Access control for wireless memory

• US 9,798,695 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ekberg, Jan-Erik, Kaaja, Jari-Jukka Harald, Uusitalo, Mikko, Luukkala, Vesa-Veikko, Boldyrev, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/414,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for access control for wireless memory. A memory controller communicating with a plurality of interfaces (at least one interface comprising a radio component for wirelessly communicating with a plurality of UE) can dynamically manage an access control to the memory by the UE and/or other users through any of the interfaces based on the preconfigured rules taking into consideration the identity of the least one interface and/or the determined directionality of the UE relative to the radio component.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

communicate with two or more interfaces to dynamically manage an access control to a memory chip connected to the apparatus in response to a request to access the memory chip received from a user equipment of a plurality of user equipment over an interface of the two or more interfaces, the wherein the memory chip comprises a plurality of segments; and

in response to the request, provide access to at least one segment of the memory chip using a memory map of the at least one segment, wherein the memory map is based on preconfigured rules defining functionality of each segment of the memory chip for the interface using an identity of the interface and a directionality of the user equipment relative to the interface as a parameter, wherein at least one interface of the two or more interfaces comprises a radio component for wirelessly communicating with the plurality of user equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request is provided wirelessly to the at least one interface, and the directionality being determined by the radio component.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a reading or writing operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory chip is a non-volatile memory chip.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises the radio component.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to use an authentication level for the at least one interface higher than for a wired interface comprised among the two or more interfaces.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus, from a user equipment of a plurality of user equipment over at least one interface of two or more interfaces, a request to access a memory chip connected to the apparatus, wherein the memory chip comprises a plurality of segments, wherein the at least one interface of the two or more interfaces comprises a radio component for wirelessly communicating with the plurality of user equipment; and

providing, by the apparatus, access to at least one segment of the memory chip in response to the request using a memory map of the at least one segment, wherein the memory map is based on preconfigured rules defining functionality of each segment of the plurality of segments of the memory chip for the at least one interface using an identity of the interface and a directionality of the user equipment relative to the at least one interface as a parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing, access to the memory, in response to the request from the user equipment based on the preconfigured rules taking into consideration both an identity of the least one interface and the determined directionality of the user equipment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the request comprises a reading or writing operation.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one interface comprises the radio component.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more interfaces comprises at least one wired interface in addition to the at least one interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an authentication level for the at least one interface is higher than for the at least one wired interface.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the two or more interfaces comprises at least two interfaces having radio components.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

dynamically manage an access control to a memory chip connected to the apparatus, in response to a request received over at least one interface of one or more interfaces to access the memory chip by a user equipment of a plurality of user equipment wirelessly communicating with the least one interface which comprises a radio component, wherein the memory chip comprises a plurality of segments; and

provide access to at least one segment of the memory chip by the user equipment using a memory map of the at least one segment, wherein the memory map is based on preconfigured rules defining functionality of each segment of the plurality of segments of the memory chip for the at least one interface using an identity of the interface and on a determined directionality of the user equipment relative to the radio component.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus, based on said determined directionality, to use at least one segment of the memory based on a memory map for the plurality of segments constructed using the directionality as a parameter to fulfill the request from the user equipment.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the corresponding request comprises a reading or writing operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the memory is a non-volatile memory.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus has two or more antennas and wherein the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to determine the directionality of the user equipment.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to use an authentication level for the at least one interface higher than for a wired interface comprised among the one or more interfaces.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more interfaces comprises at least one wired interface in addition to the at least one interface or at least two interfaces, where the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to provide the access control to the memory further based on preconfigured rules defining functionality of each segment of the memory for different interfaces using an identity of each interface as a parameter.