Patent ID: 7725558
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A device for controlling communications among or within computers, computer systems, or computer networks by establishing separate physical communication paths for physicallysecure access to resources, said device having an owner, comprising: (a) a plurality of access ports (AP) to which processing systems such as computer programs, computers, computer systems or computer networks attach to gain a set or subset of said separate physical communication paths for the purpose of making said physically-secure access to a set or subset of said resources to which said device controls access, each of said attached processing systems using only its own resources and, by virtue of its attachment to said AP, the resources of said device to perform said access, said plurality of APs comprising: (i) a primary AP to which one of said processing systems attaches to become a capable owner of all of said resources to which said device controls access, the one of said processing systems attached to said primary AP becoming a system master on highly secure networks enabled by said device; (ii) a plurality of secondary APs to which other of said processing systems attach to gain restricted access to a set or subset of said resources to which said device controls access, said processing systems attached to said secondary APs becoming either “client” or “server” on highly secure non-standard networks enabled by said device; (b) a plurality of transfer ports (TP) to which said resources attach to become accessible to said processing systems attached to said APs and through which access to said attached resources is controlled and restricted by said device; (c) a separate physical communication path between each said AP and each said TP of said device, wherein said separate physical communication path provides an exclusive and private communication path between each said AP and each said TP, and by virtue of which said device, when inserted into a pre-existing physical bus between said processing system at said AP and said resource at said TP and providing said separate physical communication path between said AP and said TP, becomes a physical extension and integral part of said pre-existing physical bus; (d) an access control interface associated with said primary AP through which the owner of said device sets access permissions and restrictions for each of said separate physical communication paths to predetermine the availability of said separate physical communication paths from any of said APs and the permissions allowed on each of said available separate physical communication paths; and (e) a physical or electronic hardware switch connected to each of said separate physical communication paths and controllable by said access control interface for allowing or denying access with respect to each separate physical communication path, so as to provide a physically-secure exclusive communication path between each AP and each TP with predetermined access permissions and restrictions, said physical or electronic hardware switch when not activated by said access control interface preventing said AP from detecting and accessing said resource by not enabling said separate physical communication path between said AP and said TP so that said separate physical communication path cannot become said physical extension or integral part of said pre-existing physical bus of said processing system.