Data Protection Technique that Protects Illicit Copying of Data Maintained in Data Storage

Abstract

A data protection program for protecting data to be processed by an application, and a computer including volatile storage means and nonvolatile storage means performs a volatile file unpack function of writing, to the nonvolatile storage means, data corresponding to a data file to be read or written by the application so that the data is associated with the data file; and a volatile file repackage function of outputting the data file corresponding to the data written to the volatile storage means.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A data protection method for protecting data to be processed by an application, the data protection method comprising steps of:
 a volatile file unpack function of writing, to the nonvolatile storage means, data corresponding to a data file to be read or written by the application so that the data is associated with the data file; and   a volatile file repackage function of outputting the data file corresponding to the data written to the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         22 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a volatile file read function of, responsive to the application executing a file read routine to read the data file from the nonvolatile storage means, reading the data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         23 . The data protection method according to  claim 22 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file read routine to read the data file from the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file read function reads data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means and replaces the data file to be read from the nonvolatile storage means by the file read routine with the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means. 
     
     
         24 . The data protection method according to  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a volatile file write function of, responsive to the application executing a file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the data file.   
     
     
         25 . The data protection method according to  claim 24 , wherein the volatile file unpack function writes a temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, the temporary data file corresponding to temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         26 . The data protection method according to  claim 25 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function allows the file write routine to write the temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         27 . The data protection method according to  claim 26 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function replaces the data file to be written to the nonvolatile storage means by the file write routine with the temporary data file so that the file write routine writes the temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         28 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a volatile file read function of, responsive to the application executing a file read routine to read a data file from the nonvolatile storage means, reading the data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means, replacing the data file to be read from the nonvolatile storage means by the file read routine with the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         29 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a volatile file write function of, responsive to a file write routine writing a data file corresponding to data is executed by the application, writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the data file.   
     
     
         30 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , wherein the volatile file unpack function writes a temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, the temporary data file corresponding to temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         31 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a volatile file write function of, responsive to the application executing a file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, allowing the file write routine to write temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, the temporary data file corresponding to the temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, and writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file.   
     
     
         32 . The data protection method according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a volatile file write function of, responsive to a file write routine writing a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means is executed by the application, replacing the data file to be written to the nonvolatile storage means by the file write routine with a temporary data file, the temporary data file corresponding to temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, so that the file write routine writes the temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means and writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file.   
     
     
         33 . A data protection method for protecting data to be processed by an application, the data protection method comprising steps of:
 a volatile file write function of, responsive to the application executing a file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the data file; and   a volatile file repackage function of outputting the data file corresponding to the data written to the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         34 . The data protection method according to  claim 33 , further comprising:
 a volatile file read function of, responsive to the application executing a file read routine to read a data file from the nonvolatile storage means, reading the data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         35 . The data protection method according to  claim 34 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file read routine to read the data file from the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file read function reads the data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means and replaces the data file to be read from the nonvolatile storage means by the file read routine with the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means. 
     
     
         36 . The data protection method according to  claim 35 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function allows the file write routine to write temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means and write the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         37 . The data protection program product according to  claim 36 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function replaces the data file to be written to the nonvolatile storage means by the file write routine with the temporary data file so that the file write routine writes the temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         38 . The data protection method according to  claim 33 , further comprising:
 a volatile file read function of, responsive to the application executing a file read routine to read a data file from the nonvolatile storage means, reading the data associated with the data file from the volatile storage means and replacing the data file to be read from the nonvolatile storage means by the file read routine with the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means so that the file read routine reads the data file corresponding to the data read from the volatile storage means.   
     
     
         39 . The data protection method according to  claim 33 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function allows the file write routine to write temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, the temporary data file corresponding to the temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, and writing the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file. 
     
     
         40 . The data protection method according to  claim 33 , wherein responsive to the application executing the file write routine to write a data file corresponding to data to the nonvolatile storage means, the volatile file write function replaces the data file to be written to the nonvolatile storage means by the file write routine with a temporary data file, the temporary data file corresponding to temporary data, the temporary data differing from the data corresponding to the data file, so that the file write routine writes the temporary data file to the nonvolatile storage means, and writes the data to the volatile storage means so that the data is associated with the temporary data file.