Method and apparatus for processing data

• US 20050160068A1
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,011,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• 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 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect

Abstract

A data processing apparatus for processing and protecting data stored in a removable storage medium, including a medium monitoring unit configured to monitor the state of the removable storage medium, an information storage unit configured to store information, and a controller configured to move the data from the removable storage medium to the information storage unit in accordance with the monitoring result of the medium monitoring unit.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus for processing data stored in a removable storage medium, the data processing apparatus comprising:

a monitoring unit configured to monitor the state of the removable storage medium;

a storage unit configured to store information; and

a controller configured to control the movement of the data from the removable storage medium to the storage unit in accordance with the results of monitoring the state of the removable storage medium.

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit has a storage area for managing information for users, and

wherein the controller is configured to move the data from the removable storage medium to the storage area, where the area corresponds to a user of the removable storage medium.

3. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit configured to authenticate a user and to manage the user'"'"'s login to and logout from the data processing apparatus,

wherein the monitoring unit is configured to monitor the state of the removable storage medium at the login of the user, and

wherein the monitoring unit is configured to manage the monitoring result on a per user basis.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit configured to manage a user'"'"'s login to and logout from the data processing apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to move the data from the removable storage medium to the storage unit if the removable storage medium remains loaded in the data processing apparatus at the logout of the user.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit configured to manage a user'"'"'s login to and logout from the data processing apparatus,

wherein the controller is configured to move the data from the removable storage medium to the storage unit if the removable storage medium remains loaded in the data processing apparatus for a predetermined time after the logout of the user.

6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the authentication unit is configured to manage a second login subsequent to the logout of the user,

wherein the monitoring uniting unit is configured to detect the state of the removable storage medium at the second login to generate a detection result, and

wherein the controller is configured to move the data from the storage unit to the removable storage medium in response to the detection result.

7. The data processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a warning unit configured to alert a user at the second login that the removable storage medium was not unloaded at the logout.

8. A data processing method for processing data stored in a removable storage medium, the data processing method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the state of the removable storage medium; and

controlling the movement of the data from the removable storage medium to an internal memory of a data processing apparatus in accordance with the results of monitoring the removable storage medium.

9. The data processing method according to claim 8, wherein the internal memory has a storage area for managing information of users, and

wherein the control step comprises moving the data from the removable storage medium to the storage area corresponding to a user of the removable storage medium.

10. The data processing method according to claim 8, wherein the control step further comprises moving the data from the removable storage medium to the internal memory if the removable storage medium remains loaded in the data processing apparatus when a user logs out of the data processing apparatus, or if the removable storage medium remains loaded for a predetermined time after the user logouts out of data processing apparatus.

11. The data processing method according to claim 8, further comprising an authentication step for managing a second login subsequent to a logout of a user,

wherein the monitoring step comprises detecting the state of the removable storage medium at the second login to generate a detection result, and

wherein the control step comprises moving the data from the internal memory to the removable storage medium in response to the detection result.

12. The data processing method according to claim 11, further comprising warning a user at the second login that the removable storage medium was not unloaded at the logout.

13. Computer-executable process steps for causing a computer to process data stored in a removable storage medium, the computer-executable process steps comprising:

monitoring the state of the removable storage medium; and

controlling the movement of the data from the removable storage medium to an internal memory of a data processing apparatus in accordance with the results of monitoring the removable storage medium.

14. A data processing apparatus for processing data stored in a removable storage medium, the data processing apparatus comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine whether the removable storage medium is unloaded if a predetermined condition is satisfied;

a storage unit configured to store information; and

a controller configured to control the movement of the data from the removable storage medium to the information storage unit if the determining unit determines that the removable storage medium has not been unloaded.

15. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined condition is satisfied if at least a user has logged out of the data processing apparatus, or that a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the user logged out of the data processing apparatus, or that the user has logged back into the data processing apparatus.