Shippable Storage Device for Secure Physical Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The discrepancy between data storage capacity growth and network transmission speed leads to costly or lengthy data transfers, and physical data movement risks data confidentiality and security, especially when using diverse customer storage devices.
Innovation Solution
A shippable storage device with encryption and tracking features ensures secure data transfer by encrypting data multiple times with different keys, updating destination addresses, and verifying integrity upon return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If data is transferred over the network between storage facilities, then data transfer can be performed remotely, but the transfer becomes prohibitively costly or lengthy due to the discrepancy between storage capacity growth and transmission speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces network-based data transmission with physical transport of storage media. Instead of electronically transmitting data over networks (which is slow and costly for large volumes), the system uses physical carriers (portable storage devices, shipping containers with storage media) to move data between locations, leveraging logistics infrastructure rather than network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides large data transfer operations into smaller manageable units by using multiple portable storage devices or splitting data across multiple physical carriers. This allows parallel shipping and transport of data segments, improving overall transfer efficiency and reducing the burden on any single transport operation.
2Speed
If data is physically moved on storage media, then transfer speed improves, but data confidentiality may be compromised during shipment due to potential interception or unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies encryption to data before physical transport occurs. By encrypting data on the source system prior to writing it to portable storage media, the system preemptively protects against potential interception or unauthorized access during transit. The encrypted data remains secure even if the physical media is compromised, as decryption keys are not transported with the data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces encryption as an intermediary layer between the data and the physical transport medium. This intermediary encryption layer ensures that even if the physical carrier is accessed during transit, the underlying data remains protected. The encryption acts as a buffer that decouples the security of the data from the security of the physical transport.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple disparate customer storage devices are used for data transfer, then customer flexibility is maintained, but the complexity of securely and efficiently transferring data from multiple different devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal data ingestion system that can accept data from multiple different types of storage devices through a standardized interface. The system employs generic protocols and adapters that work across diverse customer devices, allowing the same core infrastructure to handle data from various sources without requiring device-specific processing logic for each type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adapts to different storage devices by adjusting processing parameters rather than changing the fundamental system architecture. By modifying parameters such as data format expectations, transfer protocols, and device-specific configurations, the system can efficiently ingest data from disparate devices while maintaining a consistent security and processing framework.
Data Source
AI summary
When a client requests a data import job, a remote storage service provider provisions a shippable storage device that will be used to transfer client data from the client to the service provider for import. The service provider generates security information for the data import job, provisions the shippable storage device with the security information, and sends the shippable storage device to the client. The service provider also sends client-keys to the client, separate from the shippable storage device (e.g., via a network). The client receives the device, encrypts the client data and keys, transfers the encrypted data and keys onto the device, and ships it back to the service provider. The remote storage service provider authenticates the storage device, decrypts client-generated keys using the client-keys stored at the storage service provider, decrypts the data using the decrypted client-side generated keys, and imports the decrypted data.