PORTABLE MEMORY APPARATUS HAVING A CONTENT PROTECTION FUNCTION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20080229015A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Myung-sun, Moon, Ji-young, Ju, Hak-soo
• Application Number:
  US11/926,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229015A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1425 the protection being physical, e.g. cell, word, block
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1458 by checking the subject access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/22 Safety or protection circuits preventing unauthorised or accidental access to memory cells

Abstract

A portable memory apparatus having a content protection function is provided. The portable memory apparatus includes a memory and a memory control unit. The memory includes a read-only memory area which stores content and is set to so that only read operations are allowed, a writable memory area which is set so that read and write operations are allowed, and a special memory area which stores information needed to operate the portable memory apparatus and is set so that only authenticated programs are allowed to read from and/or write to the special memory area. The memory control unit controls the read and write operations on each of the areas.

Claims

1. A portable memory apparatus comprising:

a memory including a plurality of areas; and

a memory control unit which controls read and write operations on each of the areas of the memory,

wherein the plurality of areas comprise;

a read-only memory area which stores content and is set so that only read operations are allowed;

a writable memory area which is set so that read and write operations are allowed; and

a special memory area which stores information needed to operate the portable memory apparatus, wherein the special memory area is set so that only authenticated programs are allowed to at least one of read from and write to the special memory area.

3. The portable memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the special memory area further comprises a program revocation list which lists a predetermined program that is revoked, and

wherein the memory control unit identifies a program as an authenticated program unless the program is included in the program revocation list.

4. The portable memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the read-only memory area is set so that copy operations are not allowed.

5. The portable memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content to be stored in the read-only memory is encrypted with a predetermined content key, and

wherein a content key for decrypting the encrypted content is stored in the special memory area.

6. The portable memory apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the content is encrypted by symmetric encryption, the special memory area stores a content key which is identical to a content key that is used in the symmetric encryption.

7. The portable memory apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the content is encrypted by asymmetric encryption, the special memory area stores a private key, which is the content key for decrypting the encrypted content,

wherein the private key corresponds to a public key, and

wherein the public key is a content key used in the asymmetric encryption.

8. The portable memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the special memory area further comprises a content use restriction regulation so that the use of the content is restricted, and

wherein the memory control unit controls the use of the content based on the content use restriction regulation of the special memory area.

9. The portable memory apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content comprises audio, video, text, and/or software data.

2. The portable memory apparatus of claim 2, wherein the writable memory area stores at least one of additional information related to the content and other information.

10. A method of manufacturing a portable memory apparatus comprising:

dividing a memory of the portable memory apparatus into a read-only memory area which is set so that only read operations are allowed, a writable memory area which is set so that read and write operations are allowed, and a special memory area which is set so that only authenticated programs are allowed to at least one of read from and write to the special memory area;

storing content in the read-only memory area; and

storing information required to operate the portable memory apparatus in the special memory area.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

storing a program revocation list which lists a predetermined program that is revoked in the special memory area, and wherein a program is determined as an authenticated program unless the program is included in the program revocation list.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the read-only memory area is set so that copy operations are not allowed.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

encrypting content with a predetermined content key; and

storing a content key for decrypting the encrypted content in the special memory area,

wherein in the storing the content, the encrypted content is stored in the read-only memory area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in the encrypting the content, the content is encrypted by symmetric encryption, and

wherein in the storing the content key, a content key which is identical to a content key used in the symmetric encryption is stored in the special memory area.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in the encrypting the content, the content is encrypted by asymmetric encryption, and

wherein in the storing the content key, a private key that corresponds to a public key, which is a content key used in the asymmetric encryption, is stored as the content key for decrypting in the special memory area.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the content comprises at least one of audio, video, text, and software data.

18. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions, comprising:

dividing a memory of the portable memory apparatus into a read-only memory area which is set so that only read operations are allowed, a writable memory area which is set so that read and write operations are allowed, and a special memory area which is set so that only authenticated programs are allowed to at least one of read from and write to the special memory area;

storing content in the read-only memory area; and

storing information required to operate the portable memory apparatus in the special memory area.