Secure KM switch

A Secure KM switch apparatus comprising:

• a user keyboard port capable of interfacing with a user keyboard;
• a keyboard host emulator to emulate computer host coupled to user keyboard port on one side and to keyboard channel select switch on the other side;
• at least one unidirectional flow forcing hardware device to assure that data is only flowing from keyboard channel select switch to coupled keyboard device emulators and no other data may flow from the keyboard device emulators back to the keyboard channel select switch and to the coupled keyboard host emulator;
• a keyboard channel select switch controlled by System Controller function to connect only one selected channel keyboard device emulator to the said unidirectional flow forcing hardware device at a time;
• a plurality of keyboard device emulators to emulate a standard keyboard or replicated identity of user keyboard for each one of the coupled isolated computer channels through host keyboard ports;
• a plurality of host keyboard ports for coupling coupled isolated computers through cables;
• a user mouse port to connect a standard user mouse or pointing device;
• a mouse host emulator to emulate computer host coupled to user mouse port on one side and to mouse channel select switch on the other side;
• at least one unidirectional flow forcing hardware device to assure that data is only flowing from said mouse channel select switch to coupled mouse device emulators and no other data may flow from the mouse device emulators back to the mouse channel select switch and to the coupled mouse host emulator;
• a mouse channel select switch controlled by System Controller function to connect only one selected channel mouse device emulator at a time to the said unidirectional flow forcing hardware device;
• a plurality of mouse device emulators to emulate standard mouse device for each one of the coupled computer channels through host mouse ports;
• a plurality of host mouse ports for coupling coupled isolated computers through cables;
• and
• a System Controller function to control said keyboard channel select switch and mouse channel select switch based on user inputs, further having at least one dedicated peripheral port security function comprising:
• a dedicated peripheral port to connect a qualified user peripheral device;
• a dedicated peripheral port mode switch to couple the said dedicated peripheral port to a qualification microcontroller while in qualification mode or to channel select switch and port monitor function while in normal mode;
• and
• a qualification microcontroller function to emulate computer host to allow coupled peripheral device enumeration and qualification and upon successful qualification commanding said user authentication device peripheral switch to couple the dedicated peripheral port to the said computer peripheral port.

A secure multi-computer system using a KM switch comprising a secure KM switch apparatus, the secure multi-computer system comprising:

• a KM switch comprising:
• a user keyboard port capable of interfacing with a user keyboard;
• a keyboard host emulator to emulate computer host coupled to user keyboard port on one side and to keyboard channel select switch on the other side;
• at least one unidirectional flow forcing hardware device to assure that data is only flowing from keyboard channel select switch to coupled keyboard device emulators and no other data may flow from the keyboard device emulators back to the keyboard channel select switch and to the coupled keyboard host emulator;
• a keyboard channel select switch controlled by System Controller function to connect only one selected channel keyboard device emulator to the said unidirectional flow forcing hardware device at a time;
• a plurality of keyboard device emulators to emulate a standard keyboard or replicated identity of user keyboard for each one of the coupled computer channels through host keyboard ports;
• a plurality of host keyboard ports for coupling coupled computers through cables;
• a user mouse port to connect a standard user mouse or pointing device;
• a mouse host emulator to emulate computer host coupled to user mouse port on one side and to mouse channel select switch on the other side;
• at least one unidirectional flow forcing hardware device to assure that data is only flowing from said mouse channel select switch to coupled mouse device emulators and no other data may flow from the mouse device emulators back to the mouse channel select switch and to the coupled mouse host emulator;
• a mouse channel select switch controlled by System Controller function to connect only one selected channel mouse device emulator at a time to the said unidirectional flow forcing hardware device;
• a plurality of mouse device emulators to emulate standard mouse device for each one of the coupled computer channels through host mouse ports;
• a plurality of host mouse ports for coupling coupled computers through cables;
• and
• a System Controller function to control said keyboard channel select switch and mouse channel select switch based on user inputs;
• and
• at least a first and a second mutually isolated computer systems, each one of said mutually isolated computer systems comprising:
• a computer having:
• a computer keyboard port coupled through said cables to said respective host keyboard port;
• and
• a computer mouse port coupled through said cables to said respective host mouse port;
• and
• a display coupled to said computer,
• wherein only one of said first and second computer systems is controlled by said user keyboard and user mouse at the time, and wherein no information may be exchanged between said first and second mutually isolated computer systems through said secure KM switch apparatus,
• wherein said KM switch is configured to operate in cursor tracking mode wherein channel select is extracted from mouse cursor position and path analysis compared to pre-programmed displays arrangement to provide the user with the visual illusion of a single continuous desktop workspace across different isolated displays, each of said display is coupled to the corresponding one of said isolated computers.

A method of securely coupling a plurality of computer systems to a single keyboard and a single mouse comprising:

• connecting a single user mouse to a host emulator capable of extracting mouse commands from said user mouse;
• selecting one of a plurality of isolated computer systems to receive said extracted mouse commands;
• passing said extracted mouse commands to said selected isolated computer system through a unidirectional flow forcing hardware device and a device emulator;
• and
• operating in cursor tracking mode, wherein channel select is extracted from mouse cursor position and path analysis compared to pre-programmed displays arrangement to provide the user with the visual illusion of a single continuous desktop work space across different isolated displays, each of said display is coupled to the corresponding one of said isolated computers,
• wherein:
• said passing said extracted keyboard commands to said selected isolated computer system is through a keyboard device emulator;
• and
• said passing said extracted mouse commands to said selected isolated computer system is through a mouse device emulator.