JPS6355782A - Information storage unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To protect secret of information for any external equipment by providing a discriminating means that limits control signals to storing medium that can read and write information and an inhibiting means that inhibits reading and writing of information based on the discrimination. CONSTITUTION:When an external equipment 4 makes inputting and outputting of information to an external storage unit 6, the equipment 4 request preparation for inputting/outputting operation to a control circuit 1 using a control signal line 5A and makes a write request signal line 5B significant. In this case, A user's discriminating means 1A compares information A that determines only specified users of restricted information 11A and request M for writing and reading inputted from a read and write request operating means 12, and when they coincide, outputs a permission signal to a read and write permission signal line 5E, and makes the signal line 5E significant, and sends the request signal to the circuit 1 through AND gates 7, 8, and sents read information from the circuit 1 to the equipment 4. The means 12 unlocks by inserting a key 15 possessed by a specified user to a lock 14. Then, a switch 16 is made on and request M conformable to information A is outputted. Accordingly, only a user permitted to read and write is made possible to read and write the information.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an information storage device that controls a control circuit based on a control signal output from an external device to write information to or read information from a storage medium. , particularly regarding confidentiality functions.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional information storage device will be explained based on FIG.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a conventional information storage device.
is a control circuit that controls reading and writing of information, and 2 is a control circuit l.
3 is an internal bus interposed between the control circuit 1 and the storage medium 2; 4 is an external device that outputs a control signal to the control circuit 1; 5 is a control device; This is an external bus interposed between the circuit 1 and the external device 4.

Here, the external bus 5 has input/output signals of t$ to the storage medium 2.
A control signal line 5A for making preparations, a write request signal line 5B for requesting the storage medium 2 to write information, a write data signal line 5C for transmitting information to be written, and a read signal line for transmitting information to be read. A data signal vA5D is included.

Also, the control circuit 1. Storage medium 2. The internal bus 3 constitutes an external storage device 6 as a whole.

Next, the operation will be explained. First, when writing information to the storage medium 2, the external device 4 connected to the external bus 5:
A request for output preparation is applied to the control circuit 1 through the control signal line 5A in the external bus 5, and in response,
Predetermined preparations are made between the control circuit 1 and the storage medium 2 via the internal bus 3.

For example, in an external storage device such as a fixed magnetic disk device, this preparation means head seeking, head selection, and the like. Next, when this preparation is completed, the external device 4 makes the write request signal line 5B significant and transmits the information to be written to the storage medium 2 in the external storage device 6 to the control circuit 1 through the write data signal line 5C. . The control circuit 1 that receives this information records this information on the storage medium 2 through the internal bus 3.

Next, when reading information from the storage medium 2 in the external storage device 6, the external device 4 connected to the external bus 4
A request for input preparation is transmitted to the control circuit 1 through the H control signal line 5A. In response to this, predetermined preparations are made via internal bus 3 between control circuit 1 and storage medium 2. Next, when this preparation is completed, the control circuit 1
Then, predetermined information is read out through the internal bus 3 and transmitted to the external device 4 through the read data signal line 5D.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Since the conventional information storage device is configured as described above, all requests received from the external bus 5 are executed as they are, and in order to keep the information in the external storage device 6 confidential, There has been a problem in that the connected external device must identify the user using a password or the like and allow information input/output only when authorized. Another problem is that even if an external device has the ability to protect confidentiality, it is possible to easily input and output information by connecting this external storage device to another external device that does not have the ability to protect confidentiality. There were also points. It also prevents the entry of information by disabling the external device's ability to protect confidentiality (e.g., if this ability is provided by a computer program, by running another program that does not have such ability). There was also the problem that output was possible.

This invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to protect the confidentiality of information regardless of the type of external device to which the external storage device is connected. The purpose is to obtain a storage device.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the information storage device according to the present invention includes an identification means IA that limits the users who can read and write information on the storage medium 2 and the addresses of the storage media that can read and write information, and the information The device is characterized by comprising a prohibition means IB for prohibiting reading and writing of the information.

[Effect]

The identification means IA in this invention limits the users who can read and write information to and from the storage medium 2 and the addresses of the storage medium 2 that can read and write information. Here, the prohibition means IB prohibits reading and writing of information based on the identification by the identification means IA, and allows reading and writing of information only to specific users.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which IA is an identification means for identifying limited information that limits users who can read and write information on the storage medium 2, and IB is this identification means IA. This prohibition means is inserted between the external device 5 and the control circuit 1 to prohibit reading and writing of the above information based on the identification of the external device 5 and the control circuit 1.

Here, the identification means IA has user limited information 11A, and the prohibition means IB has a write request signal 'ff' according to the old permission signal line 5 connected to the identification means IA.
It has an AND gate 7.8 that opens and closes the gates of A3B and read data signal line 5D.

In this case, the identification means IA includes the read/write request operation means 12.
A read/write request M from is output. The read/write request operation means 12 includes an output device 13 that outputs specific information (read/write request M) via a switch 16, and a key 15 that is held only by a specific user and can be unlocked seven times a month. and a lock 14 that turns on the hour switch 16.

Next, the operation will be explained. When the external device 4 connected to the external bus 5 attempts to input/output information to/from the external storage device, it performs the input/output operation to the control circuit 1 using the control signal line 5A in the external bus 5. requesting the preparation of
Thereafter, the write request signal line 5B is made valid, and information is written through the write data signal yA5C, or information is read through the read data signal line 5D.

However, the write request signal line 5B and the read data signal line 5D are connected to the A N D gate 7 and the N D gate 7, respectively.
Since it is connected to the control circuit 1 via the gate 8, if the read/write permission signal line 5ε is inactive, the data output to the write request signal line 5B and the read data signal line 5D, which are received and received by the control circuit 1, is as follows. You will always be in an unconscious state, and you will not be able to divine or read information. However, when the read/write permission signal line 5E is significant, the write request signal and the read data are normally transmitted to the control circuit 1 and the read data signal line 5D as in the case without the AND gates 7 and 8, and the information is not written. and read out. In other words, permission to write and read information,
Disapproval can be controlled by the read/write permission signal line 5E. On the other hand, the user identification means IA identifies whether or not the user is permitted to write and read based on the limited information 11A, and based on this identification, reads and writes a signal indicating whether or not reading and writing of information is permitted. Output to permission signal line 5E. Therefore, only users who are permitted to write and read information can write and read information to and from the external storage device, and confidentiality can be protected.

That is, it is assumed that the identification means IA is the limited information tlllA, for example, the information IA that is specified only for a specific user, and the operation means.The above-mentioned specific user is therefore in possession of the key 15, and this key 15 is used for this! 3!15 is inserted into the matching lock 14 and unlocked, the switch 16 is turned on, and the output device 13 outputs information (read/write request M) that matches the information A. This allows only the holder of the key 15 to read and write.

Note that the operating means 12 may be one that outputs a specific read/write request M using a recited number, a magnetic card, or the like.

In addition, in the above embodiment, writing and reading are simultaneously permitted and disallowed, but two sets of user identification means are provided.
Reading and writing may be controlled separately.

Further, by providing means for limiting information that limits the address of the storage medium 2 in the identification means IA and giving the position (address) of the storage medium 2 to be read and written from the control circuit 1, reading and writing can be performed only at a specific position. You may allow or disallow it.

In other words, by setting a specific address of the storage medium as the limited information 11A and outputting an address signal to be outputted from the control circuit 1 to the storage medium 2 to the identification means IA, the above-mentioned limited information Only the address corresponding to the address 11A can be read and written.

Further, in the above embodiment, the AND gate 7 and the AND gate 8 are provided between the external bus and the control device 1, but the same result can be obtained even if they are provided on the internal bus 3 that connects the control circuit 1 and the storage medium 2. can have an effect.

Further, the output from the operation means 12 may be inputted to the identification means IA via the external device 4.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention includes an identification means for limiting users who can read and write information to a storage medium and addresses of storage media that can read and write, and prohibits reading and writing of the information based on the identification of this identification means. Since the external storage device is provided with a prohibition means, information can be protected regardless of the external device to which the external storage device is connected.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional information storage device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Control device, 2... Storage medium, 5... External device, IA... Identification means, IB... Prohibition means, IIA
...Limited information, 12... Reading request operation means. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In an information storage device that controls a control circuit based on a control signal output from an external device to write information to or read information from a storage medium, read/write information in response to a read/write request from an external device. An information storage device characterized by comprising: an identification means for identifying whether permission is granted or not according to limited information; and a prohibition means for prohibiting reading and writing of the information based on the identification of the identification means. (2) The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the limited information is information that defines a specific user who can read and write information. (3) The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the limited information is information that defines a specific address of a storage medium from which information can be read and written.