MEMORY CARD WITH EMBEDDED IDENTIFIER

• US 20110231939A1
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xenogenic Development Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Mann, Joseph Francis, Schroeder, William N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/123 by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices

Abstract

A software installation system comprises an interface component that receives a request to access data resident upon a flash memory card. An installation component compares a unique identifier associated with the data with a unique identifier embedded within the flash memory card, and the installation component determines whether to allow access to the data based at least in part upon the comparison. The installation component prohibits access to the data if the unique identifier associated with the data does not match the unique identifier embedded within the flash memory card.

Claims

1. An industrial automation device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to connect to a portable device; and

an analysis component configured to generate a corresponding identifier based on a unique identifier of the portable device, and configured to transfer the corresponding identifier and industrial automation data to the portable device via the communication interface,

wherein the corresponding identifier is generated to prohibit a subsequent transfer of the industrial automation data without a match between the corresponding identifier and the unique identifier.

2. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the communication interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

3. The industrial automation device of claim 1, further comprising, a receiver component configured to receive a query to transfer the industrial automation data to the portable device.

4. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the analysis component is further configured to access the portable device via the communication interface and detect the unique identifier associated with the portable device.

5. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the analysis component is further configured to store, onto the portable device, a rule associated with access of the industrial automation data.

6. The industrial automation device of claim 5, wherein the rule includes an instruction to deny access to the industrial automation data from the portable device, after a specified time period.

7. The industrial automation device of claim 5, wherein the rule includes an instruction to prohibit one or more specified entities access to the industrial automation data from the portable device.

8. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the portable device includes a memory card.

9. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the analysis component is further configured to generate the corresponding identifier based on at least one of a hash or an encrypted version of the unique identifier.

10. The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the analysis component is further configured to at least one of read, write or transfer the industrial automation data, only upon the match of the corresponding identifier and the unique identifier.

11. A method for secure data transfer in an industrial automation environment, comprising:

receiving, from a portable electronic device, software and a corresponding identifier relating to a unique identifier of the portable electronic device;

installing the software on a first industrial automation device; and

employing the corresponding identifier to prohibit a transfer of the software from the first industrial automation device to a second industrial automation device without utilizing the portable electronic device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, comparing the corresponding identifier with the unique identifier prior to the installing.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, receiving a request to install the software onto the first industrial automation device that is communicatively coupled to the portable electronic device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising, requesting a first security key to be input at the first industrial automation device, prior to the installing.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, comparing the first security key with a second security key stored in the portable electronic device to facilitate authentication of the first industrial automation device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the installing includes installing the software by utilizing a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol.

17. An industrial automation device, comprising:

an interface component that receives a request for an installation of software residing on a portable electronic device coupled to the industrial automation device; and

an installation component that receives the software and a corresponding identifier linked to the software from the portable electronic device, wherein the corresponding identifier is related to a unique identifier of the portable electronic device,

wherein a disparate installation of the software on a disparate industrial automation device, is prohibited, in response to the industrial automation device transferring the software to the disparate industrial automation device, without utilizing the portable electronic device.

18. The industrial automation device of claim 17, further comprising, an analysis component that authorizes the installation on the industrial automation device, based on a comparison of a user-specified security key with a security key programmed within the portable electronic device.

19. The industrial automation device of claim 17, further comprising, a transaction component that updates an installation count, in response to the software being installed on the industrial automation device, and associates the installation count with the corresponding identifier.

20. The industrial automation device of claim 17, wherein the installation component permits the installation of the software only upon a linking of the corresponding identifier and the unique identifier.