Abstract: For a nonvolatile memory permitting electrical writing and erasing of information to be stored, such as a flash memory, the load on the system developer is to be reduced, and it is to be made possible to avoid, even if such important data for the system as management and address translation information are damaged, an abnormal state in which the system becomes unable to operate.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus has: a magnetic disk having a magnetic film formed on a substrate; a spindle motor for rotating the magnetic disk; a magnetic head for writing/reading information on/from the magnetic disk; a supporting member for supporting the magnetic head; a driving mechanism for moving the magnetic head to a predetermined position on the magnetic disk; a magnetic writing/reading circuit for enabling the magnetic head to write/read information on/from the magnetic disk; an interface for sending/receiving signals for controlling the information to/from another information processing device, a device for detecting whether or not the magnetic disk apparatus is in operation; and mechanism for latching movable part of the magnetic disk apparatus on the basis of detection result of the detecting device.

Abstract: For a nonvolatile memory permitting electrical writing and erasing of information to be stored, such as a flash memory, the load on the system developer is to be reduced, and it is to be made possible to avoid, even if such important data for the system as management and address translation information are damaged, an abnormal state in which the system becomes unable to operate.

Abstract: The memory device of the present invention comprises an interface for receiving time information from a host device; an EEPROM for storing pass-information which is related to the pass-information of a server device and which is defined for each user for the memory device; and a random number generator for generating a passcode ion the basis of the pass-information in the EEPROM and the time information from the host device in response to a request from the host device and sending the passcode to the host device without sending the pass-information to the host device.

Abstract: A storage device to store data includes an external interface, a controller, a nonvolatile memory, and an IC card. In response to a first indication from the external device, the controller receives a program to be executed in the IC card from the nonvolatile memory or the external device and writes the program in the IC card. In response to a second indication from the external device, the controller deletes the program written in the IC card.

Abstract: Authentication vicarious execution is rendered more secure in the handling of a user's personal information. In such a system, an agent computer system, acting on behalf of the user, provides the personal information to various wide area network sites for conducting online transactions. A user of the system has a secure device with a built-in unique device identifier. A personal information backup center has a computer system to be coupled to the secure device during backup of the personal information separate from the agent. The personal information is encrypted with a unique user ID as a key. The user ID is entered by the user and is, for example, a user PIN. The user ID, e.g. PIN, is irreversibly encrypted to generate a unique irreversibly encrypted user identifier.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to improve security of a storage apparatus. The invention has: a flash memory chip; an IC card chip which can execute a security process (encryption, decryption, etc.); and a controller chip for controlling read/write of data from/into the flash memory chip and the IC card chip in response to a request from a host.

Abstract: For a nonvolatile memory permitting electrical writing and erasing of information to be stored, such as a flash memory, the load on the system developer is to be reduced, and it is to be made possible to avoid, even if such important data for the system as management and address translation information are damaged, an abnormal state in which the system becomes unable to operate. The nonvolatile memory is provided with a replacing function to replace a group of memory cells including defective memory cells which are incapable of normal writing or erasion with a group of memory cells including no defective memory cell, a numbers of rewrites averaging function to grasp the number of data rewrites in each group of memory cells and to so perform replacement of memory cell groups that there may arise no substantial difference in the number of rewrites among a plurality of memory cell groups, and an error correcting function to detect and correct any error in data stored in the memory array.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a memory device comprises an interface which interfaces with an external device, an IC chip which stores one or more application programs and executes the application programs, a memory which stores associated data associated with the one or more application programs, and a controller connected with the interface, the IC chip, and the memory. In response to a predetermined command received from the external device by way of the interface, the controller performs transfer of the associated data between the IC chip and the memory without passing the associated data to the host device during transfer of the associated data between the IC chip and the memory.

Abstract: In an apparatus for recording continuous information of sound or the like, when a disk device generating a seek sound is used as recording means, such state is prevented that seek sound is mixed as noise and is recorded. In an input processing system of an audio signal in an apparatus for performing sound recording to storage means generating seek noise of the disk or the like, cut-off period 203 is provided by the period when the seek noise 201 is generated, and mixing of the seek noise 201 in the audio signal is prevented, and at the same time, the audio signal during the cut-off period 203 is interpolated by other means or the seek noise level previously set is subtracted.

Abstract: A storage device allows expanding user utilizable applications by storing information permitted to be read according to a certificate and information permitted to be read according to information determined by a user. An information distributor receives a certificate from the storage device and after verifying the certificate, transmits data of a license and access control conditions to the storage device. After receiving data of a certificate from an information browser, verifying the certificate and imposing a limit on access based upon one of access control conditions, the storage device transmits data of the license and the other to the information browser. The information browser permits utilization of the license under the limitation defined by the access control condition. The certificate includes either or both of a certificate approved by a certificate authority and a PIN (personal identifying number) determined by the user.

Abstract: A memory card has: a flash memory chip for storing digital certificates and a seed of random numbers; a controller chip which can execute a managing process for managing the digital certificates and a random number generating process for generating the pseudo random numbers by using the seed of random numbers; and an IC card chip which can execute an authenticating process for authenticating personal identification information (PIN) inputted from a host apparatus and an encrypting process for encrypting the seed of random numbers. Thus, a processing time of security processes is reduced while assuring safety of the security processes.

Abstract: For a nonvolatile memory permitting electrical writing and erasing of information to be stored, such as a flash memory, the load on the system developer is to be reduced, and it is to be made possible to avoid, even if such important data for the system as management and address translation information are damaged, an abnormal state in which the system becomes unable to operate.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a requesting unit for requesting the magnetic disk apparatus to re-set a value of specification information capable of determining performance of the magnetic disk apparatus in combination with either identification result or flag information; a performance unit for causing the magnetic disk apparatus which receives the request to re-set the own specification; a detecting unit for detecting an internal condition of the disk apparatus; a processing unit for processing the detection result; a conversion unit for converting the internal condition of the magnetic disk apparatus into states of a numeral value, a figure, a color, and a sound in combination with the process result, and for notifying the converted condition to a user; and a battery.

Abstract: A signal processing device having a feature of analog-to-digital converting a burst signal has a feature of selecting data bus to notify a disk control device 2 of a conversion result via an NRZ data bus. The disk control device 2 includes means for storing the result of the analog-to-digital conversion of said servo positional signal. The positional signal of a head of the disk device is digitalized in an R/W channel. Sampling for digital conversion is performed in only a window which is defined only in the vicinity of peaks of the positional signal. The values of peaks which are obtained by sampling are averaged by an averaging circuit. This enables the influence of noise occurred outside of the window to be eliminated. Although the noise in the window is sampled, its adverse influence is suppressed by the averaging processing.

Abstract: An information processing device, wherein a set-top box (102) that houses a removable hard disk device (101) is connected to a monitor (103), and the set-top box (102) comprises a host unit (201) and a hard disk device (101). The host unit (201) comprises an HDD interface controller (202), a user interface controller (209), and the like.

Abstract: A disc storage apparatus includes at least one disc having at least one recording surface, at least one head associated with the at least one recording surface for recording data on the at least one recording surface, a decoder circuit which receives coded data from the at least one head, decodes the coded data to parallel data, and outputs the parallel data, and a disc control unit which receives the parallel data from the decoder circuit and outputs the parallel data outside the disc storage apparatus. The apparatus may further include a host interface control unit coupled to a host computer and the disc control unit, wherein the disc control unit outputs the parallel data to the host computer via the host interface control unit, and a buffer memory which stores the parallel data to be outputted to the host computer.

Abstract: A signal processing device for analog-to-digital converting a burst signal has a feature of selecting a data bus to notify a disk control device of a conversion result via an NRZ data bus. The disk control device stores the result of the analog-to-digital conversion of the servo positional signal. The positional signal of a head of the disk device is digitized in a R/W channel. Sampling for digital conversion is performed in only a window which is defined only in the vicinity of peaks of the positional signal. The values of peaks which are obtained by sampling are averaged by an averaging circuit. This enables the influence of noise occurred outside of the window to be eliminated. Although the noise in the window is sampled, its adverse influence is suppressed by the averaging processing.

Abstract: A memory apparatus having a volatile memory for storing data from a host, a nonvolatile memory capable of storing the data stored in the volatile memory, and electrically deleting the data, and a control circuit for controlling data transfer between the volatile memory and the nonvolatile memory. A capacity of a data storage area of the volatile memory is larger than that of a data storage area of the nonvolatile memory.

Abstract: A signal processing device having a feature of analog-to-digital converting a burst signal has a feature of selecting data bus to notify a disk control device 2 of a conversion result via an NRZ data bus. The disk control device 2 includes means for storing the result of the analog-to-digital conversion of said servo positional signal. The positional signal of a head of the disk device is digitalized in an R/W channel. Sampling for digital conversion is performed in only a window which is defined only in the vicinity of peaks of the positional signal. The values of peaks which are obtained by sampling are averaged by an averaging circuit. This enables the influence of noise occurred outside of the window to be eliminated. Although the noise in the window is sampled, its adverse influence is suppressed by the averaging processing.