US 12,455,989 B1
Methods and apparatus for authenticating an encryption key stored in removable memory devices, to access a compute device
Thomas Scott Morgan, Virginia Beach, VA (US); Martin Mayer, Bartlesville, OK (US); and Steven Yates, Charlottesville, VA (US)
Assigned to Management Services Group, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA (US)
Filed by Management Services Group, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA (US)
Filed on Jun. 13, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/742,081.
Application 18/742,081 is a continuation of application No. 18/352,479, filed on Jul. 14, 2023, granted, now 12,045,379.
Application 18/352,479 is a continuation of application No. 17/693,735, filed on Mar. 14, 2022, granted, now 11,741,269, issued on Aug. 29, 2023.
Application 17/693,735 is a continuation of application No. 17/381,636, filed on Jul. 21, 2021, granted, now 11,281,813, issued on Mar. 22, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/057,459, filed on Jul. 28, 2020.
Int. Cl. G06F 21/00 (2013.01); G06F 21/32 (2013.01); G06F 21/60 (2013.01); G06F 21/72 (2013.01); G06F 21/79 (2013.01); G06F 21/10 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/79 (2013.01) [G06F 21/32 (2013.01); G06F 21/602 (2013.01); G06F 21/72 (2013.01); G06F 21/107 (2023.08)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory device having a controller and a plurality of memory portions operatively coupled to the controller,
the memory device configured to store in each memory portion from the plurality of memory portions (1) a unique encryption key portion from a plurality of encryption key portions and (2) data from a plurality of data not related to the plurality of encryption key portions, each encryption key portion from a plurality of encryption key portions being a unique portion of an encryption key and encoded in a first format, each data from the plurality of data encoded in a second format different from the first format,
each encryption key portion from the plurality of encryption key portions including a value from a plurality of values, each value from the plurality of values indicating a physical characteristic of the memory portion from the plurality of memory portions for that encryption key portion,
the memory device configured to access each encryption key portion from the plurality of encryption key portions based the value from the plurality of values for that encryption key portion,
the memory device configured to send, to a first circuit, the plurality of encryption key portions to the first circuit such that the first circuit, in response to receiving the plurality of encryption key portions, assembles the encryption key and authorizes access to a second circuit based on the encryption key.