IP Library Granted Patent US 11,061,587
Granted Patent B2
US 11,061,587 · App. 16/565,641 · Granted Jul 13, 2021

Memory system switching between a locked and unlocked state and memory control method

Inventor: Shinichi Matsukawa (Shinagawa, JP)
Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
G06F3/0622G06F3/0659G06F3/0673
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,061,587
App. No.
16/565,641
Granted
Jul 13, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, the memory system includes a memory and a memory controller. After the memory controller determines that a plurality of first commands including addresses have been received from a host device in a first sequence, when a plurality of second commands including addresses are received from the host device in a second sequence, the memory controller stores the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands in a memory; converts the address stored in the memory into a first password; and restricts or does not restrict execution of the first command and the second command from the host device after the memory system is started up, and removes the restriction of the execution or restricts the execution of the first command and the second command from the host device after the first password is matched with a predetermined second password.

Claims (45)

1. A memory system comprising:

a memory; and

a memory controller which controls the memory, wherein

the memory controller is configured to:

determine whether or not a plurality of first commands including addresses have been received from a host device in a first sequence;

after determining that the plurality of the first commands have been received in the first sequence, when a plurality of second commands including addresses are received from the host device in a second sequence, store the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands in the memory;

convert into a first password the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands stored in the memory; and

perform one of:

not restrict execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device by the memory controller after the memory system is started up, and restrict the execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device by the memory controller after the first password is matched with a predetermined second password;

restrict execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device by the memory controller after the memory system is started up, and remove the restriction of the execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device by the memory controller after the first password is matched with a predetermined second password.

2. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein

the memory controller restricts transmission of data read from the memory to the host device, and removes the transmission restriction of the data read from the memory to the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

3. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein

the memory controller restricts writing to the memory of data input from the host device, and removes the writing restriction to the memory of the data input from the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

4. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein

the memory controller allows transmission of data read from the memory to the host device, and restricts the transmission restriction of the data read from the memory to the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

5. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein

the memory controller allows writing to the memory of data input from the host device, and restricts the writing restriction to the memory of the data input from the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

6. A memory system comprising:

a memory; and

a memory controller which controls the memory, wherein

the memory controller is configured to:

determine whether or not a plurality of first commands including addresses have been received from a host device in a first sequence;

after determining that the final command has been received in the first sequence, generate random number information, calculate first data by a predetermined first calculation on the basis of the generated random number information, and transmit the random number information to the host device;

after the random number information is transmitted, when a plurality of second commands including addresses from the host device are received in a second sequence, calculate second data by a second predetermined calculation on the basis of the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands; and

remove a restriction on execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device by the memory controller after the second data is matched with the first data.

7. The memory system according to claim 6 , wherein

the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands are composed of addresses calculated from data generated by the predetermined first calculation on the basis of the random number information in the host device.

8. A memory control method to control a memory system, the memory system comprising a memory and a memory controller, the memory control method comprising:

starting up the memory system;

determining whether or not a plurality of first commands including addresses have been received from a host device in a first sequence;

after determining that the plurality of the first commands have been received in the first sequence, when a plurality of second commands including addresses are received from the host device in a second sequence, storing the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands in the memory;

converting into a first password the addresses included in the plurality of the second commands stored in the memory;

determining that the first password matches a predetermined second password; and

perform one of:

restricting execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device after the memory system is started up, and removing the restriction of the execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device in response to the first password matching with the predetermined second password;

removing the restricting execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device after the memory system is started up, and restricting the execution of the first commands and the second commands from the host device in response to the first password matching with the predetermined second password.

9. The memory control method according to claim 8 further comprising

restricting transmission of data read from the memory to the host device, and removing the transmission restriction of the data read from the memory to the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

10. The memory control method according to claim 8 further comprising

restricting writing to the memory of data input from the host device, and removing the writing restriction to the memory of the data input from the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

11. The memory control method according to claim 8 further comprising

allowing transmission of data read from the memory to the host device, and restricting the transmission restriction of the data read from the memory to the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

12. The memory control method according to claim 8 further comprising

allowing writing to the memory of data input from the host device, and restricting the writing restriction to the memory of the data input from the host device when the first password is matched with the predetermined second password.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 31, 2022
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058905/0582 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2019
From: MATSUKAWA, SHINICHI
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050323/0248 →