relief of the recorded image(s)/image portion(s) into the plate carrier material; (iii) replication of the recorded visual image(s)/image portion(s) and the audio data log lines, optionally with (iv) embossing of plural gramophone plates with the recorded visual image(s)/image portion(s) and the audio data log lines.

18. A method for the manufacture of a gramophone plate according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: providing a gramophone plate having at least one face, the at least one face including at least one region having audio data recorded thereon; and then recording on the at least one region of the face at least one visual image, or a portion of at least one visual image.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprises the following sequence of production stages: (i) creation of a basic gramophone plate carrier with one or more portions or regions on at least one face surface thereof having audio data log lines, in the form of a substantially continuous spiral groove, formed therein by cutting into the plate carrier material; (ii) recording on the at least one region of the face the said at least one visual image, or portion thereof, optionally in spaces between adjacent audio data log lines formed in step (i), wherein this image recording step comprises forming an optical relief pattern in the material of the plate, which relief pattern records or defines the said image, or portion thereof; (iii) replication of the recorded visual image(s)/image portion(s) and the audio data log lines, optionally with (iv) embossing of plural gramophone plates with the recorded visual image(s)/image portion(s) and the audio data log lines.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0058] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan/face view of a conventional basic gramophone plate, showing the typical arrangement of its audio-data-recorded and -unrecorded regions;

[0059] FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a gramophone plate according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing schematically the relative arrangement and configuration of its cut data log lines and optical relief defining one or more visual images/image portions;

[0060] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan/face view of the embodiment gramophone plate of FIG. 2, showing schematically a security image recorded thereon and spanning both audio-data-recorded and -unrecorded regions of the plate; and

[0061] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan/face view of another embodiment gramophone plate according to the invention, showing schematically a decorative image recorded thereon and extending across substantially the whole of the face/side of the plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0062] Referring firstly to FIG. 1, here there is shown a conventional basic gramophone plate P, with an outer annular ring 1 and an inner circular hub area 4, both of which regions 1, 4 are substantially flat and planar without any audio data recorded thereon. In between the unrecorded regions 1, 4 is a central annular region bearing recorded audio data, in the form of a continuous spiral groove comprising audio data log lines 2 whose cut shape and profile record the audio data, which is readable and capable of playback using convention stylus- or needle-based gramophone playback equipment. Located between individual audio data log lines 2 are planar lands or spaces 3, whichaccording to the present inventioncan be exploited to new and advantageous effect by recording thereon visual image data.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows schematically an example of one such embodiment of the invention, in which interspersed between individual audio data log lines 2, on the lands or spaces 3 therebetween, are respective recorded portions of a visual image in the form of respective applied portions of optical relief 6. The optical relief is also applied in portions 5 extending into the area of the inner audio-unrecorded ring 4. The individual recorded optical relief portions 6, 5 collectively make up a complete visual image when viewed under normal viewing conditions. The relative width dimensions of the cut audio data log lines 2 and the scale of the optical relief itself being such that (i) the creation of the complete image from the individual visual image relief portions 6, 5 is substantially unaffected by the presence of the individual audio data log lines 2 between the individual relief portions 6, and (ii) the reading/playback of the recorded audio data from the audio data log lines 2 is substantially unaffected by the presence of the individual visual image relief portions 6 between the individual audio data log lines 2.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows in plan/face view a practical example of the embodiment gramophone plate shown schematically in FIG. 2. As shown, the gramophone plate P comprises a recorded visual image 7 in the form of a logo recorded on the surface of the plate P, which logo image 7 is located partially within the inner ring region 4 of the plate P and partially across the main annular ring portion bearing the recorded audio data log lines 2. The recorded logo image 7 also extends a short distance into the outer audio-unrecorded annular ring 1. As is evident from the schematic representation of FIG. 2, the visual image 7 is made up of individual portions or sections of applied optical relief 6 each of which is recorded on a respective individual planar land or space 3 between the individual audio data log lines 2. By way of example, in this instance the recorded optical relief portions/sections 6 may be holographic relief, e.g. so as to form a visual security feature which, by appropriate design of the logo, may serve as an identification or authentication feature for the gramophone plate P.

[0065] Referring now to FIG. 4, this shows another embodiment gramophone plate according to the invention, in which the area or region of the plate P containing the recorded visual image 8 spans substantially across the whole face or planar surface of the plate P, extending across the inner (audio-unrecorded) ring 4, across the central annular audio-recorded region containing the audio data log lines 2, right up to and overlapping with the radially outer (audio-unrecorded) ring 1. By way of example, in this instance the large overall visual image 8 may be static, and may for example be applied to the plate surface by chemical etching.

[0066] Alternatively, the individual portions/sections collectively making up the overall visual image 8 could be applied by a combination of plural different holographic relief application techniques, in order to offer the possibility of designing the image 8 so as to include kinetic effect(s) therein. In that case, the image 8 could for instance be designed to change in appearance with movement of the plate P under appropriate illumination, e.g. upon rotation of the plate P itself during playback thereof.

[0067] Numerous other individual visual image recording configurations, arrangements, layouts, combinations and viewing types may possibly be employed in other embodiment gramophone plates within the scope of the invention, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 being just a few representative illustrative explanatory examples.

[0068] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words comprise and contain and linguistic variations of those words, for example comprising and comprises, mean including but not limited to, and are not intended to (and do not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, elements, integers or steps.

[0069] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless expressly stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless expressly stated otherwise or the context requires otherwise.

[0070] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, features, components, elements, integers, characteristics, properties, compounds, chemical moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith or expressly stated otherwise.