Magnetic optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement

• US 6,473,861 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joseph Forte
• Original Assignee: Joseph Forte
• Inventors: Stokes, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrón, Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meislahn, Douglas J.
• Application Number:
  US09/204,243
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 380/194, 711/117, 713/194, 713/193
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00246 wherein the key is obtained from a local device, e.g. device key initially stored by the player or by the recorder
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00666 involving a step of erasing or nullifying data, e.g. data being overwritten with a random string
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00673 wherein the erased or nullified data include a cryptographic key
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/284 on the record carrier

Abstract

An encryption-decryption disk drive arrangement has a recordable disk and is configured so that data can be securely stored on the disk. The drive housing or enclosure is sealed, and any attempt to open the housing or to access the internal electronics will cause the encryption/decryption keys and firmware to be erased from EEPROMs in the drive. The drive can be configured so that data are encrypted and distributed between two disks, which can be a writeable CD ROM disk and a magnetic disk. With this disk drive arrangement, the encryption and decryption operations take place in the drive, and do not affect the motherboard or daughterboards of the associated computer. This arrangement can also be used to authenticating or verifying digitally stored documents and records.

Claims

1. An encryption/decryption peripheral disk drive arrangement for use in a data processing device, and for communicating with processing equipment outside the disk drive arrangement and within the data processing device, the encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement recording and storing data in encrypted form but receive data from the outside processing equipment in unencrypted form and sending the data to the outside processing equipment in decrypted form, such that communications between the disk drive arrangement and the outside processing equipment are transparent and independent of any encryption within the disk drive arrangement, but also such that the data recorded on the disk drive are secured against unauthorized access within the disk drive arrangement, the disk drive arrangement comprising:

(a) a recordable disk drive including a removable recordable data storage disk having an address region of track and sector addresses and a region of data tracks adapted for storing encrypted data;

at least one read/write head;

positioning means for positioning said read/write head relative to said disk; and

a motor for rotating said disk;

(b) an encoded data buffer coupled to said read/write head;

(c) an encryption-decryption module that is coupled to said buffer for encrypting data to be stored in said data tracks and addresses to be stored in said address region; and

for decrypting data and addresses read from said buffer;

(d) erasable memory device coupled to said encryption-decryption module and storing encryption keys for encrypting the data and addresses transferred to said encrypted data buffer and for decrypting the data and addresses transferred from said encrypted data buffer;

(e) a data buss having decrypted data input and output means coupled to said encryption-decryption module for conveying decrypted data to and from further processing modules;

(f) a disk drive housing containing said drive, said encrypted data buffer, said encryption-decryption module, and said erasable memory device, said data buss having input and output means extending from inside to outside said disk drive housing for communicating decrypted data with said further processing modules of said data processing device; and

(g) protective means for disabling said drive motor and positioning means and for erasing the encryption keys stored in said erasable memory device in the event of an unauthorized access into said disk drive housing.

2. Optical encryption/decryption peripheral disk drive arrangement for use in a data processing device, and for communicating with processing equipment outside the disk drive arrangement and within the data processing device, the optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement recording and storing data in encrypted form but receiving data from the outside processing equipment in unencrypted form and sending the data to the outside processing equipment in decrypted form, such that communications between the disk drive arrangement and the outside processing equipment are transparent and independent of any encryption within the disk drive arrangement, but also such that the data recorded on the disk drive are secured against unauthorized access within the disk drive arrangement, the disk drive arrangement comprising:

(a) a write-once, read-many-times optical drive including a removable recordable optical disk having an address region of track and sector addresses and a region of data tracks adapted for storing encrypted data;

at least one read/write head;

positioning means for positioning said read/write head relative to said disk; and

a motor for rotating said disk;

(b) an encoded data buffer coupled to said read/write head;

(c) an encryption-decryption module that is coupled to said buffer for encrypting data to be stored in said data tracks and addresses to be stored in said address region; and

for decrypting data and addresses read from said buffer;

(d) erasable memory device coupled to said encryption-decryption module and storing encryption keys for encrypting the data and addresses transferred to said encrypted data buffer and for decrypting the data and addresses transferred from said encrypted data buffer;

(e) a data buss having decrypted data input and output means coupled to said encryption-decryption module for conveying decrypted data to and from further processing modules;

(f) a disk drive housing containing said drive, said encrypted data buffer, said encryption-decryption module, and said erasable memory device, said data buss having input and output means extending from inside to outside said disk drive housing for communicating decrypted data with said further processing modules of said data processing device; and

(g) protective means for disabling said drive motor and positioning means and for erasing the encryption keys stored in said erasable memory device in the event of an unauthorized access into said disk drive housing.

3. Optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said encryption-decryption module includes a ROM.

4. Optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said erasable memory device includes an EEPROM.

5. Optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement according to claim 2, further including a head disk motor lock coupled to said drive motor, said head positioning means, and said data buss, and including a head position memory unit for positioning said read/write head in accordance with decrypted address data from said data buss.

6. Optical encryption/decryption disk drive arrangement according to claim 2, further comprising an unauthorized-attempt memory register coupled with said data buss for counting unauthorized attempts to access the data stored on said disk.

7. Magnetic optical dual disk peripheral disk drive arrangement for use in a data processing device, and for communicating with processing equipment outside the disk drive arrangement and within the data processing device, the magnetic optical dual disk drive arrangement recording and storing data in encrypted form but receiving data from the outside processing equipment in unencrypted form and sending the data to the outside processing equipment in decrypted form such that communications between the disk drive arrangement and the outside processing equipment are transparent and independent of any encryption within the disk drive arrangement, but also such that the data recorded on the dual disk drive arrangement are secured against unauthorized access within the dual disk drive arrangement, the dual disk drive arrangement comprising:

(a) write-only, read-many-times CD ROM drive including a removable recordable optical disk having data tracks adapted for storing encrypted data and encrypted track and sector data, and at least one optical read/write head;

positioning means for positioning said optical head; and

a motor for rotating said optical disk;

(b) a magnetic disk drive including a magnetic storage disk;

a magnetic read/write head;

positioning means for positioning said magnetic head; and

motor means for rotating said magnetic disk;

(c) a data encrypting and formatting module including means coupled to said optical head for encrypting data to be stored in said optical disk and decrypting data to be recorded by said magnetic head;

(d) data buss means coupled to said data encryption and formatting module for conveying decrypted data to and from further processing modules;

(e) erasable memory means coupled to said data encryption and formatting module and adapted for storing encryption keys for encrypting and decrypting data and encrypting and decrypting format information that are stored on said optical and magnetic disks;

(f) a dual disk drive housing containing said optical and magnetic drives, said data encryption and formatting module, and said erasable memory means, said data buss having input and output means extending from inside to outside said dual disk drive housing for communicating decrypted data with said further processing modules of said data processing device; and

(g) protective means for automatically erasing the encryption keys stored in said erasable memory means in the event of an unauthorized opening or accessing said dual disk drive housing.

8. Magnetic optical dual disk drive according to claim 7, wherein said data encryption and formatting buffer module includes a data formatting buffer having input-output means coupled to said optical head and said magnetic head, and an encrypt/decrypt module coupled to said data formatting buffer and to said data buss means.

9. Magnetic optical dual disk drive according to claim 8, wherein said erasable memory means includes a format EEPROM coupled to said data formatting buffer and an encryption/decryption EEPROM coupled to said encrypt/decrypt module.

10. Magnetic optical dual disk drive according to claim 9, wherein said protective means includes an EEPROM erasure device having respective erase signal carrying means connected to erase inputs of said format EEPROM and said encryption/decryption EEPROM.

11. Magnetic optical dual disk drive according to claim 8, further comprising a microprocessor coupled to said formatting buffer and to said encrypt/decrypt module for subtractive and/or additive data filtering.