Patent ID: 9727490
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A method of operation of a self-locking mass storage system, comprising: coupling a storage media, an independent inactivity timer, and an external communication channel to an interface controller, the external communication channel configure for connecting the interface controller to a host computer, the independent inactivity timer being separate from the interface controller; counting a period of read/write inactivity of the storage media using the inactivity timer; comparing the period of read/write inactivity against a preset maximum idle time; when the period of read/write inactivity exceeds the preset maximum idle time, sending an expiration signal from the independent inactivity timer to the interface controller; locking access to the storage media in response to the expiration signal; and resetting the period of read/write inactivity of the inactivity timer for every read/write activity the self-locking mass storage system detects while the self-locking mass-storage system is in an unlocked state, the unlocked state being in response to an authentication operation to unlock the self-locking mass-storage system, wherein resetting the period of read/write inactivity further includes sending a reset signal from the interface controller to the independent inactivity timer.