APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SCREENING NEW DATA WITHOUT IMPACTING DOWNLOAD SPEED

• US 20080295179A1
• Filed: 01/27/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: KEDEM, Noam
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/567 using dedicated hardware
• 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

Data to be screened for undesired content can be quickly downloaded into a non-volatile storage of a system, stored in a manner so as to be unavailable to the system for general use, and then screened later at a convenient time regardless of whether the data source is still available. At the time of screening, a screening module retrieves the data objects stored in the non-volatile storage and indicates whether they comply with screening criteria. Data objects not complying with the screening criteria are either deleted or otherwise made unavailable for general use by the system. By retaining the data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria, the downloaded content remains available for a different system having less restrictive or otherwise different screening criteria.

Claims

1. A non-volatile storage assembly comprising.

non-volatile storage configured to store data objects received from a host;

and

a screening module configured to retrieve the data objects stored in the non-volatile storage and to indicate if a data object retrieved from the nonvolatile storage complies with screening criteria,

wherein a data object stored in the nonvolatile storage or retrieved by the screening module is not available for use by the system other than for screening, unless the screening module has indicated that the data object complies with the screening criteria.

2. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the screening module is further configured to delete from the non-volatile storage data objects not complying with the screening criteria.

3. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the screening module is further configured to permit data objects not complying with the screening criteria to remain in the non-volatile storage.

4. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a first storage device and a second storage device, and wherein the screening module is configured to retrieve unscreened data objects from the first storage device and to write screened data objects into the second storage device.

5. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 4, wherein the screened data objects written into the second storage device are data objects complying with the screening criteria, and wherein data objects not complying with the screening criteria are deleted.

6. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 4, wherein the screened data objects written into the second storage device are both data objects complying with the screening criteria and data objects not complying with the screening criteria.

7. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a first storage device and a second storage device, and wherein the screening module is configured to retrieve unscreened data objects from the first storage device, to write into the second storage device screened data objects that comply with the screening criteria, and to write into the first storage device screened data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria.

8. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a single storage device configured to store both unscreened data objects and screened data objects.

9. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 8, wherein the screening module changes attributes of the data objects to indicate that they have been screened.

10. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 9, wherein the attributes of the screened data objects indicate whether they comply with the screening criteria.

11. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 8, wherein the single storage device has a first partition and a second partition, and wherein the screening module is configured to retrieve unscreened data objects from the first partition and to write screened data objects into the second partition.

12. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 8, wherein the single storage device has a first partition and a second partition, and wherein the screening module is configured to retrieve unscreened data objects from the first partition, to write into the second partition screened data objects that comply with the screening criteria, and to write into the first partition screened data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria.

13. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the screening module and the non-volatile storage reside in the host.

14. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the screening module resides in the host and the non-volatile storage is external to the host.

15. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the screening module and the non-volatile storage are external to the host.

16. The non-volatile storage assembly of claim 15, wherein the screening module is configured to install a screening routine into a memory of the host, and wherein the screening routine is configured to retrieve the data objects stored in the non-volatile storage and to indicate which of the data objects complies with the screening criteria.

17. A system for screening content, the system comprising:

an interface for communicating with an external data source to receive data objects; and

the non-volatile storage assembly of claim 1, the non-volatile storage being configured to store the data objects received via the interface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the interface is a web browser.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the interface is an optical disk reader

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the interface is a USB port.

21. A method of authorizing content for use, the method comprising:

receiving a data object;

storing the data object in non-volatile storage;

keeping the stored data object unavailable for use other than screening unless the data object has been determined to comply with the screening criteria;

screening the stored data object to determine if the stored data object complies with the screening criteria; and

indicating that the screened data object is available for use if the screened data object complies with the screening criteria.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of receiving data objects includes operating a web browser.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of receiving data objects includes operating an optical disk reader.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of receiving data objects includes obtaining the data objects through a USB port.

25. The method of claim 21, futher comprising:

deleting, from the non-volatile storage, data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria.

26. The method of claim 21, Her comprising:

retaining, in the non-volatile storage, data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a first non-volatile storage device and a second non-volatile storage device, the data objects being stored in the first non-volatile storage device before being screened, and at least a portion of the data objects being stored in the second non-volatile storage device after being screened.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least a portion of the data objects stored in the second non-volatile storage device are data objects complying with the screening criteria, and wherein data objects not complying with the screening criteria are deleted.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least a portion of the data objects stored in the second non-volatile storage device are both data objects complying with the screening criteria and data objects not complying with the screening criteria.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a first non-volatile storage device and a second non-volatile storage device, the data objects being stored in the first non-volatile storage device before being screened, the screened data objects that comply with the screening criteria being stored in the second non-volatile storage device, and the screened data objects that do not comply with the screening criteria being stored in the first non-volatile storage device.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein the non-volatile storage includes a single non-volatile storage device configured to store both unscreened data objects and screened data objects.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of indicating that the screened data object is available for use includes changing attributes of the screened data object.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the attributes are changed to indicate whether the screened data object complies with the screening criteria.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the single non-volatile storage device has a first partition and a second partition, and wherein unscreened data objects are received from the first partition and at least a portion of screened data objects are written into the second partition.

35. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

screening the screened data object a second time to determine if the screened data object complies with second screening criteria.