Removable drive with data encryption

• US 8,880,903 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STRONG BEAR, LLC
• Original Assignee: STRONG BEAR, LLC
• Inventors: Roberts, Rodney B., Gardner, Ronald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US13/965,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 713/192
• US Class Current: 713/192
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption

Abstract

A removable drive such as a USB drive or key is provided for connecting to computer devices to provide secure and portable data storage. The drive includes a drive manager adapted to be run by an operating system of the computer device. The drive manager receives a password, generates a random key based on the password, encrypts a user-selected data file in memory of the computer device using the key, and stores the encrypted file in the memory of the removable drive. The drive manager performs the encryption of the data file without corresponding encryption applications being previously loaded on the computer system. The drive manager may include an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptography algorithm. The drive manager generates a user interface that allows a user to enter passwords, select files for encryption and decryption, and create folders for storing the encrypted files on the removable drive.

Claims

1. A removable drive for connecting to computer devices and securely storing digital data, comprising:

memory providing data storage on the removable drive; and

a removable drive manager adapted for being run by an operating system of the computer device to receive a password, to generate a key based on the password, to encrypt using the key a data file accessible in memory of the computer device, and to store the encrypted file in the memory of the removable drive,

wherein the password comprises a set of at least three points within an image displayed, by the removable drive manager, in a monitor screen of the computer device.

2. The removable drive of claim 1, wherein the password is received as a set of mouse click events and wherein the removable drive manager converts the mouse click events into coordinates.

3. The removable drive of claim 2, wherein the removable drive manager validates the received password by comparing the coordinates with coordinates on a grid generated based on the displayed image.

4. The removable drive of claim 1, wherein the removable drive manager is operable to perform the encryption of the data file without corresponding encryption applications being loaded on computer system prior to the connector being connected to the port, whereby the memory of the computer device is free of a footprint of encrypting using the key from the data file.

5. The removable drive of claim 1, wherein the port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port and wherein the operating system comprises a USB driver.

6. The removable drive of claim 1, wherein the removable drive manager comprises a cryptography algorithm comprising an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm for encrypting and decrypting using the password-based key.

7. The removable drive of claim 1, wherein the removable drive manager operates to encrypt an additional data file with the data file including combining the data file with the additional data file and encrypting the combined data file and additional data file to form a single encrypted file for storage on in the memory of the removable drive.

8. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) removable device for connection to a USB port of a computer with a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer readable program code devices causing the computer to display a user interface on a monitor of the computer prompting a user for inputting a password, a selection of plurality of data files on the computer, and a request for secure storage of the data files on the USB removable device;

computer readable program code devices causing the computer to generate a encrypt/decrypt key from the password;

computer readable program code devices causing the computer to encrypt the selected data file using the encrypt/decrypt key;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to effect storing of the encrypted data file on the USB removable device; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to receive user input selecting one of the stored and encrypted files for decryption and, in response, decrypting the selected one using the encrypt/decrypt key.

9. The USB removable device of claim 8, wherein additional computer readable program code devices are not provided on the computer to support operation of the computer readable program code devices during the encrypting of the selected data file.

10. The USB removable device of claim 8, further comprising computer readable program devices causing the computer to verify the input password including comparing the password with a stored key on the USB removable device, wherein memory of the computer device is free of a footprint of the encrypting of the selected data file.

11. The USB removable device of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program devices causing the computer to encrypt comprises an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.

12. The USB removable device of claim 8, wherein the computer device comprises an operating system adapted for supporting USB.

13. The USB removable device of claim 8, wherein the inputting of the password comprises selecting an image file for display in the user interface and receiving from a user input device a selection of a number of points in an image displayed in the user interface based on the image file.

14. The USB removable device of claim 8, wherein the password is verified by comparing the selected number of points with a set of stored coordinates for a grid generated based on the image file.

15. A USB removable drive, comprising:

memory storing a plurality of encrypted private files stored as a block file;

a key generator operable by an operating system of a computer system linked to the USB removable drive to generate a key based on a set of user input; and

a cryptography algorithm operable by the operating system to encrypt a user-selected file for retrieval from the encrypted private files and decryption using the generated key without decryption of the block file,

wherein the cryptography algorithm is operable to perform the encryption of the selected one or more files without corresponding encryption applications being loaded on the computer system prior to the USB removable drive being connected to the port.

16. The drive of claim 15, wherein the user input comprises an image and a set of at least four points on the image.

17. The drive of claim 15, wherein the set of user input comprises a set of points identified by a location of a user input device relative to a displayed image on a computer device monitor.

18. The drive of claim 17, further comprising a user interface generator operable by the operating system of the computer system to generate a user interface including the displayed image and to receive the user input.

19. The drive of claim 15, wherein memory of the computer system is free of a footprint of the encryption using the generated key.

20. The drive of claim 15, wherein the cryptography algorithm is a standalone application that is able to perform AES-based encryption and decryption.