GB2484492A

GB2484492A - Portable Memory Device Mode Switch

Info

Publication number: GB2484492A
Application number: GB201017200A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Swan; Ewan Cameron
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-10-12
Filing date: 2010-10-12
Publication date: 2012-04-18
Also published as: GB201017200D0

Abstract

A physical switch (1) is provided on a portable memory based device. The position or movement of the switch controls the data/software available (7, 8, 10)to the host (16) and defines the mode of operation executed on the host computing system to which the device connects. The device may execute a unique autorun file dependant on the switch position or movement and initiates automated execution instructions, executed by the host computing operating system to which the device connects. The instructions are predefined for each position or movement of the switch. The device can support multiple modes for example security, media, music, office desktop, VPN. Moving the switch between positions causes a mode change and initiates the unloading of the previous mode's drivers and software and initiation of the new mode's instructions. Multiple switches may be provided, and the device may communicate with the host wirelessly (13). The device may be a USB device which is disconnected and reconnected to the host by movement of the switch.

Description

Device Mode Switch The Problem People have many different areas to their lives that are distinct and involve different behaviours. For example people behave differently in an office environment, their home environment and in social environments. The same applies to people managing information about their lives. Before the mobile digital revolution this was relatively easy, but now there are an ever increasing number and type of memory based digital devices (e.g. digital music and video players, USB flash drives, mobile phones, laptops, netbooks, digital cameras etc.) that people want to store information on and to carry with them much of the time.

Two obvious examples of where people have different needs from their electronic devices is their working and home environments. When working, people use office email, data, files, software and applications that are specific to their job and company. The company wants to control access to this information especially if it is sensitive and can be taken off site on a mobile device such as a mobile phone, USB flash drive or other portable digital device. Companies will often want to put security, antivirus, access control, encryption etc, on data and software that leaves an office site. In the home environment people want access to a different range of email accounts, data files, software and applications some of which may be common to the office environment but some of which will be specific to the person's home environment. At home people want to store and use information and services that are personal and not relevant or appropriate to be viewed by the company.

New devices are combining many capabilities into a single device. Mobile phones are now fitted with cameras, support audio and video capability as well as providing a large storage capacity for any type of data, be it email, multimedia messaging, internet browsing and other functions. The same is true for other device types.

There is now a many to many to many relationship between devices, device functions and the modes or ways in which people want to use those devices.

This results in data and software being stored on many devices without appropriate checks and controls. Company data can get taken offsite on mobile phones and USB flash drives etc without any controls in place resulting in security risks. Private data can easily become public without the person realising.

Solution A physical switch (1), (2), (3), (4) (The Mode Switch) which is part of a portable memory based device (5). The position or movement of the switch defines the mode of operation executed on the host computing system to which the device connects. The Mode Switch allows people to manage their information and devices more easily and securely. It may also extend to other functions such as virtual computing environment, digital wallets, electronic keys, ticketing, etc. The Mode Switch allows users to quickly and easily set and change the mode of operation of a device and host (16) it connects to and to securely gain access to memory, data, files, software and applications (17). The user can easily manage profile and behaviour information between different modes ensuring that information is only made available in an appropriate mode of operation and access given only to authorised users of the host computing system(s).

The Mode Switch can be applied to any device type or form factor. Applying the Mode Switch to a USB Flash drive (5) is one possible application. The Mode Switch device uses the host computer's processor to which it is connected to run applications. Examples of other device types that the Mode Switch may be applied include mobile phones, digital cameras and directly on to memory cards. Many other applications are possible.

The Mode Switch may take different physical forms. (1), (2), (3), (4) are four examples of the types of switch that can be used. All of the physical switch types cause a disconnection of the device from the host computing system followed by a reconnection as the switch is moved from one position to another. Note that the connection between the Mode Switch device and the host computing system to which it is connected can be wired or wireless.

In the case of a USB device, moving the Mode Switch between positions causes a electrical disconnection of one or more of the Vbus, D±, D-(6) wires. This causes the USB to be physically disconnected from and then reconnected to the host computing system, equivalent to removing the USB device from its host. This causes the appropriate autorun file to be loaded creating the desired behaviour and environment.

Example switch types include the following.

Slider Switch (1). The switch is moved for one position to another as indicated.

Button Switch (2). Pressing the button toggles between modes, which are indicated on a display (9).

Rotating switch (3). The switch is rotated to move its position and change the mode of operation.

Rotating click switch (4). The switch is rotated and clicks between modes, which are indicated on a display (9).

Other switch types are possible.

When applied to a USB device, the Mode Switch can be connected to one or more of the following USB wires (Vbus, D+, D-) (6). Whichever wire(s) the Mode Switch is connected to it must complete the circuit as per the USB standard when it is in any defined position. When the Mode Switch is moved between positions then this causes a disconnection and reconnection of one or more of the Vbus, D+, D-USB wires. The disconnection should be for long enough to invoke the disconnect procedure as per the USB standard. This ensures that the device resets and reconnects in the new mode.

The Mode Switch uses a function in the Windows operating system called Autorun. In UNIX and Linux this function is also called Autorun, while in MacOS the function is called Autostart. Other systems may have other similar functions that may be used to automatically execute programs or scripts.

These functions will be referred to as Autorun going forward.

Upon insertion of a CD or USB device it is possible to run applications from the CD or device by using an autorun feature.

When inserted into a computer a CD drive can be emulated from the device inserted that cause applications to autorun1 (automatically execute) from the USB drive. This is done as most computers are configured to automatically run applications from CD's drive and not USB drives, and the USB device effectively becomes an emulated CD drive.

With Autorun enabled on the computer, which is normally the default situation, it is possible to automatically run applications from a USB device upon insertion. Windows explorer recognises the Autorun.inf2 file, which sits in the root directory of the device. The Autorun.inf file defines certain functions including what application to run when inserted into the computer and what icon and menu to display to the user. Other operating systems operate in a similar manner.

The Mode Switch has three modes of operation, which produce the same user experience.

Mode Switch -Operation Mode 1 In this mode of operation each position of the Mode Switch is associated to a specific Autorun.inf file to execute. There are multiple Autorun.inf files on the Mode Switch device but only one is executable in each Mode Switch position.

Step 1 -The user selects a mode of operation for the device by moving the Mode Switch to the desired position.

1 It should be noted that some USB drives can be configured to appear as 2 drives.

2 In Microsoft Windows® the file is Autorun.inf. Other operating systems may use a different file.

Step 2 -The user inserts/connects the Mode Switch device to the host computer. The connection between the device and the host can be wired or wireless.

Step 3 -The device, using its own power source or the power from the host, moves the Autorun.inf file that is associated to the position of the Mode Switch to the root of the device. This is done by using a micro processor on the device.

Step 4 -The host's operating system recognises the Autorun.inf file associated with the Mode Switch position and executes the application, icon, and menu structure as well as any other instructions that may be defined with it. The Autorun.inf file normally contains either an open or shellexecute command. The open command identifies an executable program to run while the shellexecute command can identify any file type, which Windows will open with the program the operating system associates with it.

Step 5 -The running of the application using the Autorun.inf file creates the expected user environment on the host computer, running and giving access to firmware, software, applications, files, security, memory, profiles and other features and functions as defined. Example applications may include email, web access, VPN clients for remote access to office networks, etc. Step 6 -The user performs their desired tasks, using the software, applications, files etc. Step 7 -The user then optionally moves the Mode Switch to another position.

Currently loaded applications, files, software, security, memory, profiles and other features become unavailable on the host computer. Steps 3 to 5 are then repeated. Moving the Mode Switch between positions causes a disconnection then reconnection of one or more of the Vbus, D+, D-(6) USB wires. This is equivalent to removing and re-inserting the USB device from/to the host computer.

Step 8 -The user removes/disconnects the device from the host and all currently loaded applications, files, software, security, memory, profiles and other features are disconnected and will become unavailable on the host computer.

Mode Switch -Operation Mode 2 In this mode of operation each position of the Mode Switch defines the contents of the Autorun.inf file. The Autorun file is generated automatically upon movement of the Mode Switch from one position to another.

Step 3 -The device, using its own power source or the power from the host, creates the Autorun.inf file that is associated to the position of the Mode Switch and moves it to the root of the device. This is done by using a micro processor on the device. Previously created Autorun files can be deleted or moved and saved on the device for later use when that mode is reselected.

This is impiementation specific. This prevents the need for recreating the Autorun file.

Step 4 -The host's operating system recognises the Autorun.inf file associated with the Mode Switch position and executes the application, icon, and menu structure as well as any other instructions that may be defined for the specific mode. The Autorun.inf file normally contains either an open or shellexecute command. The open command identifies an executable program to run while the shellexecute command can identify any file type, which Windows will open with the program the operating system associates with it.

Step 5 -The running of the application in the Autorun.inf file creates the expected user environment on the host computer giving access to firmware, software, applications, files, security, memory, profiles and other features and functions as defined. Example applications may include email, web access, VPN clients for remote access to office networks etc. Step 6 -The user performs their desired tasks, using the software, applications, files etc. Step 7 -The user then optionally moves the Mode Switch to another position.

Currently loaded applications, files, software, security, memory, profiles and other features become unavailable on the host computer. Steps S to 5 are then repeated. Moving the Mode Switch between positions causes a disconnection then reconnection of one or more of the Vbus, D+, D-(6) USB wires. This is equivalent to removing and re-inserting the USB device from/to the host computer.

Mode Switch -Operation Mode 3 This mode of operation is similar to Mode 1 except that instead of moving files into the root directory of the device, the Autorun file is permanently located in the root of the device. It accepts a parameter passed to it. The value of this parameter is dependant on the position of the Mode Switch. On insertion into the USB host, the device either uses its own power source or that of the host to pass a parameter to the Autorun file before it is automatically run by the host computing operating system.

Note: that the Autorun files may be created, deleted or amended using the device's processing or the host computer's processing but the manufacturer of the device may determine if this is possible or not, i.e. the manufacturer of the device may want a specific set of operating modes and specific Autorun files that cannot be changed, deleted or amended.

Other Operating Systems and Environments The principle of the Mode Switch selecting an appropriate Autorun configuration file to execute can be used for any other operating system such as UNIX, Linux, and MacOS.

Hardware & Hardware Encryption The Mode Switch can be configured to execute firmware based applications that are integrated into hardware such as ASICs, CPLDs, FPGA, DSPs and UICC cards. For example the Mode Switch could be configured to use an associated UICC card application to encrypt data into a highly secure format.

A UICC card security keys could be used to encrypt/decrypt data that is passed to/from a host computer.

The Mode Switch may have a number of pre-defined modes (7) that are available across different device types and formats, but only a subset of these may be implemented on a specific device, device type or host(s). The Mode Switch may also support a number of user defined modes (8). The Mode Switch may use a standard set of icons (10) to allow easy identification of each mode and its intended purpose.

The device (which can be of many different formats e.g. mobile phone, USB flash drive, mp3 player) uses the processing and power of the host (16) to which it is connected or may support its own processing and power (11).

The device may be connected to the host via a wired (12) or wireless (13) connection. The appropriate connection type will be device and application dependant.

The Mode Switch may be a digital switch that selects modes by causing the disconnection and reconnection of the Mode Switch device from/to its host.

Claims

Claims 1. A physical switch (1), (2), (3), (4) which is part of a portable memory based device (5), the position and movement of which defines the mode of operation of the host computing system (1 6) to which it connects.
2. There must be one or more Mode Switches on a device.
3. The Mode Switch position (14) defines which application to execute within the Autorun file.
4. Moving the Mode Switch between positions disconnects and reconnects the USB device from its host by disconnecting and reconnecting one or more of the USB wires (Vbus, D+, D-) (6).
5. Moving the Mode Switch between positions causes the root Autorun file to be deleted and replaced by the new Autorun file which is created, amended or passed parameters to become the new Autorun file as defined for that mode.
6. The Autorun file for the mode selected can be created or amended from an existing file using the host's or device's processing and power.
7. Multiple Autorun files can be stored on the device, one or more for each of the modes.
8. The Autorun file can be moved from a storage area on the device to the device's root when the appropriate Mode Switch position is selected using the host's or device's processing and power.
9. The Mode Switch device uses the processing power of the host it is connected to, to run the device's applications.
10. Memory, files, data and applications (17) on the device (5) or host (16) is dedicated for use by a specific mode which can be modified by a user with appropriate authority.Dependant Claims
11. Defined sets of modes (7) & (8) may be available across different device formats and implementations.
1 2.The mode selected can be visually displayed on the Mode Switch device (9).
13.A standard set of visual icons (10) provides a method/indication for the user to easily identify the mode.
14.The device can either use its own power source (11) if available or can use the power of the host (1 6) it is connected to.
15.The Mode Switch device can be connected to the host via a wired (12) or wireless (13) connection.
16.Optionally a GUI (15) can be presented to the user either on the device with the Mode Switch or via the host computer system it is connected to.
1 7.The Mode Switch can function with any operating system.