# US 9,436,401 B1 · Computer memory data security

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- Number: US 9,436,401 B1
- Document ID: US9436401B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/092,654
- Filed: 2016-04-07
- Published: 2016-09-29
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-23
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Diyanesh B. Chinnakkonda Vidyapoornachary; Ray C. Laning; Tony E. Sawan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436401B1

## CPC

- G06F 3/0622: {in relation to access}
- G06F 3/0623: {in relation to content}
- G06F 3/0637: {Permissions}
- G06F 3/0652: {Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket}
- G06F 3/0673: {Single storage device}
- G06F 3/0679: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]}
- G06F 3/0688: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays}
- G06F 21/79: in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A memory module determines that the memory module is connected to a memory module connector. The memory module receives the connector ID from the connector and communicates, to the connector, a memory module ID associated with the memory module. A connector-module ID token is generated using the connector ID and the memory module ID. It is determined that the connector-module ID token was not received from the connector within a predetermined time window. Data on the memory module is erased in response to not receiving the connector-module ID.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A dual in-line memory module comprising:
a plurality of dynamic random access memory chips, at least one of the plurality of dynamic random access memory chips being an error-correcting code dynamic random access memory chip;
a module transceiver configured to communicate with a memory module connector and receive a connector-module ID token from the connector, the memory module connector configured to receive the memory module, the memory module connector comprising a connector transceiver for communicating with the module transceiver, the connector-module ID token generated using a connector ID associated with the memory module connector and a memory module ID associated with the memory module, the connector ID generated during startup of a system comprising the memory module connector;
a backup battery configured to provide power to circuitry on the memory module;
an erase pattern generator; and
an erase controller, the erase controller included in the circuitry on the memory module and configured to:
detect that the module transceiver failed to receive the connector-module ID token from the connector transceiver within a predetermined time window, the predetermined time window including a first time window and a predetermined number of retry time windows; and
erase, in response to detecting that the module transceiver failed to receive the connector-module ID token from the connector transceiver, data on at least one of the one or more dynamic random access memory chips by driving predetermined patterns retrieved from the erase pattern generator to the error-correcting code dynamic random access memory chip.