Event lock storage device

• US 9,015,439 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Verhaeghe, Filip, Chung, Bsa, Yu, Samuel, Lavrentiev, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutz, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): DO, CHRISTOPHER N
• Application Number:
  US14/292,047
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 711/163, 711/164
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/123 with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1475 in a virtual system, e.g. with translation means
• 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 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for an event lock storage device. The storage device includes a user partition and an event partition (which may be associated with an event). The storage device receives data from a host device, and stores the data in the user partition. In response to receiving an indication of an event, the storage device may designate the data as part of the event partition. The event partition may include a set of access rules that is different from the user partition, such as more restrictive rules for modification or deletion of a file containing the data.

Claims

1. A storage device comprising:

memory comprising a user partition and an event partition; and

a controller in communication with the memory, the controller configured to manage files in the user partition according to a first set of rules and manage files in the event partition according to a second set of rules different from the first set of rules, the controller configured to;

receive data, from a host device, the host device being external to the storage device;

store the data in a file, the file being associated with the user partition in the storage device;

determine whether an indication of occurrence of the event was received from the host device;

in response to determining receipt of the indication of occurrence of the event, associate the data with the event partition of the storage device solely by performing one or more internal operations within the storage device;

receive a command from the host device to delete the file;

determine a difference between an age indicator associated with the file with the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determine whether the difference is greater than a predetermined amount;

in response to determining that the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, delete the file; and

in response to determining that the difference is not greater than a predetermined amount, reject the command to delete the file,

wherein the memory comprises a silicon substrate and a plurality of memory cells forming at least two memory layers vertically disposed with respect to each other to form a monolithic three-dimensional structure, wherein at least one memory layer is vertically disposed with respect to the silicon substrate.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is more restrictive than deletion or modification of files associated with the user partition.

3. The storage device of claim 2, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is disallowed.

4. The storage device of claim 2, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is allowed only after an age indicator associated with at least a part of the storage device changes by a predetermined amount.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the age indicator comprises program/erase count for at least a part of the user partition of the storage device.

6. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the data is generated by or derived from a sensor.

7. The storage device of claim 6, wherein the indication of occurrence of the event comprises an indication that the event occurred in the data or in subsequent data generated by or derived from the sensor.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to associate the file with the event partition of the storage device by tagging the file so that the file is associated as part of the event partition;

and

wherein, in response to tagging the file, the controller is further configured to de-designate part of the event partition so that the de-designated part is part of the user partition.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive the indication of an event associated with the data by receiving a command;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

analyze an LBA range in the command;

determine whether the LBA range in the command is outside an acceptable range; and

in response to determining that the LBA range in the command is outside an acceptable range, process the command to determine whether the command includes the indication of the event.

10. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is on the same substrate as the memory cells.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is one of an SSD drive embedded in the host device or a memory card.

12. A method for a storage device having a memory with a user partition and an event partition, the method comprising:

performing in the storage device;

receiving data, from a host device, the host device being external to the storage device;

storing the data in a file, the file being associated with the user partition in the storage device, the storage device using a first set of rules for controlling files in the user partition;

determining whether an indication of occurrence of the event was received from the host device;

in response to determining receipt of the indication of occurrence of the event, associating the data with the event partition of the storage device solely by performing one or more internal operations within the storage device, the storage device using a second set of rules for controlling files in the event partition, the event partition associated with the event, the second set of rules being more restrictive in at least one aspect than the first set of rules;

receiving a command from the host device to delete the file;

determining a difference between an age indicator associated with the file with the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determining whether the difference is greater than a predetermined amount;

in response to determining that the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, deleting the file; and

in response to determining that the difference is not greater than a predetermined amount, rejecting the command to delete the file,

wherein the memory comprises a silicon substrate and a plurality of memory cells forming at least two memory layers vertically disposed with respect to each other to form a monolithic three-dimensional structure, wherein at least one memory layer is vertically disposed with respect to the silicon substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is more restrictive than deletion of files associated with the user partition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is disallowed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein deletion or modification of files associated with the event partition is allowed only after an age indicator associated with at least a part of the storage device changes by a predetermined amount.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the age indicator comprises program/erase count for at least a part of the user partition of the storage device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the data is generated by or derived from a sensor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication of occurrence of the event regarding the data comprises an indication that the event occurred in the data or in subsequent data generated by or derived from the sensor.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein associating the file with the event partition of the storage device comprises tagging the file so that the file is associated as part of the event partition;

and

further comprising, in response to tagging the file, de-designating part of the event partition so that the de-designated part is part of the user partition.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the indication of an event associated with the data comprises receiving a command;

and

further comprising;

analyzing an LBA range in the command;

determining whether the LBA range in the command is outside an acceptable range; and

in response to determining that the LBA range in the command is outside an acceptable range, processing the command to determine whether the command includes the indication of the event.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the storage device further comprises a controller in communication with the memory;

and

wherein the controller is on the same substrate as the memory cells.

22. A storage device comprising:

memory; and

a controller in communication with the memory, the controller configured to;

receive, from a host device, data;

store the data in the memory;

receive, from the host device, a command to perform an operation on the data;

determine an age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determine, based on the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device, whether to perform the operation on the data;

in response to determining to perform the operation, perform the operation on the data; and

in response to determining not to perform the operation, reject the command to perform the operation on the data,

wherein the memory comprises a silicon substrate and a plurality of memory cells forming at least two memory layers vertically disposed with respect to each other to form a monolithic three-dimensional structure, wherein at least one memory layer is vertically disposed with respect to the silicon substrate.

23. The storage device of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to perform the operation on the data by:

determining a difference between an age indicator associated with the data with the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determining whether the difference is greater than a predetermined amount; and

in response to determining that the difference is greater than the predetermined amount, determine to perform the operation.

24. The storage device of claim 22, wherein the data is stored in a file;

and

wherein the command comprises a delete command to delete the file.

25. The storage device of claim 22, wherein the age indicator comprises program/erase count for at least a part of the storage device.

26. A method comprising:

performing in a storage device;

receiving, from a host device, data;

storing the data in a memory of the storage device;

receiving, from the host device, a command to perform an operation on the data;

determining an age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determining, based on the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device, whether to perform the operation on the data;

in response to determining to perform the operation, performing the operation on the data; and

in response to determining not to perform the operation, rejecting the command to perform the operation on the data,

wherein the memory comprises a silicon substrate and a plurality of memory cells forming at least two memory layers vertically disposed with respect to each other to form a monolithic three-dimensional structure, wherein at least one memory layer is vertically disposed with respect to the silicon substrate.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein determining whether to perform the operation on the data comprises:

determining a difference between an age indicator associated with the data with the age indicator indicative of age of at least a part of the storage device;

determining whether the difference is greater than a predetermined amount; and

in response to determining that the difference is greater than the predetermined amount, determine to perform the operation.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data is stored in a file;

and

wherein the command comprises a delete command to delete the file.