Information management method and information management apparatus

• US 20010008016A1
• Filed: 03/08/2001
• Published: 07/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hasebe, Takayuki, Kotani, Seigo, Hirano, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,325,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1082 Backup or restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress

Abstract

The present invention presents an information management method wherein, when electronic data stored on a recording medium is lost for whatever reason, a user can restore this electronic data using backup information.

License information stored in a second layer inaccessible to a user of the recording medium is read out (Step S31) and is encrypted using a medium-specific number of the recording medium (Step S32), and the encrypted license information is stored in a third layer which the user of the recording medium can access at will (Step S33).

Claims

1. An information management method wherein predetermined information stored in a predetermined area of a recording medium having medium-specific information is encrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and is derived outside said predetermined area.

2. The information management system of

claim 1

, wherein said recording medium comprises a first area storing said predetermined information and a second area different from said first area.

3. The information management method of

claim 2

, wherein said second area is a user-use area allowing writing and reading out of any information in accordance with external instructions and said first area is a secure area that is not subject to control by external instructions.

4. The information management method of

claim 3

, wherein any information stored in said second area is encrypted electronic data and predetermined information stored in said first area includes license information based on use rights for using said electronic data.

5. The information management method according to

claim 4

, wherein said predetermined information is encrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and is stored in said predetermined area.

6. The information management method of

claim 5

, wherein said predetermined information is encrypted using information specific to an apparatus that drives said recording medium or a key generated therefrom.

7. The information management method according to

claim 6

, wherein said encrypted predetermined information is stored in said second area.

8. The information management method of

claim 7

, wherein encrypted predetermined information stored in said second area is decrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and the predetermined information stored in said first area is updated.

9. The information management method of

claim 7

, wherein, when said predetermined information is to be derived outside said first area, it is encrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and information specific to an apparatus that drives said recording medium or a key generated therefrom.

10. The information management method of

claim 9

, wherein encrypted predetermined information stored in said second area is decrypted using information specific to an apparatus that drives said recording medium or a key generated therefrom and said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom, and predetermined information stored in said first area is updated.

11. The information management method according to

claim 1

, wherein said encrypted predetermined information is stored on a second recording medium different from said recording medium.

12. The information management method of

claim 11

, wherein encrypted predetermined information stored in said second recording medium is decrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and predetermined information stored in said predetermined area is updated.

13. The information management method of

claim 11

, wherein, when said predetermined information is to be derived on said second recording medium, it is encrypted using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and information specific to an apparatus that drives said second recording medium or a key generated therefrom.

14. The information management method of

claim 13

, wherein encrypted predetermined information stored in second recording medium is decrypted using information specific to an apparatus that drives said second recording medium or a key generated therefrom and said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom, and predetermined information stored in said predetermined area is updated.

15. The information management method according to

claim 1

, wherein said medium-specific information can be electronically obtained from said recording medium and is visually displayed on said recording medium.

16. The information management method according to

claim 6

, wherein information specific to an apparatus that drives said recording medium can be electronically obtained from said apparatus and is visually displayed on said apparatus.

17. The information management method according to

claim 13

, wherein information specific to an apparatus that drives said second recording medium can be electronically obtained from said apparatus and is visually displayed on said apparatus.

18. An information management apparatus having medium-specific information, and comprising a user-use area allowing writing and reading out of any information in accordance with external instructions and a secure area that is not subject to control by external instructions, said information management apparatus managing information of a recording medium wherein license information based on use rights for any information stored in a user-use area is stored in a secure area, said information management apparatus comprising:

write and read out means writing any information to and reading any information from said user-use area; and

predetermined information deriving means encrypting predetermined information stored in said secure area using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and deriving the same outside said secure area.

19. The information management apparatus of

claim 18

, wherein said encrypted license information is stored by said write and read out means in said user-use area.

20. The information management apparatus of

claim 19

, further comprising predetermined information update means decrypting said encrypted license information stored in said user-use area and updating license information stored in said secure area.

21. The information management apparatus according to

claim 18

, comprising apparatus-specific information, wherein said predetermined information deriving means encrypts said license information using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and information specific to said apparatus or a key generated therefrom.

22. The information management apparatus of

claim 21

, further comprising predetermined information update means decrypting encrypted license information stored in said user-use area using information specific to said apparatus or a key generated therefrom and said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and updating license information stored in said secure area.

23. The information management apparatus of

claim 18

, wherein said predetermined information deriving means transmits said encrypted license information to a second recording medium different from said recording medium.

24. The information management apparatus of

claim 23

, further comprising predetermined information update means decrypting encrypted license information stored in said second recording medium using said medium-specific information and updating license information stored in said secure area.

25. The information management apparatus of

claim 23

, wherein an apparatus that drives said second recording medium comprises apparatus-specific information and said predetermined information deriving means encrypts said license information using said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and information specific to an apparatus that drives said second recording medium or a key generated therefrom.

26. The information management apparatus of

claim 25

, further comprising predetermined information update means decrypting encrypted license information stored in said second recording medium using information specific to an apparatus that drives said second recording medium or a key derived therefrom and said medium-specific information or a key generated therefrom and updating license information stored in said secure area.