| 摘要 |
A hardware security device enabling the operation of a software program on a computer is disclosed. The security device is coupled to a port (10) of the computer (10) between the computer (10) and a peripheral device (12). A pathway from the computer (10) to the peripheral device (12) through the security device is enabled by a processor (16) in the security device. The processor (16) is coupled to first (46) and second circuit (28, 26) which provide predetermined responses to the processor (16) in response to certain signals from the processor (16). In the preferred embodiment, one of the circuits is a PROM (28, 26) and the other circuit is a PLA (46) (Programmable Logic Array) key. The PLA (46) key (50) couples to a bus (48) connected to the microprocessor (16) which is capable of receiving a number of keys (50). Each key (50) corresponds to a different software program. By using removable and replaceable keys (50), a new program or a program update can be enabled by providing a new key (50) rather than providing an entire new security. |
