Patent ID: 8051052

Claim:
A method for controlling access in a storage device, the method comprising: performing in a controller in a storage device: creating a tree in the storage device that has a non-volatile memory, wherein the controller in the storage device is operative to control access to the memory, the tree comprising nodes organized hierarchically therein, each node containing entity authentication credentials and permissions for controlling entity access to data stored in the storage device, wherein the tree is further configured such that, when the storage device receives a request from an entity that has been authenticated to the storage device, the tree can be checked by the controller for a permission corresponding both to the entity and to the request from the entity for access to data stored in the storage device; creating a second tree in the storage device, wherein the second tree comprises nodes organized hierarchically therein, each node containing entity authentication credentials and permissions for controlling entity access to data stored in the storage device, wherein the tree and the second tree have different root nodes, wherein there are no nodes in the tree above the root nodes; and storing the trees in the storage device.