EMC Assigned Patent

EMC Corp., Hopkinton, MA, has been assigned a patent (8,166,314) developed by Helen S. Raizen, Jamaica Plain, MA, Jeffrey Camp, Apex, NC, and Michael E. Bappe, Loveland, CO, for a "selective I/O to logical unit when encrypted, but key is not available or when encryption status is unknown."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A method is provided for controlling I/O request access to an encrypted storage device when the encryption key for the encrypted storage device is not available. The method comprises the unordered steps of: providing an I/O filter driver in operable communication with an encrypted storage device, such that all I/O requests to the encrypted storage device are processed first through the I/O filter driver; receiving at the I/O filter driver an I/O request to the encrypted storage device; determining, for each I/O request, the type of the I/O request and, if the I/O request comprises a read, SCSI read, write, or SCSI write, determining a location on the storage device to which the I/O request is directed; determining, in a processor, whether a time period for obtaining the encryption key is still running; and, based on at least one of the I/O request type, whether the time period for obtaining the encryption key is still running, and, if applicable, the location on the device to which the I/O is requested, determining, in a processor, whether the I/O request to the encrypted storage device will be allowed."

The patent application was filed on Dec. 30, 2008 (12/346,412).