IP Library Granted Patent US 11,360,680
Granted Patent B2
US 11,360,680 · App. 15/921,196 · Granted Jun 14, 2022

Storage device

Inventors: Hiroshi Isozaki (Kanagawa, JP); Teruji Yamakawa (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
G06F3/0637G06F3/067G06F3/0622G06F3/0626G06F3/0652G06F3/0659G06F3/0673
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,360,680
App. No.
15/921,196
Granted
Jun 14, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a storage device is configured to store unencrypted user data. The user data is erased according to at least one data erasure mechanism. The storage device comprises a receiver configured to receive an inquiry from a host device, and a transmitter configured to transfer response information indicating the at least one data erasure mechanism to the host device.

Claims (50)

1. A storage device configured to store unencrypted user data, the user data being capable of being erased according to at least one data erasure mechanism which is supported by the storage device, the storage device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an inquiry from a host device, the inquiry relating to the at least one data erasure mechanism which is supported by the storage device, and

a transmitter configured to transfer response information indicating the at least one data erasure mechanism which is supported by the storage device to the host device, in response to receiving the inquiry from the host device, wherein

the response information comprises certain bits respectively indicative of whether or not certain data erasure mechanisms are supported by the storage device, and

the certain data erasure mechanisms comprises the at least one data erasure mechanism which is supported by the storage device.

2. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein

the receiver is configured to receive the inquiry when the host device is turned on or booted.

3. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first processor configured to

determine, when specification information specifying an data erasure mechanism is transferred to the receiver from the host device after the transmitter transfers the response information to the host device, whether the host device has authority to issue the specification information, and

cause the receiver to receive the specification information when the first processor determines that the host device has the authority to issue the specification information.

4. The storage device of claim 3 , further comprising:

a second processor configured to

determine, when the receiver receives a data erase command from the host device, whether the host device has authority to issue the data erase command and

erase the user data according to the data erasure mechanism specified by the specification information when the second processor determines that the host device has the authority to issue the data erase command.

5. The storage device of claim 4 , further comprising:

a third processor is further configured to set personal identification information and initialize the personal identification information wherein the personal identification information comprises at least a first identification information relating to a first person and a second identification information relating to a second person, wherein

the data erase command comprises a command to initialize the value of the personal identification information,

the data erase command comprises a first data erase command relating to a first data and the first person and a second data erase command relating to a second data and the second person, and

authority to issue the first data erase command is different from authority to issue the second data erase command.

6. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a third processor configured to

determine, when the receiver receives specification information specifying a data erasure mechanism from the host device after the transmitter transfers the response information to the host device, whether the data erasure mechanism specified by the specification information differs from the at least one data erasure mechanism, and

transfer an error signal to the host system when the third processor determines that the data erasure mechanism specified by the specification information differs from the at least one data erasure mechanism.

7. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein

the at least one data erasure mechanism comprises an overwrite erasure mechanism, a block erasure mechanism, or an unmap.

8. A storage device comprising:

a storage area including namespaces, at least one of the namespaces including ranges having different access authorities to unlock the range wherein the data in the range can be erased when the range is unlocked;

a storage processor configured to manage relationship information indicating a relationship between each of the namespaces and ranges included in the each of the namespaces;

a receiver configured to receive a namespace erase command from a host device; and

a first processor configured to specify a first namespace corresponding to the namespace erase command received by the receiver, specify one or more ranges included in the first namespace based on the relationship information stored in the storage area, and erase data of the one or more ranges included in the first namespace.

9. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein

the namespace erase command comprises a command for erasing a single namespace or all the namespaces.

10. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein

the receiver is configured to further receive a first command for a first range in the ranges from the host device; and

the first processor is further configured to erase data in the first range in response to the first command when authority to access the first range is authenticated.

11. A storage device operable in a first state or a second state, wherein

in the first state, when a command is received from a host device, the storage device is configured to transfer a response based on the command to the host device,

in the second state, when a first command is received from the host device, the storage device transfers information indicating that the storage device operates in the second state to the host device, and when a command other than the first command is received from the host device, the storage device transfers information indicating an error to the host device

in the first state, personal identification information is set,

in the second state, data is invalidated, and the personal identification information set in the first state is initialized,

the storage device is configured to transition from the first state to the second state, and

the storage device is not configured to transition from the second state to the first state.

12. The storage device of claim 11 , further comprising:

a first processor configured to encrypt data stored in the storage device and decrypt the encrypted data stored in the storage device; and

a second processor configured to disable at least a decrypting function of the first processor when the storage device operates in the second state.

13. A storage device configured to operate in an inactive state or an active state, wherein a lock function is disabled and data can be erased in the inactive state and the lock function is enabled in the active state, the storage device comprising:

a storage module configured to store label information for obtaining or generating owner identification information, wherein no restriction is applied to read the label information from the storage module, and authority to write the label information to the storage module is limited to a user who knows the owner identification information wherein a transit from the inactive state to the active state is done in response to a first command when the owner identification information is authenticated.

14. The storage device of claim 13 , wherein

a transit from the active state to the inactive state is done in response to a second command when the owner identification information is authenticated.

Assignments (4)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 17, 2022
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION; K.K. PANGEA
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 059039/0780 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 17, 2022
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059175/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 17, 2022
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059180/0266 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2018
From: ISOZAKI, HIROSHI; YAMAKAWA, TERUJI
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046189/0546 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-181632 · Sep 21, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190087113A1 · Mar 21, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,321,475