File management apparatus for IC card

• US 5,517,014 A
• Filed: 03/22/1994
• Issued: 05/14/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iijima, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILIPEK, JEFFER
• Application Number:
  US08/215,574
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/487, 902/4, 902/1, 902/26, 395/600
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A file management apparatus capable of inhibiting an accessing operation for a plurality of areas within files. The file management apparatus includes a memory storing files each having multiple areas, a first storage unit for storing lock data denoting a locking condition of an accessing operation for each of the files, a determination device for determining whether the accessing operation for areas to be accessed is inhibited by referring to the lock data for the files, and an accessing device for accessing a particular one of the areas when the determination means determines that access to the group of areas containing that particular area is not inhibited. The file management apparatus also determines the inhibited/non-inhibited status for data areas within each file based on lock data and key data corresponding to each of those data areas.

Claims

1. A file management apparatus comprising:

a memory having a plurality of files for storing data, each of the files including a plurality of areas;

first storage means for storing a plurality of file directories, each of the file directories including at least one of said files and having corresponding file position data, first lock data denoting a first locking condition of an accessing operation for each of the files, and second lock data denoting a second locking condition of an accessing operation for each of the plurality of areas within each file;

second storage means for storing a plurality of area definition data, each of the area definition data having corresponding area position data, and key data denoting an access condition for an area identified by the area definition data and area position data corresponding thereto;

first determination means for determining whether the accessing operation for a file to be accessed is inhibited by referring no the first lock data stored in the first storage means;

first accessing means for accessing the file to be accessed when it is determined by the first determination means that the accessing operation for the file to be accessed to is not inhibited;

second determination means for determining whether the accessing operation for areas to be accessed is inhibited by referring to the second lock data included in a file directory corresponding to a file to which the areas to be accessed depend on;

third determination means for determining whether the accessing operation for the area to be accessed is inhibited by referring to the key data included in an area definition data; and

second accessing means for accessing to the area to be accessed when it is determined by the second and third determination means that the accessing operation for the area to be accessed is not inhibited.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first lock data has first data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for changing a file directory and second data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for reading the file directory;

and wherein the first determination means include means for determining whether the accessing operation is inhibited based on one of the first and second data corresponding to a content of the accessing operation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second lock data has third data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for changing data stored in an area and fourth data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for reading data in the area;

and wherein said second determination means include means for determining whether the accessing operation is inhibited based on one of the third and fourth data corresponding to a content of the accessing operation.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, said key data has fifth data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for changing data stored in an area and sixth data denoting a locking condition for an accessing operation for reading data in the area;

and wherein said second determination means include means for determining whether the accessing operation is inhibited based on one of the fifth and sixth data corresponding to a content of the accessing operation.

5. A file management apparatus comprising:

a memory having a plurality of files for storing data;

key data storage means for storing file definition data corresponding to the plurality of files, each of the file definition data having key designating data for designating key data to be verified before an accessing operation for a corresponding file is performed, and a lock data denoting whether the accessing operation for the corresponding file is inhibited;

first determination means for determining whether the accessing operation for a file to be accessed is inhibited by referring to the lock data stored in the key data storage means;

second determination means for determining whether a verification of the key data designated by the key designating data stored in the key data storage means has been completed;

access inhibition means for inhibiting an accessing operation for a file to be accessed when it is determined by the first determination means that the accessing operation for the file is inhibited, and for inhibiting an accessing operation for a file to be accessed when it is determined by the first determination means that the accessing operation for the file is not inhibited and it is determined by the second determination means that the verification of the key data is not completed;

accessing means for accessing to the file to be accessed when it is determined by the first determination means that the accessing operation for the file is not inhibited and it is determined by the second determination means that the verification of the key data has been completed; and

means for changing lock data stored in said key data storage means.