Patent ID: 8275994

Claim:
A removable information storage apparatus equipped with (1) a predetermined interface for connecting to an external appliance, (2) an information storage unit, and (3) a security unit with a limited access from the external appliance, the removable information apparatus further comprising: a password input unit used by a user to input at least a specified portion of a password for access to the removable information storage apparatus, the password composed of a number of characters, and the specified portion of the password being (i) a plurality of consecutive or nonconsecutive characters in the password that are selected for input by the user and (ii) consisting of a smaller number of characters than the number of characters of the password; a password collating unit that collates at least the specified portion of the password input by the user; an access authorizing unit that authorizes an access to the security unit from the external appliance connected to the removable information storage apparatus in response to the collation of at least the specified portion of the password by the password collating unit; and memory having a password table, wherein, the password remains on the removable information storage apparatus only and is not output to the external appliance, and the password input unit is configured for inputting the characters of the password as desired character codes selected by the user from the password table where a plurality of character codes, including the character codes constituting the password, are displayed one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, the password input unit being either (a) a jog dial for inputting the characters of the password by selecting each of the desired character codes in a predetermined one-dimensional direction from the password table so as to correspond to a rotary operation in a one-dimensional direction and finalizing the selected desired character code selection by depressing the jog dial, or (b) a multi-switch for inputting the characters of the password by selecting each of the desired character codes from the password table so as to correspond to a rotary operation in a one-dimensional direction or in two-dimensional directions and finalizing the selected desired character code selection by a depressing operation.