Storage device

• US 20040068631A1
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsunoda, Motoyasu, Katayama, Kunihiro, Ukeda, Masaharu, Mizushima, Nagamasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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

Abstract

A storage device allows expanding user utilizable applications by storing information permitted to be read according to a certificate and information permitted to be read according to information determined by a user. An information distributor receives a certificate from the storage device and after verifying the certificate, transmits data of a license and access control conditions to the storage device. After receiving data of a certificate from an information browser, verifying the certificate and imposing a limit on access based upon one of access control conditions, the storage device transmits data of the license and the other to the information browser. The information browser permits utilization of the license under the limitation defined by the access control condition. The certificate includes either or both of a certificate approved by a certificate authority and a PIN (personal identifying number) determined by the user.

Claims

1. A storage device connectable to a first information processing unit and a second information processing unit, said storage device being configured such that after said first information processing unit authenticates said storage device, data including at least multimedia information can be transferred from said first information processing unit to said storage device and can be stored in said storage device and also being configured such that after authenticating said second information processing unit, said storage device can transfer said data stored in said storage device to said second information processing unit,

wherein said storage device stores in advance first identification information and when second identification information is inputted to said second information processing unit, said storage device inspects whether a predetermined correlation can be obtained between said first identification information and said second identification information, establishes said authentication of said second information processing unit in response to a result of the inspection indicating that the predetermined correlation is determined to exist, and after said establishment, renders said data stored in the storage device to be transferable to said second information processing unit.

3. A storage device according to claim 1, wherein an interface between said first information processing unit and said storage device and an interface between said first and second information processing units are ones said storage device shares.

4. A storage device according to claim 3 wherein the authentication information includes a plurality of mutually different storage areas, authentication of said plurality of areas is executable on the basis of programs having a part common to said storage device, and data is stored discriminatively in individual areas which succeed in authentication.

2. A storage device connectable to a first information processing unit and a second information processing unit, said storage device being configured such that after said first information processing unit authenticates said storage device, data including at least multimedia information can be transferred from said first information processing unit to said storage device and can be stored in said storage device and also being configured such that after authenticating said second information processing unit, said storage device can transfer said data stored in said storage device to said second information processing unit,

wherein said storage device stores in advance certificate information concerning said second information processing unit and authenticated by a certificate authority and when first certificate information authenticated by the certificate authority is given to said second information processing unit, said storage device establishes said authentication between said storage device and said second information processing unit in response to acquisition of a predetermined correlation between a group of certificate information, stored in advance in said storage device and including said certificate information, and said first certificate information and after said establishment, renders said stored data to be transferable to said second information processing unit.

5. A storage device capable of verifying an information processing unit by using a certificate from said information processing unit and can send first information to said information processing unit in accordance with a result of the verification, comprising:

a memory which stores first identification information determined by a user, second information and said first information; and

a processor which receives second identification information determined by the user from said information processing unit, compares said first identification information with said second identification information and sends said second information to said information processing unit in accordance with a result of the comparison.

6. A storage device according to claim 5, wherein said memory can store another certificate different from said certificate, and said processor sends said different certificate to an information distributor adapted to distribute said first information when storing said first information in said memory.

7. A storage device according to claim 5, wherein said processor receives an instruction issued by said information processing unit or an instruction issued by an intermediator for intermediation between said information processing unit and said storage device, interprets the contents of said instruction and decides in accordance with a result of the interpretation whether said first information or said second information is to be sent.

8. A storage device according to claim 7, wherein said processor determines sending of said second information when said interpretation result shows that said instruction includes a VERIFY_PIN command.

9. A storage device according to claim 7, wherein said processor decides whether said first information or said second information is to be sent by interpreting, in a data string of said instruction, data which ranges over a predetermined length from the head and/or data which ranges over a predetermined length from the least significant bit.

10. A storage device according to claim 7, wherein said processor shares a part of the contents of process between reception of said instruction and sending of said first information and a part of the contents of process between reception of said instruction and sending of said second information.

11. A storage device according to claim 10, wherein said shared contents of process includes the contents of process for establishing a session between either said information processing unit or said intermediator having issued said instruction and said storage device.

12. An information processing unit connectable to a storage device, comprising:

a memory which stores a certificate issued by a certificate authority;

an input unit which receives a request from a user; and

a processor which transmits said certificate to said storage device when receiving a request for reading first information from said user and requests said user to input identification information when receiving a request for reading second information from said user to transmit said identification information inputted from said user to said storage device,

wherein said storage device verifies said information processing unit by using said certificate so that it can deliver said first information to said information processing unit in accordance with a result of the verification and identifies said user by using said identification information so that it can deliver said second information to said information processing unit in accordance with a result of the identification.