Patent · US Expired

Space management for managing high capacity nonvolatile memory

US6034897A · kind A · utility

161Cited by
71References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 1, 1999
Grant dateMar 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 1, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/16
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a controller device is disclosed for use in a digital system having a host and nonvolatile memory devices. The controller device is coupled to the host and at least two nonvolatile memory devices. The host stores digital information in the nonvolatile memory unit and reads the stored digital information from the nonvolatile memory unit under the direction of the controller, the memory unit being organized into blocks of sectors of information. The controller device erases the digital information stored in the blocks of the nonvolatile memory devices in-parallel form. The controller device includes a space manager circuit responsive to address information from the host and operative to read, write or erase information in the nonvolatile memory unit based upon the host address information. The space manager assigns a predetermined number of blocks, in sequential order, to each of the nonvolatile memory devices, forms `super` blocks, each `super` block having blocks arranged inparallel, identifies a particular `super` block having at least two blocks, a first block being located in a first nonvolatile memory device and a secon…

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