JPH04235624A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inhibit the write or read to a portable storage medium at an optional timing by discriminating the write/read propriety based on the pointing contents of a storage means. CONSTITUTION:A read/write means 1000 reads or write the information into or out of a storage medium 100 which can be loaded to and unloaded from the main body of an information processor with an external instruction. An instruction means 1100 instructs the inhibition and its cancel of the read/write to the medium 100. A storage means 1200 stores the instruction contents of the means 1100. A detection means 1300 detects the input of a read or write instruction given to the medium 100. A control means 1400 refers to the instruction contents of the medium 100 in response to the means 1300 and sends an input read or write instruction to the means 1000 only when the instruction contents of the medium 100 shows the cancel of the read or write inhibition.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of inhibiting writing to a removable storage medium at any timing.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors, data to be processed and results of information processing are written on removable floppy disks.

In order to prevent writing to portable storage media such as wires and floppy disks, there is a known method of protecting the floppy disk by gluing silver paper to a slide notch on the side of the floppy disk or to a specific part of the floppy disk. There is. Another known method is to enter a password when connecting to an information processing device over a public line, and to permit use of the information processing device when the password is found to be legitimate.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, while mechanical write prohibition processing on the portable storage medium side can be performed at any timing, it is difficult to
There is a problem in that it is necessary to remove the portable storage medium from the main body each time to cancel the release.

[0005] Furthermore, the password method has a problem in that once the information processing device is connected to an external device, it is not possible to prohibit writing to the portable storage medium.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned points, an object of the present invention is to enable prohibition of writing to or reading from a portable storage medium at any timing after starting up an information processing device, and to prevent external access via a public line. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that can prohibit writing to or reading from a portable storage medium even when connected to the device.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a read/write device that reads or writes information to or from a storage medium that is removable from the main body in response to instructions from the outside. a writing means, an instruction means for instructing prohibition and cancellation of reading or writing to the storage medium, a storage means for storing instruction contents of the instruction means, and inputting an instruction command for reading or writing to the storage medium. and a detection means for detecting the input, and refers to the instruction contents of the storage means according to the detection means, and instructs to read or write the input only when the instruction contents indicate cancellation of the prohibition of reading or writing. An information processing device comprising: control means for transferring commands to the reading/writing means.

[0008]

[Operation] In the present invention, an instruction to prohibit/cancel reading or writing is stored in the storage means at an arbitrary timing, and when a reading/writing command is input to the storage medium, writing/cancellation is performed based on the contents of the instruction in the storage means. The control means determines whether reading is possible.

[0009]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1000 denotes a read/write means for reading or writing information to or from a storage medium 100 that is removably attached to the main body in response to instructions from the outside.

Reference numeral 1100 denotes instruction means for instructing prohibition of reading or writing to the storage medium and cancellation thereof.

[0013] Reference numeral 1200 is a storage means for storing the instruction contents of the instruction means.

[0014] Reference numeral 1300 denotes a detection means for detecting the input of a reading or writing command to the storage medium.

[0015] 1400 refers to the instruction contents of the storage means according to the detection means, and issues an instruction command for reading or writing the input only when the instruction contents indicate cancellation of the prohibition of reading or writing. Control means for transferring data to the reading/writing means.

FIG. 2 shows the circuit configuration of a word processor to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 2, a central processing unit (CPU
) 10, read-on memory (ROM) 20, floppy disk storage device (FDD) 30, keyboard input device 40, modem 50 and random access memory (RA
M) 60 are commonly connected to the bus.

The CPU 10 not only controls the operation of the entire apparatus and executes document processing, but also functions as a detection means and a control means of the present invention.

The ROM 20 stores control procedures executed by the CPU 10. The FDD 30 reads/writes information to/from a floppy disk in response to read/write commands input from the CPU 10. The FDD 30 operates as the read/write means of the present invention.

Note that the floppy disk is removable from the FDD 30.

A keyboard input device 40 provides operational instructions to the CPU 10 and inputs other information. A keyboard input device 40 operates as an instruction means of the present invention.

The modem 50 transfers information between the CPU 10 and an external device connected via a public line.

The RAM 60 is backed up by a battery, and its memory contents are preserved even when the power is cut off. RAM6
0 temporarily stores data to be processed by the CPU 10, and the RAM 60 operates as a storage means of the present invention.

The write inhibition/cancellation process for the floppy disk in such a configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show C stored in advance in the ROM 20.
The execution procedure related to the present invention of the PU 10 is shown.

(a) Write prohibition process The user instructs to prohibit writing to the floppy disk by simultaneously pressing the "A", "B", and "Z" character keys on the keyboard input device 40. At this time, the keyboard input device 40 operates as an instruction means of the present invention.

When a key code signal from the keyboard input device 40 is generated, the control procedure shown in FIG. 3 is executed in the CPU 10 in an interrupt manner.

[0028] The input code signal of the CPU 10 is the character "A".
, "B", and "Z" at the same time, the ON flag information indicating prohibition of writing is stored in the RAM 60. (Steps S100→S110→S120 in FIG. 3). For this reason, R.A.
M60 operates as the storage means of the present invention.

(b) Writing processing to a floppy disk The CPU 10 receives operation commands specified by the user program stored in the RAM 60, operation commands for the CPU 10 inputted from the keyboard input device 40, and received from the outside via the modem 50. The control procedure shown in FIG. 4 is executed when identifying the contents of the operation command for the target.

In FIG. 4, when the CPU 10 identifies that the operation command is a write command based on its code content, it reads the flag information from the RAM 60 and determines whether the flag information is on or off. When the flag information indicates on, it is determined that writing is prohibited, and the write command is sent to the FDD30.
Instead, an error code is generated and a warning of the occurrence of the error is displayed on a display device (not shown), for example (steps S200→S210→S220 in FIG. 4).

[0031] At this time, the CPU 10 uses the detection means of the present invention,
Acts as a control means.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the flag information indicates OFF, a write command is transferred to the FDD 30, and information writing processing is performed as before (steps S200→S210→S230 in FIG. 40).

If the operation command to the CPU 10 is a command other than writing, the CPU 10 identifies the contents of the command and then executes the information processing specified by the command (FIG. 5).
step S200→S240).

(c) Process for canceling write prohibition The user instructs to cancel write prohibition by simultaneously pressing the letter keys "A,""B," and "C" on the keyboard input device 40. The control procedure of FIG. 3 is activated by the generation of a key code signal from the keyboard input device 40.

The generated key code signal is character code "A"
, "B", and "C" occur simultaneously, the CPU 10 sets the flag information in the RAM 60 to OFF (step S100→S1 in FIG. 3).
40).

As described above, when the user instructs to prohibit/cancel writing to the floppy disk by operating the character keys on the keyboard input device 5, the contents of the instruction are always stored in the RAM 60 in the form of flag information.

Therefore, when a write command to the floppy disk is input to the CPU 10, the CPU 10 can automatically determine whether writing is possible or not based on the flag information.

In addition to this embodiment, the following examples can be given.

1) In this embodiment, only writing is prohibited, but reading may be prohibited in addition to writing. In this case, a read command is also detected. Also,
Prohibition of writing and reading may be instructed by inputting separate characters. In this case, two types of flag information are provided, one for writing and one for reading.

2) Although this embodiment shows an example in which all writing to the floppy disk mounted on the FDD 30 is prohibited, it is also possible to prohibit writing only to a floppy disk having a specific identification name. In this case, enter the floppy disk identification name when instructing write protection.

Further, when the CPU 10 inputs a write command, a match is determined between the floppy disk name included in the write command and the floppy disk name specified in advance.

[0042]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, reading/writing to a storage medium can be prohibited at any timing.
Even if a read/write command is input to the storage medium from an external device, the command will not be executed, so the contents of the storage medium can be protected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration of a word processor to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the CPU 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 CPU 20 ROM 30 FDD 40 Keyboard input device 50 modem 60 RAM

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reading/writing means for reading or writing information to a storage medium that is removably attached to the main body in response to an instruction from the outside, and an instruction to prohibit reading or writing to the storage medium and to cancel the prohibition. a storage means for storing instruction contents of the instruction means; a detection means for detecting input of a reading or writing instruction command to the storage medium; and an instruction for the storage means according to the detection means. control means for referring to the input content and transmitting the input read or write instruction command to the read/write means only when the instruction content indicates cancellation of read or write prohibition; Characteristic information processing device.