US 8,850,224 B2Granted

Media-following encryption policy control

OwnerRobert A. Yang, Roderick B. Widemaninventors

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Example articles of manufacture, methods, and systems facilitate having encryption policy follow an article of manufacture like a tape cartridge. One example article of manufacture includes a media portion (e.g., tape) and a non-media portion (e.g., housing). The media portion is configured to store machine readable information. The article of manufacture could be a tape, a disk, a memory, and other computer readable media. The article of manufacture also includes an encryption policy information indicator. The encryption policy information indicator can be configured to store information that controls an encryption policy associated with the article of manufacture. Therefore, encryption policy can, for example, follow a tape cartridge rather than be resident solely in a controlling application (e.g., tape library).

Claims15

Dependent claims

An article of manufacture, comprising:

a removable machine readable media item comprising a media portion and a non-media portion, where the media portion stores machine readable information;
and
an encryption policy information indicator that stores information to control an apparatus to perform an encryption policy associated with the removable machine readable media item;
where the article of manufacture is used with an apparatus that selectively encrypts or decrypts the machine readable information as controlled by the encryption policy and an encryption key, the encryption policy and the encryption key being separate items,
where the encryption policy information indicator is a notch in a housing of the removable machine readable media item, or a texture on the housing of the removable machine readable media item,
where the encryption policy indicator controls a time at which machine readable information stored on the media portion is to be encrypted by the apparatus,
where the encryption policy indicator controls how machine readable information stored on the media portion is to be encrypted by the apparatus,
where the encryption policy indicator controls a time at which machine readable information stored on the media portion is to be decrypted by the apparatus, and
where the encryption policy indicator controls how machine readable information stored on the media portion is to be decrypted by the apparatus.

6 more elements

A method, comprising:

acquiring encryption policy information from a portable computer readable medium, where the portable computer readable medium comprises an encryption policy information indicator that stores information to control an apparatus to perform an encryption policy associated with the portable computer readable medium;
and
automatically controlling a drive with respect to encryption policy for the portable computer readable medium based on the encryption policy information and on an encryption key, the drive being configured to read and write the portable computer readable medium,
where automatically controlling the drive comprises selectively encrypting or decrypting data on the portable computer readable medium as a function of the encryption policy information and an encryption key, the encryption policy information and the encryption key being separate items,
where the encryption policy information controls a time at which data stored on the computer readable medium is to be encrypted by the drive,
where the encryption policy information controls how data stored on the computer readable medium is to be encrypted by the drive,
where the encryption policy information controls a time at which data stored on the computer readable medium is to be decrypted by the drive,
where the encryption policy information controls how data stored on the computer readable medium is to be decrypted by the drive.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/646,376Filed 23 Dec 2009
Published: US 2011/0154052 A123 Jun 2011
Granted: 30 Sep 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G11B 20/00731
Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy: involving a digital rights management system for enforcing a usage…
G06F 21/80
To assure secure storage of data: in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors
G11B 20/00086
Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor: circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction…
G11B 20/0021
Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy: involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or…