ACCESS CONTROL APPARATUS AND ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20130061015A1
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Jun, Iwasaki, Junichi, Minemura, Takashi, WATANABE, Keiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an access control apparatus includes a medium communication module configured to perform communication with a removable medium, a access module configured to perform access to the removable medium using the communication module, a wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication with a external device, and to receive access request to the removable medium, and a controller configured to assign an access right to access the removable medium to one of the access module and the external device, the control module assigning the access right in response to a request of assignment of the access right, the request being transmitted from the external device or the access module.

Claims

1. An access control apparatus comprising:

a medium communication module configured to perform communication with a removable medium;

a access module configured to perform access to the removable medium using the communication module;

a wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication with a first external device, and to receive access request to the removable medium; and

a control module configured to assign an access right to access the removable medium to one of the access module and the first external device, the control module assigning the access right in response to a request of assignment of the access right, the request being transmitted from the first external device or the access module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to request one of the access module and the first external device to stop or suspend assignment of the access right when another of the access module and the first external device requests assignment of the access right in a state where the one of the access module and the first external device is accessing the removable medium, and to notify the another of the access module and the first external device that the assignment of the access right is stopped or suspended after the one stops or suspend the assignment of the access right.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to request the access module to stop or suspend the assignment of the access right when the first external device requests assignment of the access right in a state where the access module is accessing the removable medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to request the first external device to stop or suspend the assignment of the access right, when the access module requests assignment of the access right in a state where the first external device is accessing the removable medium.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to perform wireless communication with a second external device which performs access to the removable medium, and

the control module is configured to request the access module or the second external device, to which the access right is assigned, to stop or suspend assignment of the access right when the first external device requests assignment of the access right in a state where the access right is assigned to the access module or the second external device, and the control module is configured to notify the first external device that the assignment of the access right to the access module or the second external device is stopped or suspended, and to assign the access right to the first external device in response to an access request transmitted from the first external device when the access module or the second external device suspends or stops the assignment of the access right.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module is configured to switch the wireless communication module to a power-saving mode when the access right is not assigned to the first external device or the second external device or the access right is suspended.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module is configured to switch the medium communication module to a power-saving mode, when the access right is not assigned to the access module, the first external device or the second external device or the access right is suspended.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module is configured to request the access module to stop or suspend assignment of the access right, when the second external device requests assignment of the access right in a state where the access module is accessing the removable medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module is configured to request the first external device to stop or suspend assignment of the access right, when the second external device requests assignment of the access right in a state where the first external device is accessing the removable medium.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module requests the first external device to stop or suspend assignment of the access right, when the access module requests assignment of the access right in a state where the first external device is accessing the removable medium.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to switch the wireless communication module to a power-saving mode, when the access right is not assigned to the first external device or the access right is suspended.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to suspend assignment of the access right to the access module in a lock mode when the access module, to which the access right is assigned, to request suspending the assignment of the access right in the lock mode, and the control module does not assign the access right to the first external device when the first external device requests assignment of the access right while the assignment is suspended in the lock mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control module is configured to request one of the access module and the first external device to stop or suspend assignment of the access right to the one, when there is a request to assign the access right, under condition that the one is requested to release the access right when the access right is assigned to the one, the control module notifies another of the access module and the first external device that assignment of the access right has come to be available, when the one requests stopping or suspending assignment of the access right after the assignment of the access right to the one is resumed, and the control module assigns the access right to the another when the another requests assignment of the access right again.

14. An access control apparatus comprising:

a medium communication module configured to perform communication with a removable medium;

a access module configured to perform access to the removable medium using the medium communication module;

an obtaining module configured to obtain a file system related information that is stored in the removable medium, and to cache the file system related information;

a wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication with an external device, and to receive access to the removable medium; and

a control module configured to notify one of the access module and the external device that data in the removable medium has been changed when the one resumes the access right and the data in the removable medium is changed when the access right of the one is in an inactive state,

wherein the obtaining module is configured to delete a cache of the file in response to notification from the control module.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a notifying module configured to notify the control module whether the data in the removable medium has been changed during an active state when the access module suspends or stops the access right,

wherein the control module is configured to notify the access module that the data in the removable medium has been changed when the access module resumes the access right in response to notification from the notifying module.

16. An access control system comprising an access control apparatus and one or more external devices,

the access control apparatus comprising:

a medium communication module configured to perform communication with a removable medium;

a access module configured to perform access to the removable medium; and

a wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication with the external devices, and to receive access to the removable medium;

a control module configured to assign an access right to access the removable medium to one of the access module and the external devices, the control module assigning the access right in response to a request of assignment of the access right, the request being transmitted from one of the external devices and the access module,

each of the external devices comprising;

a wireless communication module configured to communicate with the access control apparatus; and

an access control module configured to transmit a request to assign the access right by using the wireless communication module, and to access the removable medium when the access right is assigned from the control module.