Accessing a serial number of a removable non-volatile memory device

• US 10,331,365 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mo-DV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mo-DV, Inc.
• Inventors: Widergren, Robert D., Douglas, John L., Hamilton, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Savla, Arpan P.
• Application Number:
  US15/411,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20170131930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/14 Protection against unauthorised use of memory or access to memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1416 by checking the object accessibility, e.g. type of access defined by the memory independently of subject rights G06F12/1458 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/16 Storage of analogue signals in digital stores using an arrangement comprising analogue/digital [A/D] converters, digital memories and digital/analogue [D/A] converters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/24 Memory cell safety or protection circuits, e.g. arrangements for preventing inadvertent reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells

Abstract

A removable non-volatile memory device durably stores a serial number or identifier, which is used to mark multimedia content legally stored on the removable non-volatile memory device. In order to retrieve the serial number, a host electronic system coupled to the removable non-volatile memory device sends a sequence of multiple file access commands to access a predefined target file stored on the removable non-volatile memory device. In accordance with the executed predefined sequence of multiple file access commands, a corresponding sequence of data access commands are received at the removable non-volatile memory device and are interpreted as a request by the host electronic device to read the serial number. The removable non-volatile memory device outputs the serial number in response to the sequence of data access commands.

Claims

1. A removable non-volatile memory device, comprising:

an interface for removably coupling the removable non-volatile memory device to a host electronic system;

non-volatile memory for storing data, including a multimedia content file and a plurality of multimedia players, each multimedia player of the plurality of multimedia players being compatible with one of a plurality of operating systems;

a serial number durably stored in the removable non-volatile memory device;

a memory controller;

a plurality of programs configured for execution by the memory controller, including;

a serial number access program for execution by the memory controller, for accessing the stored serial number and providing the serial number to the host electronic system, and

a trigger function for execution by the memory controller, responsive to a predefined sequence of multiple data access commands received from the host electronic system to cause the memory controller to activate the serial number access program; and

a content access program including;

first instructions for execution by the host electronic system to cause the host electronic system to read the serial number, accessed by the serial number access program from the removable non-volatile memory device by sending to the removable non-volatile memory device the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands, to enable the host electronic system to play the multimedia content file with one multimedia player of the plurality of multimedia players, the one multimedia player being compatible with the host electronic system operating system.

2. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, further including:

wherein the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands received by the nonvolatile memory device from the host electronic system is interpreted by the trigger function for execution by the memory controller as a request by the host electronic system to read the stored serial number accessed by the serial number access program from an output register of the nonvolatile memory device.

3. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands corresponds to a predefined sequence of multiple file access commands executed at the host electronic system.

4. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the serial number is unique to the removable non-volatile memory device.

5. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 4, the content access program including:

second instructions for accessing multimedia content of the multimedia content file stored on the removable non-volatile memory device only when the serial number read from the removable non-volatile memory device matches a serial number associated with the multimedia content file.

6. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 5, wherein the serial number associated with the multimedia content file is stored in a file header of the multimedia content file.

7. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of programs configured for execution by the memory controller includes a program for accessing and conveying the multimedia content file to the host electronic system.

8. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of programs configured for execution by the memory controller includes a program for accessing and conveying to the host electronic system specified portions of data stored in the non-volatile memory.

9. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein at least two commands in the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands contains at least one illegal parameter.

10. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of programs configured for execution by the memory controller includes a program for accessing and conveying the multimedia content file to the host electronic system only when the serial number read from the removable non-volatile memory device matches a serial number associated with the multimedia content file.

11. The removable non-volatile memory device of claim 1, wherein the trigger function is stored in a memory of the memory controller.

12. A method of enabling access by a host electronic system to a multimedia content file stored on non-volatile memory of a removable non-volatile memory device with a plurality of multimedia players, each multimedia player of the plurality of multimedia players being compatible with one of a plurality of operating systems, the method comprising:

at the removable non-volatile memory device;

receiving a predefined sequence of multiple data access commands from the host electronic system, wherein the predefined sequence is stored in the removable, non-volatile memory device; and

responsive to the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands, a serial number access program of the removable non-volatile memory device for execution by a memory controller to cause reading of a stored serial number and providing the read serial number to the host electronic system to enable the host electronic system to play the multimedia content file with one multimedia player of the plurality of multimedia players, the one multimedia player being compatible with the host electronic system operating system, wherein;

the serial number is durably stored in the removable non-volatile memory device, and

the removable non-volatile memory device receiving multimedia content of the multimedia content file from the host electronic system only when the serial number accessed by the serial number access program of the removable non-volatile memory device matches a serial number associated with the multimedia content file.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

interpreting a sequence of illegal parameters that are part of the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands as a request by the host electronic system to read the stored serial number.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the serial number is unique to the removable nonvolatile memory device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the serial number associated with the multimedia content file in a file header of the multimedia content file.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands received at the removable non-volatile memory device corresponds to a predefined sequence of multiple file access commands executed at the host electronic system;

and further comprising a trigger function for execution by the removable non-volatile memory device, responsive to the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands received from the host electronic system to cause the removable non-volatile memory device to activate the serial number access program, wherein the trigger function is stored in the removable non-volatile memory device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing and conveying the multimedia content file to the host electronic system.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing and conveying to the host electronic system specified portions of data stored in the non-volatile memory.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising a trigger function stored in a memory controller of the removable non-volatile memory device, wherein upon receiving the predefined sequence of multiple data access commands, the trigger function causes the reading of the stored serial number.