BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DETAILED DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating use of a portable memory erasing device that connects directly to a computer “hard disk” memory storage drive.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating use of a portable memory erasing device 10 that connects directly to a computer “hard disk” memory storage drive 20 to provide the function of erasing (or “wiping”) data stored on the drive. The device can be attached in an independent (or “stand-alone”) manner to one or more uninstalled or removed computer hard drive(s) to delete sensitive and/or private information without requiring use of a separate computer and/or extra hardware or software. The device preferably accomplishes this by use of self-contained computer processing hardware (i.e., a microprocessor) running associated software (similar to conventional drive wiping/cleaning software such as “Disk Wiper” or “KillDisk”) that is capable of accessing and communicating with applicable drive storage formats and/or protocols (such as small computer system interface (SCSI) or advanced technology attachment (ATA/ATAPI) protocols) to ensure that all accessed information is quickly and securely removed from the hard drive. However, implementation of the device firmware/software would be different from such conventional software, since the device does not access the hard drive through an operating system but instead communicates with the hard drive using native protocols. Additionally, the device is preferably compact in size so that it can be transported for use in different locations, and also simple in operation to allow use by nontechnical person(s), and it allows the hard drive to be reusable after erasing.
FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred construction of portable memory storage erasing device 10: including at least one electrical drive connector 11 (such as a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) or SCSI or universal serial bus (USB) or integrated drive electronics (IDE) connector) for attaching the device to one or more computer hard drive(s) 20; a power cable 12 for connecting electrical power to the device; a “progress indicator” screen 13 for providing an updated status on the extent of data deletion from a hard drive; and a “clean” button control 14 to be activated by a user for initiating data deletion. Use of the portable memory erasing device 10 involves attaching one or more computer hard drive(s) 20 each to a connector 11 while then activating the “clean” button 14 to initiate data deletion, and subsequently detaching the hard drive 20 from its connector 11 after the progress indicator 13 signals that device 10 is finished with the data deletion operation.
Many different variations of the portable memory storage erasing device are possible; including a device with multiple drive connectors so that more than one hard drive can be cleaned at the same time; as well as use of multiple different types of drive connectors, including attachments for laptop computer drives or external hard drives.
While certain preferred features of the invention have been shown by way of illustration, many modifications and changes can be made that fall within the true spirit of the invention as embodied in the following claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the law permits to cover the full scope of the invention, including all equivalents thereto.
Patent Application
20080034173
