# US 10,372,946 B1 · Systems and methods for configuring a secure computing environment on an integrated circuit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,372,946 B1 - Document ID: US10372946B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/295,785 - Filed: 2016-10-17 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-17 - Assignees: Altera Corporation - Applicants: Altera Corporation - Inventors: Chin Liang See - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10372946B1 ## CPC - G06F 21/53: by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine - G06F 21/76: in application-specific integrated circuits [ASIC] or field-programmable devices, e.g. field-programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD] - G06F 21/50: Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems - G06F 21/6281: {at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system} - G06F 21/85: interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method of dividing a set of components of an integrated circuit is disclosed. Two or more different security labels are assigned to two or more non-overlapping subsets of the set of components. A handoff file is generated based on the non-overlapping subsets and sent to the integrated circuit. The set of components of the integrated circuit is divided according to the non-overlapping subsets based on the system handoff file. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of dividing a set of components of an integrated circuit comprising: receiving, using a computer-implemented application, information regarding first and second non-overlapping subsets of the set of components, wherein the information indicates that each component in the first non-overlapping subset is assigned by a user of the computer-implemented application to a first security label, and wherein the information further indicates that each component in the second non-overlapping subset is assigned by the user to a second security label; generating, using the computer-implemented application, a first system handoff file based on the information regarding the first and second non-overlapping subsets; sending, using the computer-implemented application, the first system handoff file to a system monitor of the integrated circuit; and dividing, using the system monitor, the set of components of the integrated circuit according to the first and second security labels based on the first system handoff file. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is a programmable logic device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is an application specific integrated circuit, an application-specific standard product, a field-programmable gate array, or a complex programmable logic device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second non-overlapping subsets is empty. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second security labels are normal and secure, respectively. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first system handoff file is a binary blob containing a list of each component of the set of components and a security label associated with the each component. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second security label designates a higher level of security than the first security label. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method as defined in claim 7, wherein each component of the second non-overlapping subset is inaccessible by the first non-overlapping subset. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as defined in claim 7, wherein each component of the second non-overlapping subset is inaccessible by an external system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each component in the first non-overlapping subset is accessible by a first security label operating system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as defined in claim 10 further comprising: generating, using the computer-implemented application, a second system handoff file, wherein the second system handoff file includes the each component in the first non-overlapping subset; and sending, using the computer-implemented application, the second system handoff file to the first security label operating system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method as defined in claim 10, wherein each component in the second non-overlapping subset is accessible by a second security label operating system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as defined in claim 12 further comprising: generating, using the computer-implemented application, a third system handoff file, wherein the third system handoff file includes the each component in the second non-overlapping subset; and sending, using the computer-implemented application, the third handoff file to the second security label operating system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising: validating, using the computer-implemented application, the first and second non-overlapping subsets of the set of components. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising: generating, using the computer-implemented application, a security risk notification in case of improperly divided first and second non-overlapping subsets of the set of components. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second security labels are selected from a plurality of security labels. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method as defined in claim 16, wherein each subset of a plurality of non-overlapping subsets of the set of components is assigned a security label from the plurality of security labels. ### Claim 18 A method of assigning a plurality of security labels to a set of components of an integrated circuit comprising: displaying, using a computer-implemented application, an interactive system design depicting the set of components; assigning, using the computer-implemented application, a first security label of the plurality of security labels to a first subset of the set of components in response to user input; assigning, using the computer-implemented application, a second security label of the plurality of security labels to a second subset of the set of components in response to user input, wherein the first and second subsets are non-overlapping; and generating, using the computer-implemented application, a first system handoff file for a system monitor of the integrated circuit based on the first and second subsets of the set of components. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method as defined in claim 18, further comprising: generating, using the computer-implemented application, a second system handoff file for a first security label operating system; and generating, using the computer-implemented application, a third system handoff file for a second security label operating system. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a method of dividing a set of components of an integrated circuit comprising: receiving information regarding first and second non-overlapping subsets of the set of components, wherein the information indicates that each component in the first non-overlapping subset is assigned by a user of the processor to a first security label, and wherein the information further indicates that each component in the second non-overlapping subset is assigned by the user to a second security label; generating a system handoff file based on the information regarding the first and second non-overlapping subsets; sending the system handoff file to a system monitor of the integrated circuit; and dividing, using the system monitor, the set of components of the integrated circuit according to the first and second security labels based on the system handoff file.