# US 12,182,275 B2 · Storage data deletion management system and apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,182,275 B2 - Document ID: US12182275B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/707,736 - Filed: 2022-03-29 - Published: 2023-10-05 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-29 - Assignees: Kioxia Corporation - Applicants: Kioxia Corporation - Inventors: Kazusa Tomonaga; Yoshihiro Ohba; Atsushi Kunimatsu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12182275B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/60: Protecting data - G06Q 10/30: Administration of product recycling or disposal - G06F 2221/2143: Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen - G06Q 2220/00: Business processing using cryptography - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A method of sanitizing a media comprising a controller and a storage device, the method comprising executing, by the controller, a command to erase a data area and an internal area of the storage device, verifying, by the controller, that at least a portion of the data area and at least a portion of the internal area of the storage device has been erased, generating, by the server, a certificate of media sanitization (CoS) of the media, and registering, by the server, an entry representative of the CoS of the media in a distributed ledger or database. Here the storage device is configured to store data received from a host external to the storage device only in the data area, and the storage device is configured to store operational data in the internal area for the operation of the storage device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of sanitizing a media comprising a controller and a storage device in communication with a server, the method comprising: executing, by the controller, a command to erase a data area and an internal area of the storage device; verifying, by the controller, that at least a portion of the data area and at least a portion of the internal area of the storage device has been erased; generating, by the server, a certificate of media sanitization (CoS) of the media; and registering, by the server, an entry representative of the CoS of the media in a distributed ledger or database, wherein the storage device is configured to store data received from a host external to the storage device only in the data area, and the storage device is configured to store operational data in the internal area for the operation of the storage device, and further configured to not store data received from the host. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: executing, by the controller, an erase record command (ERC) to erase the whole capacity of the storage device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: encrypting, by a sanitization module within the controller, a hash value of the CoS using a private key unique to the media, to generate the entry representative of the CoS. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the sanitization module comprises a processor running a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the verifying, generating and registering is performed atomically. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the private key is stored in the controller. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the controller, the entry in the distributed ledger calculated from the CoS and device identification information (DID) associated with the media. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: using, by the controller, a public key associated with the DID for verifying that the whole capacity of the media has been erased. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the public key is stored in the server. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of: a Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) storage device, a solid state drive (SSD), and a hard disk drive (HDD). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the CoS comprises a data file that includes information relating to the media, information relating to the erasure of the media, and information relating to the verification of the erasure of the media. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the server is communicatively coupled to the media. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the server is communicatively coupled to at least one node of a peer-to-peer network through which the distributed ledger operates. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the peer-to-peer network comprises any one of: a block chain network, a cloud network or a cryptocurrency network. ### Claim 15 A media sanitization server comprising: a processor in communication with a media comprising a controller and a storage device, the storage device having a data area and an internal area, the processor configured to: instruct the controller of the media to: initiate a command to erase the data area and the internal area of the storage device of the media; and verify that at least a portion of the data area and at least a portion of the internal area of the storage device has been erased; generate a certificate of media sanitization (CoS) of the media, and register an entry representative of the CoS of the media in a distributed ledger, wherein the storage device is configured to store data received from a host external to the storage device only in the data area, and the storage device is configured to store operational data in the internal area for the operation of the storage device, and further configured to not store data received from the host. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The media sanitization server of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to instruct the controller of the media to execute an erase record command (ERC) to erase the whole capacity of the storage device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The media sanitization server of claim 15, wherein the controller comprises a sanitization module configured to encrypt a hash value of an erase log corresponding to the erasure of the whole capacity of the storage device, using a private key unique to the media, to generate the CoS. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The media sanitization server of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to run a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) for verifying that the whole capacity of the media has been erased. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The media sanitization server of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to instruct the controller of the media to generate the entry in the distributed ledger calculated from the CoS and device identification information (DID) associated with the media. ### Claim 20 A solid state drive (SSD) comprising: a storage device comprising a data area and an internal area, the data area configured to store only data received from a host external to the storage device and the internal area configured to store operational data for the operation of the storage device, and the internal area is further configured to not store data received from the host; and a controller communicatively coupled to the storage device, the controller configured to: execute a command to erase the data area and the internal area of the storage device; verify that at least a portion of the data area and at least a portion of the internal area of the storage device has been erased; generate a certificate of media sanitization (CoS) of the media; and transmit, to a media sanitization server, an entry representative of the CoS for registration in a distributed ledger or database. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configure to execute an erase record command (ERC) to erase the whole capacity of the storage device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configure to encrypt a hash value of the CoS using a private key unique to the media, to generate the entry representative of the CoS. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The SSD of claim 22, wherein the controller comprises a processor running a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The SSD of claim 22, wherein the private key is stored in the controller. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configure to generate the entry in the distributed ledger calculated from the CoS and device identification information (DID) associated with the media. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The SSD of claim 25, wherein the controller is further configure to use a public key associated with the DID for verifying that the whole capacity of the media has been erased. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of: a Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) storage device, a solid state drive (SSD), and a hard disk drive (HDD). ### Claim 28 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, wherein the CoS comprises a data file that includes information relating to the media, information relating to the erasure of the media, and information relating to the verification of the erasure of the media. ### Claim 29 (depends on 20) The SSD of claim 20, communicatively coupled to at least one of a media sanitization server and a node of a peer-to-peer network, wherein the peer-to-peer network comprises any one of: a block chain network, a cloud network or a cryptocurrency network. ### Claim 30 A sanitization system comprising: a plurality of sanitization servers, each coupled to a node of a plurality of nodes communicatively coupled together in a peer-to-peer network; and a plurality of media comprising a controller and a storage device, each controller in communication with a sanitization server of the plurality of sanitization servers, wherein each sanitization server is configured to: instruct a controller of a media that is in communication with the server to: initiate a command to a erase data area and an internal area of the storage device; and verify that at least a portion of the data area and at least a portion of the internal area of the storage device has been erased; generate a certificate of media sanitization (CoS) of the media; and register an entry representative of the CoS of the media in a distributed ledger that is in communication with the plurality of nodes of the peer-to-peer network, wherein the storage device is configured to store data received from a host external to the storage device only in the data area, and the storage device is configured to store operational data in the internal area for the operation of the storage device, and further configured to not store data received from the host.