Method and apparatus for protecting material on storage media and for transferring material on storage media to various recipients

A security system for granting user entities access to materials provided on a storage medium or media, said system comprising:

• a computer system including at least one computer and means for presenting information;
• a storage medium or media capable of erasable or non-erasable formatting and recording with stored material into a plurality of information storage and retrieval and management control and user entity material logical zones, each of said logical zones provided with particular material therein, said storage medium or media directly provided thereon with an access management control means for indicating which of said user logical zone or zones or any of said storage medium or media the user entity will be allowed to access and perform selective privileged operations of reading, writing, replacing, deleting, modifying and communicating based upon access request information provided to the system by the user, said access management control means provided in each said storage medium or media at a location remote from, and non-contiguous with, said user logical zones;
• means in each said computer system for selectively reading material provided in said plurality of logical zones as well as material provided in said access management control means of said storage medium or media or for selectively creating, modifying or deleting logical zones and selectively reading, writing, replacing, deleting, modifying and communicating the content of material provided in said plurality of logical zones as well as material provided in said access management control means of said storage medium or media;
• a personal accessing device;
• means for providing interface coupling for exchanging information between said personal accessing device and said computer system, said personal accessing device containing a security identification code, to enable said personal accessing device to be in communication with said computer system for transmitting said security identification code to said computer system;
• wherein, said security identification code is compared to or operated upon said access management control means provided on said storage medium or media to determine the particular user logical zone or zones to which the user is allowed access for purposes of selective privileged operations based upon the content and storage requirements of material provided in said user logical zones.

A method of granting user access to, and information management and control over material provided on a storage medium or media, with a means for reading or reading and writing on said storage medium or media connected to a computer system including at least one computer having means for presenting information, said storage medium or media containing one or a plurality of information management control and user material logical zones, comprising the steps of:

• assigning security identification codes to all users allowed access to the storage medium or media;
• preparing access management control means for indicating to which of said user logical zone or zones a particular user is allowed access and selective privileged operations corresponding to said security identification code or codes, said access management control means provided in a personal accessing device;
• encrypting access management control means and user material and recording said encrypted access management control means and user material directly on the storage medium or media by using any type or combination of types of encryption/decryption methods;
• enabling said personal accessing device by utilizing the user's correct personal identification code;
• transmitting a starter program stored in said personnel accessing device or in a means for providing interface coupling for exchanging information between said personal accessing device and said computer system or on the storage medium or media to said computer system and fetching search and retrieval programs stored on said storage medium or media to said personal accessing device;
• determining if said search and retrieval programs are encrypted;
• decrypting said search and retrieval programs, if appropriate;
• requesting the directories of the user logical zone or zones to be transmitted from said storage medium or media to said personal accessing device based upon information provided in said secure user management means;
• determining if said requested directories are encrypted;
• decrypting said requested directories if they are encrypted;
• displaying said requested directories on said means for visually presenting information;
• requesting and transmitting to said personal accessing device the user material stored on said storage medium or media in the user's privileged logical zone or zones based upon said requested directories;
• decrypting said user material in said personal accessing device;
• and
• transmitting the decrypted material back to the computer for use.