Semiconductor memory card

• US 6,606,707 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2000
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatebayashi, Makoto, Kozuka, Masayuki, Minami, Masataka, Hirota, Teruto, Yugawa, Taihei
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrón, Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US09/557,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 713/172, 713/193, 713/194
• US Class Current: 713/172
• 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 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/22 Safety or protection circuits preventing unauthorised or accidental access to memory cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A semiconductor memory card comprising a control IC 302, a flash memory 303, and a ROM 304. The ROM 304 holds information such as a medium ID 341 unique to the semiconductor memory card. The flash memory 303 includes an authentication memory 332 and a non-authentication memory 331. The authentication memory 332 can be accessed only by external devices which have been affirmatively authenticated. The non-authentication memory 331 can be accessed by external devices whether the external devices have been affirmatively authenticated or not. The control IC 302 includes control units 325 and 326, an authentication unit 321 and the like. The control units 325 and 326 control accesses to the authentication memory 332 and the non-authentication memory 331, respectively. The authentication unit 321 executes a mutual authentication with an external device.

Claims

1. A semiconductor memory card for use with an electronic device, said semiconductor memory card comprising:

a rewritable nonvolatile memory; and

a control circuit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to an authentication area and a non-authentication area in said rewritable nonvolatile memory;

said control circuit comprising;

a non-authentication area access control unit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the non-authentication area;

an authentication unit operable to perform an authentication process to check whether the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card, and affirmatively authenticate the electronic device when the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card; and

an authentication area access control unit operable to permit the electronic device to access the authentication area only when said authentication unit affirmatively authenticates the electronic device;

wherein the authentication area and the non-authentication area are provided by dividing a continuous area of a predetermined size in said rewritable nonvolatile memory into two parts; and

wherein said semiconductor memory card further comprises;

wherein the authentication area and the non-authentication area are provided by dividing a continuous area of a predetermined size in said rewritable nonvolatile memory into two parts; and

wherein said semiconductor memory card further comprises;

a device operable to hold an address marking a boundary between the authentication area and the non-authentication area; and

an area resizing circuit operable to resize the authentication area and the non-authentication area, wherein said area resizing circuit resizes the authentication area and the non-authentication area by changing the boundary marking address, said area resizing circuit comprising;

an authentication area conversion table operable to provide a correspondence between logical addresses and physical addresses in the authentication area;

a non-authentication area conversion table operable to provide a correspondence between logical addresses and physical addresses in the non-authentication area; and

a conversion table change unit operable to change contents of said authentication area conversion table and said non-authentication area conversion table in accordance with an instruction from the electronic device;

wherein said authentication area access control unit and the non-authentication area access control unit control accesses by the electronic device to the authentication area and the non-authentication area by referring to the boundary marking address;

wherein said authentication area access control unit is operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the authentication area by referring to said authentication area conversion table; and

wherein said non-authentication area access control unit is operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the non-authentication area by referring to said non-authentication area conversion table.

2. A semiconductor memory card as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

an area addressed with higher physical addresses and an area addressed with lower physical addresses both constituting the area having the predetermined size are respectively allocated to the authentication area and the non-authentication area;

said non-authentication area conversion table is operable to provide a correspondence between logical addresses arranged in an ascending order and physical addresses arranged in an ascending order; and

said authentication area conversion table is operable to provide a correspondence between logical addresses arranged in an ascending order and physical addresses arranged in descending order.

3. A semiconductor memory card for use with an electronic device, said semiconductor memory card comprising:

a rewritable nonvolatile memory; and

a control circuit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to an authentication area and a non-authentication area in said rewritable nonvolatile memory;

said control circuit comprising;

a non-authentication area access control unit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the non-authentication area;

an authentication unit operable to perform an authentication process to check whether the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card, and affirmatively authenticate the electronic device when the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card;

an authentication area access control unit operable to permit the electronic device to access the authentication area only when said authentication unit affirmatively authenticates the electronic device;

a conversion table operable to provide a correspondence between logical addresses and physical addresses in each of the authentication area and the non-authentication area; and

a conversion table change circuit operable to change contents of said conversion table in accordance with an instruction from the electronic device;

wherein the authentication area and the non-authentication area are provided by dividing a continuous area of a predetermined size in said rewritable nonvolatile memory into two parts; and

wherein said semiconductor memory card further comprises;

a device operable to hold an address marking a boundary between the authentication area and the non-authentication area; and

an area resizing circuit operable to resize the authentication area and the non-authentication area, wherein said area resizing circuit resizes the authentication area and the non-authentication area by changing the boundary marking address;

wherein said authentication area access control unit and the non-authentication area access control unit control accesses by the electronic device to the authentication area and the non-authentication area by referring to the boundary marking address; and

wherein said authentication area access control unit and the non-authentication area access control unit are operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the authentication area and the non-authentication area, respectively, by referring to said conversion table.

4. A semiconductor memory card for use with an electronic device, said semiconductor memory card comprising:

a rewritable flash memory; and

a control circuit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to an authentication area and a non-authentication area in said rewritable flash memory;

said control circuit comprising;

a non-authentication area access control unit operable to control accesses by the electronic device to the non-authentication area;

an authentication unit operable to perform an authentication process to check whether the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card, and affirmatively authenticate the electronic device when the electronic device has authority to access said semiconductor memory card;

an authentication area access control unit operable to permit the electronic device to access the authentication area only when said authentication unit affirmatively authenticates the electronic device;

a not-deleted list holding unit operable to hold a non-deleted list that provides a list of not-deleted areas in the authentication area and the non-authentication area; and

a not-deleted area sending unit operable to, in accordance with an instruction from the electronic device, refer to the not-deleted list to identify not-deleted areas in the authentication area and the non-authentication area, and send information indicating the identified not-deleted areas to the electronic device.

wherein the authentication area and the non-authentication area are provided by dividing a continuous area of a predetermined size in said rewritable flash memory into two parts; and

wherein said semiconductor memory card further comprises;

a device operable to hold an address marking a boundary between the authentication area and the non-authentication area; and

an area resizing circuit operable to resize the authentication area and the non-authentication area, wherein said area resizing circuit resizes the authentication area and the non-authentication area by changing the boundary marking address; and

wherein said authentication area access control unit and the non-authentication area access control unit control accesses by the electronic device to the authentication area and the non-authentication area by referring to the boundary marking address.