Storage Device and Method for Using a Virtual File in a Public Memory Area to Access a Plurality of Protected Files in a Private Memory Area

• US 20110138487A1
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohen, Ehud, Peltz, Uri, Grin, Lola, Maor, Irit, Ittah, Eyal, Halevi, Yonatan, Shmuel, Avraham
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/32
• 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 21/31 User authentication
• 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 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• 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

A storage device and method for using a virtual file in a public memory area to access a plurality of protected files in a private memory area are disclosed. In one embodiment, a storage device receives a request from a host for access to a virtual file in the public memory area, wherein the virtual file is associated with a plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area. The storage device responds to the request by selecting and providing the host with access to one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area. The storage device receives an additional request from the host for access to the virtual file and responds to the additional request by selecting and providing the host with access to a different one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area.

Claims

1. A method for using a virtual file in a public memory area to access a plurality of protected files in a private memory area, the method comprising:

performing in a controller of a storage device having a public memory area and a private memory area;

(a) receiving a request from a host for access to a virtual file in the public memory area, wherein the virtual file is associated with a plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area;

(b) responding to the request for access to the virtual file by selecting and providing the host with access to one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area; and

(c) receiving an additional request from the host for access to the virtual file, wherein the controller responds to the additional request by selecting and providing the host with access to a different one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller performs (a)-(c) after executing an application that stores a set of rules that determine how the controller manages the plurality of protected files in the private memory area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (c)-(d) are performed if the host has been authenticated to the storage device, and wherein the controller responds to the request by providing a dedicated commercial if the host has not been authenticated to the storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the virtual file is at least as large as the size of the largest protected file.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the host with the size of the selected protected file.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the size of the selected protected file is less than the size of the virtual file, and wherein the method further comprises padding the protected file with data to accommodate the difference in sizes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual file is allocated to physical areas in the public storage area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual file is not allocated to physical areas in the public storage area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the protected file is accessed using a dedicated file system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the host comprises a compound command of two or more commands.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing at least one of the following:

modifying a protected file stored in the private memory area by writing modified data to the virtual file; and

adding a new protected file to the private memory area by writing the new protected file to the virtual file.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the protected file is encrypted.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a counter to protect the virtual file from being copied.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a data rate control mechanism to protect the virtual file from being copied.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a sliding window to protect the virtual file from being copied.

16. A storage device comprising:

a public memory area;

a private memory area; and

a controller in communication with the public and private memory areas, wherein the controller is configured to;

(a) receive a request from a host for access to a virtual file in the public memory area, wherein the virtual file is associated with a plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area;

(b) respond to the request for access to the virtual file by selecting and providing the host with access to one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area; and

(c) receive an additional request from the host for access to the virtual file, wherein the controller is configured to respond to the additional request by selecting and providing the host with access to a different one of the plurality of protected files stored in the private memory area.

17. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is operative to perform (a)-(c) after executing an application that stores a set of rules that determine how the controller manages the plurality of protected files in the private memory area.

18. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is operative to perform (b)-(c) if the host has been authenticated to the storage device, and wherein the controller is operative to respond to the request by providing a dedicated commercial if the host has not been authenticated to the storage device.

19. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the size of the virtual file is at least as large as the size of the largest protected file.

20. The storage device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further operative to provide the host with the size of the selected protected file.

21. The storage device of claim 19, wherein the size of the selected protected file is less than the size of the virtual file, and wherein the controller is further operative to pad the protected file with data to accommodate the difference in sizes.

22. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the virtual file is allocated to physical areas in the public storage area.

23. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the virtual file is not allocated to physical areas in the public storage area.

24. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the protected file is accessed using a dedicated file system.

25. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the request from the host comprises a compound command of two or more commands.

26. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to perform at least one of the following:

modify a protected file stored in the private memory area by writing modified data to the virtual file; and

add a new protected file to the private memory area by writing the new protected file to the virtual file.

27. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the protected file is encrypted.

28. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to use a counter to protect the virtual file from being copied.

29. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to use a data rate control mechanism to protect the virtual file from being copied.

30. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to use a sliding window to protect the virtual file from being copied.