Computers and microchips with a side protected by an internal hardware firewall and an unprotected side connected to a network

• US 8,561,164 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frampton E. Ellis III
• Original Assignee: Frampton E. Ellis III
• Inventors: Ellis, Frampton E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nash, Lashanya
• Application Number:
  US12/829,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20110004931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/250, 712/28, 712/32, 726/3, 726/11
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/30 characterised by the surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/825 Mixtures of compounds all of which are non-ionic
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/48 Medical, disinfecting agents, disinfecting, antibacterial, germicidal or antimicrobial compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A computer or microchip including one or more microprocessors or processing units, at least one network communication component, and an internal hardware firewall. located on a microchip and configured to separate a protected side of the computer or microchip from an unprotected side of the computer or microchip, the unprotected side being configured to connect to a network. The hardware protected side of the computer or microchip includes at least one microprocessor or processing unit. The unprotected network side of the computer or microchip is located between the internal hardware firewall and the network and includes the at least one unprotected microprocessors or processing units and network communications components. The unprotected microprocessors or processing units and network communications components are separate components and both are separate from the internal hardware firewall. The computer or microchip can be actively configured, including using microchips with field programmable gate arrays.

Claims

1. A computer comprising:

a hardware master controlling device for the computer located on a microchip,

one or more microprocessors;

one or more hardware network communication components; and

at least one internal hardware firewall located on said microchip;

one said internal hardware firewall is configured to protect a hardware protected side of the computer'"'"'s hardware and separate the hardware protected side of the computer'"'"'s hardware from an unprotected network side that is not protected by said internal hardware firewall, said unprotected network side being configured to connect to a network of computers;

at least said master controlling device is located within said hardware protected side of the computer; and

one or more of said microprocessors and said one or more network communications components are located within said unprotected network side of the computer, and said unprotected network side of the computer being configured for connection to the network of computers and being located between said internal hardware firewall and a wired or wireless network connection to said network of computers,

said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side of the computer being separate components from said one or more network communications components, and both said microprocessors located within the unprotected network side and said one or more network communications components being separate from said internal hardware firewall.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer includes an active configuration of motherboard hardware.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein said internal hardware firewall is also configured to make said hardware protected side of the computer inaccessible by a network;

and

said internal hardware firewall is configured to permit access by another computer in the network to said unprotected network side of the computer including said one or more microprocessors located within the unprotected network side.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein said master controlling device for said computer includes a microprocessor.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein said internal hardware firewall is also configured to deny access to said hardware protected side of the computer from said unprotected network side of the computer;

and

said internal hardware firewall is configured to permit access to said one or more microprocessors located within the unprotected network side of the computer.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the unprotected network side of the computer includes at least two microprocessors.

7. The computer of claim 1, wherein the unprotected network side of the computer includes at least four microprocessors.

8. The computer of claim 1, wherein said at least one network communications component includes at least a modem.

9. The computer of claim 1, wherein said internal hardware firewall denies access by said network to said hardware protected side of the computer.

10. The computer of claim 1, wherein said internal hardware firewall by its location does not restrict access by the network to the unprotected network side of the computer, thereby not restricting network operations conducted by the computer with the network, which are conducted in said unprotected network side using said network side microprocessors of the computer.

11. The computer of claim 1, wherein the hardware protected side includes at least a non-volatile memory and the unprotected network side includes at least a volatile memory.

12. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to be a personal computer or a node in an array of other said computers as nodes linked together to form a server and/or a mainframe and/or a supercomputer.

13. The computer of claim 1, wherein said computer is configured to at least perform Internet browsing with the network of computers, and said Internet browsing is executed at least by said at least one microprocessor located in said unprotected network portion of the computer.

14. The computer of claim 1, wherein said microchip is configured for use by at least one individual user, and

wherein at least one of said hardware network communications components and said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side are located on said microchip.

15. The computer of claim 1, wherein said unprotected network side includes at least one of the following components:

active configuration of one or more integrated circuits, sound, hard drive, optical disk drive, or video or other display components.

16. The computer of claim 1, wherein said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side of the computer are located on said microchip.

17. The computer of claim 1, wherein said one or more hardware network communication components are located on said microchip.

18. The computer of claim 1, comprising at least two hardware network communications components.

19. The computer of claim 1, wherein said microchip includes active configuration of one or more integrated circuits.

20. The computer of claim 1, wherein said microchip includes one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA).

21. A computer comprising:

two or more microprocessors;

at least one hardware network communications component; and

at least one internal hardware firewall located on a microchip;

one said internal hardware firewall is configured to protect a hardware protected side of the computer'"'"'s hardware and separate the hardware protected side of the computer'"'"'s hardware from an unprotected network side of the computer'"'"'s hardware that is not protected by said internal hardware firewall, said unprotected network side being configured to connect to a network of computers;

at least one said microprocessor is located on said microchip and within said hardware protected side of the computer that is protected by at least said internal hardware firewall;

one or more of said microprocessors and said at least one network communications component are located within said unprotected network side that is located between said internal hardware firewall and a wired or wireless network connection,

said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side of the computer being separate components from said at least one network communications component, and both said microprocessors located within the unprotected network side and said at least one network communications component being separate from said internal hardware firewall.

22. The computer of claim 21, wherein the computer includes an active configuration of motherboard hardware.

23. The computer of claim 21, wherein said internal hardware firewall is configured to deny access to said hardware protected side of the computer by a network;

and

said internal hardware firewall is also configured to permit access by another computer in the network to said unprotected network side of the computer including said one or more microprocessors located within the unprotected network side.

24. The computer of claim 21, wherein said internal hardware firewall is also configured to deny access to said hardware protected side of the computer from said unprotected network side of the computer;

and

said internal hardware firewall is also configured to permit access to said one or more unprotected microprocessors located within the unprotected network side of the computer.

25. The computer of claim 21, wherein the unprotected network side includes at least two microprocessors.

26. The computer of claim 21, wherein the unprotected network side includes at least four microprocessors.

27. The computer of claim 21, wherein said at least one network communications component includes at least a modem.

28. The computer of claim 21, wherein said internal hardware firewall denies access by said network to said hardware protected side of the computer.

29. The computer of claim 21, wherein said internal hardware firewall by its location does not restrict access by the network to the unprotected network side of the computer, thereby not restricting network operations conducted by the computer with the network, which are conducted in said unprotected network side using said network side microprocessors of the computer.

30. The computer of claim 21, wherein the hardware protected side includes at least a non-volatile memory and the unprotected network side includes at least a volatile memory.

31. The computer of claim 21, wherein the computer is configured to be a personal computer or a node in an array of other said computers as nodes linked together to form a server and/or a mainframe and/or a supercomputer.

32. The computer of claim 21, wherein said computer is configured to at least perform Internet browsing with the network of computers, and said Internet browsing is executed at least by said at least one microprocessor located in said unprotected network portion of the computer.

33. The computer of claim 21, wherein said microchip is configured for use by at least one individual user, and

wherein at least one of said hardware network communications components and said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side are located on said microchip.

34. The computer of claim 21, wherein said unprotected network side includes at least one of the following components:

active configuration of one or more integrated circuits, sound, hard drive, optical disk drive, or video or other display components.

35. The computer of claim 21, wherein said one or more microprocessors located within said unprotected network side of the computer are located on said microchip.

36. The computer of claim 21, wherein said one or more hardware network communication components are located on said microchip.

37. The computer of claim 21, wherein said microchip includes active configuration of one or more integrated circuits.

38. The computer of claim 21, wherein said microchip includes one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA).

39. The computer of claim 21, comprising at least two hardware network communications components.

40. A microchip, comprising:

a microprocessor, the microprocessor including at least two processing units;

at least one network communications component; and

at least one internal hardware firewall;

one said internal hardware firewall is configured to separate a hardware protected side of the microchip'"'"'s hardware from an unprotected network side of the microchip'"'"'s hardware, said unprotected network side being configured for connection to a network;

at least one of the processing units of the microprocessor is located within said hardware protected side that is protected by at least said internal hardware firewall; and

one or more of the processing units of the microprocessor and said at least one network communications component is located within said unprotected network side that is located between said internal hardware firewall and a wired or wireless network connection,

said one or more unprotected network side processing units being separate components from said at least one network communications component, and both said unprotected network side processing units and said at least one network communications component being separate from said internal hardware firewall.

41. The microchip of claim 40, wherein the microchip includes an active configuration of the integrated circuits of the microchip in the form of at least one microcircuit electromechanical switch or lock.

42. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said internal hardware firewall is configured to deny access to said hardware protected side of the microchip by a network;

and

said internal hardware firewall is also configured to permit access by another computer in the network to said one or more network side processing units included in the unprotected network side of the microchip.

43. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said at least one processing unit included in said hardware protected side of the microchip includes a master control unit.

44. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said internal hardware firewall is configured to deny access to said hardware protected side of the microchip from said unprotected network side of the microchip;

and

said internal hardware firewall is also configured to permit access to said one or more network side processing units included in the unprotected network side of the microchip.

45. The microchip of claim 40, wherein the unprotected network side of the microchip includes at least two processing units.

46. The microchip of claim 40, wherein the unprotected network side of the microchip includes at least four processing units.

47. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said at least one network communications component includes at least a modem.

48. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said internal hardware firewall denies access by said network to said hardware protected side of the microchip.

49. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said internal hardware firewall by its location does not restrict access by the network to the unprotected network side of the microchip, thereby not restricting network operations conducted by the microchip with the network, which are conducted in said unprotected network side using said network side processing units of the microchip.

50. The microchip of claim 40, wherein the hardware protected side includes at least a non-volatile memory and the unprotected network side includes at least a volatile memory.

51. The microchip of claim 40, wherein the microchip is included in a computer configured to be a personal computer or a node in an array of other said computers as nodes linked together to form a server and/or a mainframe and/or a supercomputer.

52. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said microchip is configured to at least perform Internet browsing with the network of computers, and said Internet browsing is executed at least by said at least one processing unit located in said unprotected network portion of the microchip.

53. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said microchip further includes a graphics component.

54. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said microchip further includes a field programmable gate array.

55. The microchip of claim 40, wherein said unprotected network side includes at least one of the following components:

active configuration of one or more integrated circuits, sound or video processing components.

56. The microchip of claim 40, comprising at least two hardware network communications components.

57. A microchip, comprising:

a microprocessor, the microprocessor including at least two processing units;

one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA); and

at least one internal hardware firewall;

one said internal hardware firewall is configured to separate a hardware protected side of the microchip'"'"'s hardware from an unprotected network side of the microchip'"'"'s hardware, said unprotected network side being configured for connection to a network;

at least one of the processing units of the microprocessor is located within said hardware protected side that is protected by at least said internal hardware firewall; and

one or more of the processing units of the microprocessor and said one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA);

are located within said unprotected network side that is located between said internal hardware firewall and a wired or wireless network connection,

said one or more network side processing units being separate components from said one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA);

, and both said network side processing units and one or more said field programmable gate arrays (FPGA);

being separate from said internal hardware firewall.

58. The microchip of claim 57, wherein said at least one processing unit included in said hardware protected side of the microchip includes a master control unit.

59. The microchip of claim 57, wherein said internal hardware firewall denies access by said network to said hardware protected side of the microchip.

60. The microchip of claim 57, wherein said internal hardware firewall by its location does not restrict access by the network to the unprotected network side of the microchip, thereby not restricting network operations conducted by the microchip with the network, which are conducted in said unprotected network side using said network side processing units of the microchip.

61. The microchip of claim 57, comprising at least two hardware network communications components.