Controlling operation of a storage device based on an age indicator of the storage device

• US 10,210,100 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Verhaeghe, Filip, Chung, Bsa, Yu, Samuel, Lavrentiev, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutz, Jared I
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ayash, Marwan
• Application Number:
  US14/686,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20150347317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1475 in a virtual system, e.g. with translation means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for an event lock storage device. The storage device includes a user partition and an event partition (which may be associated with an event). The storage device receives data from a host device, and stores the data in the user partition. In response to receiving an indication of an event, the storage device may designate the data as part of the event partition. The event partition may include a set of access rules that is different from the user partition, such as more restrictive rules for modification or deletion of a file containing the data.

Claims

1. A storage device comprising:

non-volatile memory; and

a controller in communication with the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to;

receive, from a host device, data;

store the data in the non-volatile memory;

after storing the data in the non-volatile memory, receive, from the host device, a command to perform an operation on previously stored data;

determine an age of the previously stored data, the age of the previously stored data being based on an age indicator of at least a part of the storage device, wherein the age is determined without reliance on any clock;

determine, based on a difference between a current age of the at least a part of the storage device and the age of the previously stored data, whether to perform the operation on the previously stored data;

in response to determining to perform the operation, perform the operation on the previously stored data; and

in response to determining not to perform the operation, reject the command to perform the operation on the previously stored data.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to perform the operation on the data by:

in response to determining that the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, determine to perform the operation.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the data is stored in a file;

and

wherein the command comprises a delete command to delete the file.

4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the age indicator comprises program/erase count for at least a part of the storage device.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the age of the previously stored data comprises a wear indicator of the at least a part of the storage device.

9. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the wear indicator comprises a program erase count for the at least a part of the storage device.

10. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the wear indicator comprises a bit error rate for the at least a part of the storage device.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a change in the age of the previously stored data;

and

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to perform the operation on the previously stored data based on the change in the age of the previously stored data.

12. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the age of the previously stored data based on the age indicator of the at least a part of the storage device when storing the data in the non-volatile memory;

and

responsive to determining that the difference between the age indicator and a current age indicator of the at least a part of the storage device is greater than a predetermined amount, performing the operation on the previously stored data.

5. A method comprising:

performing in a storage device;

receiving, from a host device, data;

storing the data in a non-volatile memory of the storage device;

after storing the data in the non-volatile memory, receiving, from the host device, a command to perform an operation on previously stored data;

determining an age of the previously stored data, the age of the previously stored data being based on an age indicator of at least a part of the storage device, wherein the age is determined without reliance on any clock;

determining, based on a difference between a current age of the at least a part of the storage device and the age of the previously stored data, whether to perform the operation on the previously stored data;

in response to determining to perform the operation, performing the operation on the previously stored data; and

in response to determining not to perform the operation, rejecting the command to perform the operation on the previously stored data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether to perform the operation on the previously stored data comprises:

in response to determining that the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, determine to perform the operation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the previously stored data is stored in a file;

and

wherein the command comprises a delete command to delete the file.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the age of the previously stored data comprises a wear indicator of the at least a part of the storage device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wear indicator comprises a program erase count for the at least a part of the storage device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the wear indicator comprises a bit error rate for the at least a part of the storage device.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether to perform the operation on the previously stored data is based on a change in the age of the previously stored data.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the age of the previously stored data is based on the age indicator of the at least a part of the storage device when storing the data in the non-volatile memory;

and

responsive to determining that the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, performing the operation on the previously stored data.