Patent ID: 6901511

Claim:
A system comprising: a portable data storage medium; and a portable terminal to which the data storage medium is connectable; wherein the portable data storage medium has stored thereon a plurality of software applications operable on the portable terminal, a data file created by each of the software applications, a hardware identification code for identifying the data storage medium, a plurality of software identification codes for the plurality of software applications, respectively, and a plurality of user passwords for specifying a plurality of users, respectively, that are able to use the data storage medium, wherein the portable terminal comprises a non-rewritable storage area in which a hardware identification code for specifying the portable terminal and a plurality of software identification codes each for identifying available software applications are stored, and a rewritable storage area; and wherein the portable terminal further comprises: means, responsive to a power supply being turned on when the portable data storage medium has been connected to the portable terminal, for reading the hardware identification code stored on the data storage medium and then determining whether or not the read hardware identification code matches the hardware identification code stored in the non-rewritable storage area of the portable terminal; means, responsive to determining that the read identification code matches, for determining whether or not a password inputted by a user who operates the portable terminal matches any one of the plurality of passwords for specifying the plurality of users, respectively, stored in the data storage medium; means, responsive to determining that the inputted password matches, for allowing the user to select any desired one of the plurality of software applications stored on the data storage medium; means, responsive to the user selecting the desired application software, for reading from the data storage medium a software identification code corresponding to the selected software application, and for determining whether or not the software identification code matching the read software identification code is stored in the non-rewritable storage area of the portable terminal; and means, responsive to determining that the matching software identification code is stored, for starting up the selected software application stored on the data storage medium, and for storing on the data storage medium a data file created by operation of that application software as a data file corresponding to that application software.