TIME MANAGED READ AND WRITE ACCESS TO A DATA STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20130145112A1
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Foster, David, Lopez-Barquilla, Ricardo
• Granted Patent: US 8,745,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/14 Protection against unauthorised use of memory or access to memory
• 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 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

Time managed read and write access to a data storage device. As a part of time managed read and write access to a data storage device, a request for read and/or write access to the data storage device is accessed and it is determined whether the request for read and/or write access to the data storage device is to be granted. Based on the determination, read and/or write access to the data storage device is either allowed or blocked. If read and/or write access is allowed, read and/or write access is terminated after passage of a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A method for time managed read and write access to said data storage device, comprising:

accessing a request for read and/or write access to said data storage device;

determining whether said request for read and/or write access to said data storage device is to be granted;

allowing or blocking read and/or write access to said data storage device; and

if said read and/or write access is allowed, terminating said read and/or write access after passage of a predetermined period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said allowing or blocking said read and/or write access to said data storage device is performed by hardware components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said allowing or blocking said read and/or write access to said data storage device is carried out completely from said data storage device based on an offline controlled policy.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring said data storage device for tampering.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising terminating said read and/or write access to said data storage device before said passage of said predetermined period of time if tampering with said data storage device is detected.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said read and write access to said data storage space in said data storage device is controlled by a locking policy that is determined by a storage device administrator.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said locking policy determines which parts of said data storage device are accessible and the type of access that is granted for each of said parts of said data storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said termination of read and/or write access is based on a clock that is resident in said data storage drive or on a time server.

9. A method for data storage device based time policy managed read and write access to said data storage device, comprising:

receiving a request for read and/or write access to said data storage device;

ascertaining whether said request for read and/or write access to said data storage device is to be granted based on said policy, wherein said policy provides limitations on said read and/or write access;

allowing or blocking read and/or write access to said data storage device, based on said ascertaining, using a hardware mechanism; and

if said read and/or write access to said data storage device is allowed, terminating said read and/or write access based on said policy.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said limitations on said read and/or write access comprise a requirement that a valid password be provided and/or a requirement that a valid login ID be provided and/or is related to a period of time for which read and/or write access is to be granted.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said allowing or blocking of said read and/or write access to said data storage device is performed by hardware components in response to a detection of tampering.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said allowing or blocking said read and/or write access to said data storage device is performed entirely from said data storage device based on an offline controlled policy.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising terminating said read and/or write access to said data storage device before a predetermined time for termination if tampering with said data storage device is detected.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein read and/or write access to storage space in said data storage device is controlled by a locking policy that is determined by an administrator of said data storage device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said locking policy determines which parts of said data storage device are accessible and the type of read and/or write access that is granted for each of said parts of said data storage device.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said termination of said read and/or write access is based on said clock or a time server.

17. A data storage drive comprising:

an interface component for coupling said device with a content playback device;

a data content storage component coupled to said interface component; and

a processor coupled to said content storage component, said processor for executing operations for time managed read and write access to said data storage drive, comprising;

accessing a request for read and/or write access to said data storage drive;

determining whether said request for read and/or write access to said data storage drive is to be granted;

allowing or blocking read and/or write access to said data storage drive; and

if read and/or write access is allowed, terminating read and/or write access after passage of a predetermined period of time.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein said allowing or blocking read and write access to said data storage drive is performed by hardware components.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein said allowing or blocking said read and/or write access to said data storage drive is performed entirely from said data storage drive based on an offline controlled policy.

20. The device of claim 17 further comprising monitoring said data storage drive for tampering.