INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS CAPABLE OF ENABLING SELECTION OF USER DATA ERASE METHOD, DATA PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110238901A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: HAMAGUCHI, Jun, KOGA, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A mechanism which makes it possible to automatically and appropriately select an erase method of erasing user data in a shorter time such that the user data can by no means be reproduced, according to the type of a connected nonvolatile storage device. An information processing apparatus determines an erase method of erasing an erase area of the nonvolatile storage device according to a management table generated based on attribute information acquired from the nonvolatile storage device. Then, the image forming apparatus erases information stored in the erase area according to the determined erase method.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus to which different types of nonvolatile storage devices can be connected, comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine an erase method of erasing an erase area of the nonvolatile storage device which the information processing apparatus is instructed to erase, according to attribute information acquired from the nonvolatile storage device; and

an erasure unit configured to erase information stored in the erase area according to the erase method determined by said determination unit.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes information indicative of whether the nonvolatile storage device is a semiconductor storage device or a nonvolatile storage device different from the semiconductor storage device.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute information further includes command information indicative of whether or not the semiconductor storage device supports a predetermined erase command.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored information includes user information, log information, and image information.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the nonvolatile storage device is a semiconductor storage device and when the command information indicates that the semiconductor storage device supports the predetermined erase command, said erase unit erases the information stored in the erase area according to the predetermined erase command.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the nonvolatile storage device is a semiconductor storage device and when the command information does indicates that the semiconductor storage device does not support the predetermined erase command, said erase unit erases the stored information by writing predetermined data in the erase area.

7. A data processing method executed by an information processing apparatus to which different types of nonvolatile storage devices can be connected, comprising:

determining an erase method of erasing an erase area of the nonvolatile storage device which the information processing apparatus is instructed to erase, according to attribute information acquired from the nonvolatile storage device; and

erasing information stored in the erase area according to the determined erase method.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for causing a computer to execute a data processing method executed by an information processing apparatus to which different types of nonvolatile storage devices can be connected,

wherein the data processing method comprises:

determining an erase method of erasing an erase area of the nonvolatile storage device which the information processing apparatus is instructed to erase, according to attribute information acquired from the nonvolatile storage device; and

erasing information stored in the erase area according to the determined erase method.