Hard disk drive with write-only region

• US 20060195654A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Waltermann, Rod David, Challener, David Carroll
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/805 using a security table for the storage sub-system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device

Abstract

The invention partitions the HDD into three areas, namely, no access, write-only, and the conventional read/write. Sensitive data (antivirus programs, back up data, etc.) is written into write-only areas, which thereafter become designated “no access” by appropriately changing their designation a data structure known as “logical block address” or “LBA”. Only users having approved passwords can change the status of a “no access” block back to “write-only” or “read/write”.

Claims

1. A controller for a memory device having at least one write-only region, the controller executing logic comprising:

writing data into a portion of the write-only region; and

designating the portion containing the data as a no access region to which any further write events and read events are prevented absent the input of a predetermined security code.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the memory device is a hard disk drive (HDD), and the HDD has at least one read/write region.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein the write-only region is established by a series of blocks having consecutively numbered logical block addresses (LBAs).

4. The controller of claim 3, wherein the series of blocks defines a beginning block, an ending block, and a next block to be written, wherein initially the next block to be written is the beginning block, writes being executed to the write-only region starting at the next block to be written.

5. The controller of claim 4, wherein after “

n”

blocks have been written, the LBA of the next block to be written is the LBA of the beginning block plus “

n”

.

6. The controller of claim 5, wherein the blocks from the beginning block to the block immediately preceding the next block to be written establishes the no access region.

19. The controller of claim 1, in combination with a host computer.

7. A computer implemented method comprising:

writing data into a write-only region of a memory device selected from the group including hard disk drives (HDD) and USB memory devices; and

designating blocks written into the write-only region as “

no access”

to which access is denied to any user not inputting a predetermined code.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the memory device is a HDD, and the HDD has at least one read/write region.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the write-only region is established by a series of blocks having consecutively numbered logical block addresses (LBAs).

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the series of blocks defines a beginning block, an ending block, and a next block to be written, wherein initially the next block to be written is the beginning block, writes being executed to the write-only region starting at the next block to be written.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein after “

n”

blocks have been written, the LBA of the next block to be written is the LBA of the beginning block plus “

n”

.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the blocks from the beginning block to the block immediately preceding the next block to be written establishes the no access region.

13. A hard disk drive (HDD), comprising:

at least one controller;

at least one disk having at least a write-only region; and

logic for permitting writing data to, but not reading data from, the write-only region, data written to the write-only region thereafter not being overwritten under any circumstances without the provision of a predetermined code.

14. The HDD of claim 13, wherein the HDD has at least one read/write region.

15. The HDD of claim 13, wherein the write-only region is established by a series of blocks having consecutively numbered logical block addresses (LBAs).

16. The HDD of claim 15, wherein the series of blocks defines a beginning block, an ending block, and a next block to be written, wherein initially the next block to be written is the beginning block, writes being executed to the write-only region starting at the next block to be written.

17. The HDD of claim 16, wherein after “

n”

blocks have been written, the LBA of the next block to be written is the LBA of the beginning block plus “

n”

.

18. The HDD of claim 17, wherein the blocks from the beginning block to the block immediately preceding the next block to be written establishes a no access region.

20. The HDD of claim 13, in combination with a host computer.