STORAGE DEVICE AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20180052628A1
• Filed: 02/22/2017
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation (Kioxia Corporation)
• Inventors: ENDO, Shigeto, IDO, Michio, SATO, Keisuke, TERANISHI, Masaomi
• Granted Patent: US 10,481,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A storage device includes a connection unit to which a first external device is to be connected, a first non-volatile memory in which content items are stored with associated content IDs, a first controller configured to access the content items stored in the first non-volatile memory, an antenna, a second non-volatile memory in which permission information is stored, and a second controller configured to update the permission information based on update information received from a second external device through the antenna. The update information is contained in radio waves transmitted by the second external device and the radio waves cause the antenna to generate power necessary to operate the second non-volatile memory and the second controller. In response to a read command from the first external device, the first controller performs a read of one of the content items based on the updated permission information.

Claims

1. A storage device comprising:

a connection unit to which a first external device is to be connected;

a first non-volatile memory in which content items are stored with associated content IDs;

a first controller configured to access the content items stored in the first non-volatile memory;

an antenna;

a second non-volatile memory in which permission information is stored; and

a second controller configured to update the permission information stored in the second non-volatile memory based on update information received from a second external device through the antenna, wherein

the update information is contained in radio waves transmitted by the second external device and the radio waves cause the antenna to generate power by electromagnetic induction, the generated power supplying power necessary to operate the second non-volatile memory and the second controller, and

in response to a read command from the first external device that is connected to the storage device via the connection unit, the first controller performs a read of one of the content items based on the updated permission information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the read command includes a content ID and the first controller performs a read of the content item corresponding to the content ID based on the updated permission information.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first controller does not perform the read if a permission flag corresponding to the content ID indicates that the content item corresponding to the content ID should not be allowed to be read.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the read command includes a read condition, and the first controller performs a read of the content item that meets the read condition based on the updated permission information.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the content item meets the read condition if a permission flag associated therewith has been updated within a designated region and during a designated time period.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third controller that processes the read command from the first external device.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein

in response to a content list command from the first external device that is connected to the storage device via the connection unit, the third controller generates a list of content items for each of which the updated permission information indicates reading is permitted, and transmits the generated list to the first external device.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the first non-volatile memory, the first controller, and the third controller are powered using power supplied by the first external device through the connection unit, and each of the first non-volatile memory, the first controller, and the third controller is not operable using just the power generated by the antenna.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein

the third controller is built into the first controller.

10. A storage device comprising:

a connection unit to which a first external device is to be connected;

a first non-volatile memory;

a first controller configured to access the first non-volatile memory;

an antenna;

a second non-volatile memory in which permission information is stored; and

a second controller configured to update the permission information stored in the second non-volatile memory based on update information received from a second external device through the antenna, wherein

the update information is contained in radio waves transmitted by the second external device and the radio waves cause the antenna to generate power by electromagnetic induction, the generated power supplying power necessary to operate the second non-volatile memory and the second controller, and

in response to a content item locator received from the second external device, the second controller stores the content item locator in the second non-volatile memory, the content item locator being transmitted to the first external device along with a program that causes the first external device to retrieve the content item using the content item locator and return the retrieved content item for storage in the first non-volatile memory.

11. A storage device comprising:

a connection unit to which a first external device is to be connected;

a non-volatile memory that operates using power supplied from the first external device via the connection unit, and in which first information used for determining whether or not to allow reading from the non-volatile memory is stored;

a first controller for the non-volatile memory, that operates using the power supplied from the first external device via the connection unit;

a second controller that operates based on the power supplied from the first external device via the connection unit, and is configured to perform wireless communication with a second external device via a wireless antenna; and

a third controller that operates based on the power supplied from the first external device via the connection unit, and configured to determine whether or not to allow reading from the non-volatile storage unit based on the first information read from the non-volatile memory via the first controller and second information received from the second external device by the second controller.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the third controller compares the first information with the second information if a first instruction is received from the first external device, and allows or disallows reading from the non-volatile memory based on the comparison result.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the third controller disallows the reading from the non-volatile memory if power is not supplied from the first external device via the connection unit.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first and second information are each a wireless communication ID.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the wireless communication ID is a service set identifier (SSID).