Sony Corporation

Jun Tashiro

Takumi Okaue

Hideaki Okubo

Kenichi Nakanishi

Hiroshi Kuno

Takeshi Ishimoto

Kenich Nakanishi

A storage device includes: an input/output section connected to an electronic apparatus; a memory for storing data; a control section accessing the memory based on an instruction input from the electronic apparatus to the input/output section; and a communication section communicating with an external apparatus separate from the electronic apparatus, wherein the control section accesses a range in the memory specified by the electronic apparatus based on the instruction from the electronic apparatus and causes data associated with the accessed range to be transmitted and received between the communication section and the external apparatus.

Storage device having capability to transmit stored data to an external apparatus and receive data for storage from the external apparatus based on an instruction from a host apparatus, and data communication system using the same

A device and method is provided for commonly and securely allowing, as access control on a memory card, a plurality of information processing apparatuses to lock/unlock the memory. On the basis of a lock command input from an information processing apparatus serving as a host, such as a PC, an information storage device, such as a memory card, determines whether (a) a standard lock key set serving as a key set prohibiting output or (b) an export lock key set serving as a key set permitting output is detected and stores corresponding key set information. Only when the export lock key set is detected, output is permitted provided that predetermined verification succeeds.

Systems and methods for locking and exporting the locking of a removable memory device

A peripheral device includes: an input/output block connected to a device subject to connection; a communication block configured to communicate with a device subject to communication; and a conversion block configured, if the device subject to communication is a storage device, to convert a storage access command output by the device subject to connection to the input/output block into a communication command that is transferred between the communication block and the device subject to communication, wherein the communication block transmits the communication command generated by the conversion block to the device subject to communication and transfers, with the device subject to communication, one of data that is written by the device subject to connection to the device subject to communication and data that is read from the device subject to communication.

Peripheral device and device connection system

A device and method is provided for maintaining, upon unlocking of a memory, the lock status of the memory prior to the memory being unlocked and recreating the lock status when power is turned on again. An information storage device, such as a memory card, performs unlocking of a memory in response to a command input from an information processing apparatus and stores lock status data prior to the memory being unlocked in a non-volatile memory (NVM). When the information storage device is turned off and then on, the information storage device recreates a lock status of the memory on the basis of the lock status data stored in the storage means and performs memory access control based on the recreated lock status.

Memory device having secure non-volatile locking functionality

An external connection device is to connectable to a host device. The host device includes transmission means for transmitting, to the external connection device, a parameter and an operation control command indicating a command for performing operation control of the external connection device. The external connection device includes a parameter register operable to store the parameter, a command register operable to store the operation control command provided from the host device, and a controller operable to refer to the operation control command stored in the command register and to perform operation control specified by the operation control command. The parameter register and the command register of the external connection device are accessed from the host device based on a transfer protocol command (TPC) issued from the host device.

External card connection device having parameter and command registers wherein device is connectable to a host device

When a read request has been received, it is determined whether there is a read address that has been designated in a particular area. When a read address has been designated in the particular area, the process is terminated. In other words, the process is completed although data is not read. When a read address has not been designated in the particular area, data is read from the designated address of the memory. The data that has been read is supplied to a host device. After the data has been read, a read address stored in, for example, a register is written to the particular area. The address from which data has been read is appended to the particular area. In such a manner, data that has been read from the host device is prohibited from being accessed.

Memory apparatus

An external connection device is connectable to a host device. The host device includes transmission means for transmitting, to the external connection device, a parameter and an operation control command by issuing a transfer protocol command (TPC). The external connection device includes a parameter register for storing the parameter, a command register for storing the operation control command provided from the host device, and a controller for referring to the operation control command stored in the command register and for performing operation control specified by the operation control command. The parameter register and the command register of the external connection device are selectively accessed from the host device based on a memory access transfer protocol command (TPC) and a security access transfer protocol command (TPC) issued from the host device.

External connection device, host device, and data communication system

Single end signal communication is provided in a first direction from a single end signal transmitter to a single end signal receiver through at least one dumping resistor and may be provided in another direction from another single end signal transmitter to another single end signal receiver through the at least one dumping resistor. During the single end signal communication, differential signal transmitters and differential signal receivers are disabled so that the communication path of the differential signal has a high impedance. Differential signal communication is also provided in the first direction from one of the differential signal transmitters to one of the differential signal receivers through a first termination resistor that also serves as the dumping resistor and may be provided in the another direction from another of the differential signal transmitters to another of the differential signal receivers through another termination resistor that also serves as another dumping resistor. During the differential signal communication, the single end signal transmitters and the single end signal receivers are disabled so that the communication path of the single end signal has a high impedance.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Jun Tashiro