Protecting confidential information on portable storage media

• US 20070283094A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Narayanaswami, Chandrasekhar, Raghunath, Mandayam Thondanur
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

A portable storage system for connecting to a host, the portable storage system includes a storage device for storing information and a switch. The switch includes a get mode wherein the host sees only the free space in the storage device and not the part storing the information. Optionally, the portable storage system includes a give mode wherein the storage medium shows an empty space to the host and any file or directory is marked as shared and wherein the host sees a file-system whose size equals the amount of empty storage space on the storage device and an owner mode showing all of the stored information to the host and enabling the owner of the system to uncheck a shared flag on a storage device that received from another user that added files.

Claims

1. A portable storage system for connecting with a host information processing system, the portable storage system comprising:

a storage device for storing information; and

a switch comprising;

a get mode wherein the storage medium shows only the free space in the storage device and not the part storing the information and host system sees is presented with a file system whose size equals the amount of free space on the storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a give mode wherein the storage medium shows only an empty space to the host system and any file or directory marked as shared but not other parts of the storage device storing information, and wherein the host system sees a file-system whose size equals the sum of amount of empty storage space and files or directories marked as shared on the portable storage system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises:

an owner mode which when selected shows all information stored in the system to the host; and

a shared flag indicating that the files marked with the flag are shared between the storage system and the host system and an apparatus for the owner of the storage system to modify a shared flag on the storage system and to add files to the shared partition by checking the shared flags.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a write-protect switch, wherein if the write-protect switch is set along with the switch in the give mode the data in the file-system visible to the host system is write protected.

5. The system of claim 1, where the storage device comprises a USB interface.

6. The system of claim 1, where the storage device comprises a disk drive.

7. The system of claim 1, where the storage device comprises flash memory.

8. The system of claim 1, where the storage device comprises molecular storage.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the switch is recessed so that a user'"'"'s finger cannot get into the recess without a tool.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the switch is operable using a fingerprint sensor.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein when the user places a first finger on the fingerprint reader for placing the storage unit in the get state and when the user places a second finger on the fingerprint reader that puts the storage unit in the give state and when the user places a third finger on the fingerprint reader that puts the storage unit in the owner state.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein a dial is provided for selecting a date range to additionally filter the list of files marked shared that are to be shown in a visible partition.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a host computer system comprising an interface for connecting to the system.

14. A portable storage medium for connecting to a host, the portable storage medium, comprising:

a storage device for storing information;

a get mode wherein the storage medium shows only the free space in the storage device and not the part storing the information and host system is presented with a file system whose size equals the amount of free space on the storage device.

15. The medium of claim 14 further comprising a give mode wherein the storage medium shows only an empty space to the host system and any file or directory marked as shared but not other parts of the storage device storing information, and wherein the host system sees a file-system whose size equals the sum of amount of empty storage space and files or directories marked as shared on the portable storage system.

16. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

an owner mode which when selected shows all information stored in the storage system to the host system; and

a shared flag indicating that the files marked with the flag are shared between the storage system and the host system and an apparatus for the owner of the storage system to uncheck a shared flag on the storage system.

17. A method for a first user getting a file from a second user in a portable storage device having a get mode and an owner mode of operation, comprising the steps of:

the first user setting the get mode of operation and giving storage device to a the second user;

the second user coupling the storage device with a computing device and being displayed an empty storage device; and

the second user storing the file into the storage device and returning the storage device to the first user.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the first user placing the storage device in an owner mode, coupling it with a computer system, and un-checking a shared flag on the file.

19. A method for a first user giving a file to a second user in a portable storage device having a give mode and an owner mode of operation, comprising the steps of:

the first user storing in the storage device the file he wants to give to the second user and setting a shared flag;

the first user setting the storage device to the give mode and giving the second user the storage device; and

when the second user couples the storage device to a computer system, the system displays a capacity that is the sum of the size of the shared files and the free space on the storage device; and

the second user copying out relevant files from the storage device and returning the storage device to first user.

20. A portable storage system for connecting with a host information processing system, the portable storage system comprising:

a storage device for storing information; and

a switch comprising;

a give mode wherein the storage medium shows only an empty space to the host system and any file or directory marked as shared but not other parts of the storage device storing information, and any file or directory created in the give mode is marked as shared and wherein the host system sees a file-system whose size equals the amount of empty storage space on the portable storage system.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the switch comprises a get mode wherein the storage medium shows only the free space in the storage device and not the part storing the information and host system sees is presented with a file system whose size equals the amount of free space on the storage device.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the switch comprises:

an owner mode which when selected shows all information stored in the system to the host; and

a shared flag indicating that the files marked with the flag are shared between the storage system and the host system and an apparatus for the owner of the storage system to uncheck a shared flag on the storage system.