Patent · US Expired

Sequential EEPROM writing apparatus which sequentially and repetitively replaces a head position pointer with a last position pointer

US5689676A · kind A · utility

33Cited by
12References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 18, 1996
Grant dateNov 18, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 18, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/3495
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A storage device incorporating an electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM) or other data storage device having a limited number of total times of rewriting, has its useful like extended by the method of storing a pointer corresponding to the capacity of the memory, which pointer identifies a start position in the data storage device at which rewriting is to occur, and incrementing the pointer sequentially with each writing of the data storage device. The method and associated apparatus may be used to maintain a record of on-time of electronic apparatus, and/or to maintain data for correcting the white balance of a video camera under various light conditions.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.