JP2009026175A - Usb memory stick - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a USB memory stick capable of connecting and utilizing other USB type apparatus or the like even with a USB port occupied. <P>SOLUTION: The USB memory stick is provided with a stick body 3 including a storage medium 2 for storing data such as user authentication or license authentication data or optional data, a USB connecting connector 4 projected from one sidewall surface of the stick body 3 and one or more USB ports 5 formed on the stick body 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a USB memory stick that is detachably connected to a personal computer or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various portable storage media such as a card type and a stick type are well known for personal computers and the like in order to carry data shared at home and at work, for example.

  In particular, USB memory sticks are very useful because USB desktop ports and notebook personal computers are provided with USB connection ports.

  On the other hand, in such a USB memory stick, when a user license or the like is stored in the storage area and the software installed in the computer is activated, user authentication is performed so that the software cannot be used by unauthorized copying. A protected dongle is known (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

  This protect dongle checks that the personal computer is equipped with a protective dongle when starting up the software or during processing, and if it detects that the protective dongle is not installed, it cannot start the software. Usage time and functions are limited.

  In particular, the protect dongle is often attached to expensive software such as 3DCG software and CAD / CAM / CAE software.

  By making such a protection dongle into a commonly used USB memory stick, the protection dongle is not a special shape like the conventional parallel port type protection dongle, but a highly versatile protection dongle. It became possible.

The protect dongle is similar in outline to the USB memory stick, but strictly speaking, the inside is like an IC card, and it can be connected to a USB port, although it is different from a USB memory stick with a flash memory. From the viewpoint that it is a simple stick type and has a storage area for storing a user license or the like, it can be rephrased as a USB memory stick.
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  However, in the USB memory stick configured as described above, for example, when the software is started using the data stored in the USB memory stick and the data is edited, the editing is in progress. If you want to back up the USB memory stick, you cannot remove the USB memory stick from the USB port.

  Similarly, even when the USB memory stick is a protect dongle, the protect dongle cannot be removed from the USB port while the protected software is running.

  Therefore, under such an environment, the USB port is occupied, and there is a problem that a new USB device or the like cannot be connected or used depending on the situation.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a USB memory stick capable of connecting and using other USB-type devices and the like while occupying a USB port. To do.

  A USB memory stick according to the present invention is a USB memory stick comprising a stick body incorporating a storage medium for storing data, and a USB connection connector protruding from one side wall surface of the stick body. One or more USB connection ports are provided.

  At this time, the storage medium can store data for user authentication or license authentication in a non-rewritable manner for use as a protect dongle.

  The USB memory stick of the present invention can connect and use other USB type devices and the like while occupying the USB port.

  Next, a USB memory stick according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 is an external perspective view of a USB memory stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a USB memory stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a USB memory according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is another explanatory view of a stick.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a USB memory stick 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention protrudes from a stick body 3 having a storage medium 2 for storing data and one side wall surface of the stick body 3. A USB connection connector 4 and USB connection ports 5 and 6 provided on the other two side wall surfaces of the stick main body are provided.

  Data for user authentication or license authentication is stored in the storage medium 2 in a non-rewritable manner, and the USB memory stick 1 is used as a protect dongle.

  In this embodiment, the USB connection ports 5 and 6 are provided on the two opposite side wall surfaces so as to be shifted from each other. As shown in FIG. 2, other USB memory sticks 7 and UEB cables 8 are connected. It is possible.

  Incidentally, the USB memory stick 1 can be used as a general memory stick, not as the above-described protect dongle. In this case, however, the storage medium 2 in the recent USB memory stick 1 (in this case) The storage area of RAM) is being expanded from kilobytes to gigabytes, and its price is becoming cheaper.

  Therefore, when the USB memory stick 1 of the present invention is used as a general memory stick, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a connection port 5 is provided so that another USB memory stick 7 can be connected, One USB memory stick 1 (7) can be used as an extended control program so that two USB memory sticks 1 and 7 that are physically connected can theoretically be used as a USB memory stick with one storage area. Can also be stored.

  In addition, if the USB memory stick 7 is a protective dongle and the software installed on the personal computer has all the functions fully installed, and only the USB memory stick 1 is connected to the personal computer, use of limited software is possible. When the USB memory stick 7 is connected to the USB memory stick 1, a usage form in which the license restriction as a protection dongle is divided, such as use of unlimited software, can be employed.

1 is an external perspective view of a USB memory stick according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the USB memory stick which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is another explanatory view of the USB memory stick concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... USB memory stick 2 ... Storage medium 3 ... Stick main body 4 ... USB connection connector 5 ... USB connection port 6 ... USB connection port

Claims (2)

In a USB memory stick comprising a stick body incorporating a storage medium for storing data, and a USB connection connector protruding from one side wall surface of the stick body,
One or more USB connection ports are provided in the said stick main body, The USB memory stick characterized by the above-mentioned.   2. The USB memory stick according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium stores data for user authentication or license authentication in a non-rewritable manner for use as a protect dongle.

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