Imation Assigned Three Patents

WORM mode on removable storage system
Imation Corp., Oakdale, MN, has been assigned a patent (8,635,419) developed by Matthew D. Bondurant, Superior, CO, Mark Payne, Longmont, CO, and S. Christopher Alaimo, Boulder, CO, for “methods for implementation of WORM mode on a removable storage system.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Embodiments provide systems and methods for maintaining immutable data in an archiving system using random access memory. To ensure data is immutable, novel pointers are maintained. For example, a modular drive bay maintains a pointer to a memory address in the removable drive memory cannot write data to a memory block that precedes the pointer. Data may only be stored after the pointer in the removable drive. As such, once data is written to the removable drive, the data cannot be overwritten although the removable drive employs random access memory.”

The patent application was filed on May 1, 2012 (13/461,272).

Antivirus system and method for removable media devices
Imation, Oakdale, MN, has been assigned a patent (8,635,69) developed by David Paul Duncan, Louisville, CO, and David Blake Farmer, Louisville, CO, for an “antivirus system and method for removable media devices.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A removable media device, which may be a USB attached device or other type of removable media device, includes a software program located on the device which upon startup or access, the software program scans one or more of electronic files stored on the removable media device and electronic files being transferred to or from the electronic media device and to or from a host computing system for the detection of viruses therein. The software program is further configured to block the transfer of detected virus-containing electronic files and to disallow the copy or writing of files to or from the removable media device to or from a host computing system that can not be scanned. The software program is further configured to block the encryption of files being written to a removable media device if such device contains hardware or software encryption if such files can not be scanned.”

The patent application was filed on Oct. 7, 2011 (13/269,463).

Scanning data for signatures prior to storage in storage device
Imation, Oakdale, MN, has been assigned a patent (8,631,494) developed by Laurence Hamid, Ottawa, for a “method and device for scanning data for signatures prior to storage in a storage device.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “The present invention relates to a method and device for scanning of data for signatures prior to storage. First data are received at a storage device for storage therein. Upon receipt the first data are stored in a temporary storage medium for storing other than guaranteed previously scanned data. Using a processor of the storage device, the first data are compared with at least a predetermined signature and a comparison result is determined in dependence thereupon. In dependence upon the comparison result the first data are provided to the scanned data memory when the comparison result is indicative of other than a match or the first data are other than provided to the scanned data memory when the comparison result is indicative of a match. The method and the device according to the invention substantially reduce the risk that a file infected with a computer virus is transferred from one computer to another via a portable storage medium. In another aspect of the invention, the method and the device according to the invention prevents storage of sensitive data by unauthorized persons.”

The patent application was filed on July 6, 2006 (11/480,968).