Patent ID: 7303136

Claim:
A storage device, comprising: an external interface to connect the storage device to an external device; a nonvolatile memory chip having stored therein a plurality of programs; a controller chip for controlling the nonvolatile memory; and an IC that can execute one of the programs, wherein the nonvolatile memory, the controller, and the IC are respectively formed as separate semiconductor chips, wherein the controller is configured to be connected to the external interface, the nonvolatile memory and the IC, to interpret a first instruction received from the external device through the external interface, and to access the nonvolatile memory or the IC in accordance with a result of the controller interpreting the first instruction, wherein the nonvolatile memory is connected to the controller, the programs stored in the nonvolatile memory being configured to perform predetermined processing including security processing to be operable in the IC in cooperation with application programs in the external device, wherein the IC includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and EPROM, and is connected to the nonvolatile memory through the controller, wherein the IC has a tamper-resistance stronger than tamper-resistances of the controller and the nonvolatile memory, wherein the controller is further configured to instruct the IC to run one of the programs when the first instruction is interpreted as an access to said one of the programs, and to transmit information on a performance result of said one of the programs to the external device, wherein the controller is further configured to determine validity of the IC to transmit said one of the programs to the IC when the IC is determined to be valid, wherein the IC performs a check to determine validity of the transmitted program and installs the transmitted program in the IC when the transmitted program is determined to be valid.