Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus is disclosed for use in a digital system having a host coupled to at least two nonvolatile memory devices. The host stores digital information in the nonvolatile memory devices and reads the stored digital information from the nonvolatile memory devices. The memory devices are organized into blocks of sectors of information. The method is for erasing digital information stored in the blocks of the nonvolatile memory devices and comprises assigning a predetermined number of blocks, in sequential order, to each of the nonvolatile memory devices, each block having a predetermined number of sectors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for identifying a block being stored within flash memory devices using a cluster address for each block, the block being selectively erasable and having one or more sectors, the cluster address being stored in one of the sectors of the block. In an alternative embodiment, the cluster address is stored in at least two different sectors within the same block for ensuring that the information last written to the block is valid. Further disclosed is a novel way to use a defect flag for each block stored within the flash memory device for efficiently identifying non-defective blocks upon system power-up.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a memory storage system for storing information organized in sectors within a nonvolatile memory bank is disclosed. The memory bank is defined by sector storage locations spanning across one or more rows of a nonvolatile memory device, each the sector including a user data portion and an overhead portion. The sectors being organized into blocks with each sector identified by a host provided logical block address (LBA). Each block is identified by a modified LBA derived from the host-provided LBA and said virtual PBA, said host-provided LBA being received by the storage device from the host for identifying a sector of information to be accessed, the actual PBA developed by said storage device for identifying a free location within said memory bank wherein said accessed sector is to be stored.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a memory storage system for storing information organized in sectors within a nonvolatile memory bank is disclosed. The memory bank is defined by sector storage locations spanning across one or more rows of a nonvolatile memory device, each the sector including a user data portion and an overhead portion. The sectors being organized into blocks with each sector identified by a host provided logical block address (LBA). Each block is identified by a modified LBA derived from the host-provided LBA and said virtual PBA, said host-provided LBA being received by the storage device from the host for identifying a sector of information to be accessed, the actual PBA developed by said storage device for identifying a free location within said memory bank wherein said accessed sector is to be stored.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a solid state storage system and method is disclosed for reducing the number of write operations when re-writing a block of information that has been previously written by a host. The system includes a controller coupled to a host and a nonvolatile memory unit for controlling reading and writing of information organized in sectors from and to the nonvolatile memory unit, as commanded by the host. The controller maintains mapping of the sector information in an LUT stored in volatile memory the contents of which are lost if power is lost. Through the use of an address value and flag information maintained within each of the blocks of the nonvolatile memory unit, a block is re-written using a different number of write operations in various alternative embodiments of the present invention.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention includes a nonvolatile memory system for storing sector information in storage locations within nonvolatile memory organized into blocks, a plurality of blocks defining a super block and each block having a predetermined plurality of sectors. The nonvolatile memory system includes a controller for shifting sector information to a first and a second block of a particular super block and writing sector information to the first block of the particular super block, wherein shifting to the second block occurs entirely during the writing to the first block thereby decreasing the time required to perform write operations to blocks and increasing overall system performance.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus is disclosed for use in a digital system having a host coupled to at least two nonvolatile memory devices. The host stores digital information in the nonvolatile memory devices and reads the stored digital information from the nonvolatile memory devices. The memory devices are organized into blocks of sectors of information. The method is for erasing digital information stored in the blocks of the nonvolatile memory devices and comprises assigning a predetermined number of blocks, in sequential order, to each of the nonvolatile memory devices, each block having a predetermined number of sectors.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a solid state storage system and method is disclosed for reducing the number of write operations when re-writing a block of information that has been previously written by a host. The system includes a controller coupled to a host and a nonvolatile memory unit for controlling reading and writing of information organized in sectors from and to the nonvolatile memory unit, as commanded by the host. The controller maintains mapping of the sector information in an LUT stored in volatile memory the contents of which are lost if power is lost. Through the use of an address value and flag information maintained within each of the blocks of the nonvolatile memory unit, a block is re-written using a different number of write operations in various alternative embodiments of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention includes a digital system having a controller semiconductor device coupled to a host and a nonvolatile memory bank including a plurality of nonvolatile memory devices. The controller transfers information, organized in sectors, with each sector including a user data portion and an overhead portion, between the host and the nonvolatile memory bank and stores and reads two bytes of information relating to the same sector simultaneously within two nonvolatile memory devices. Each nonvolatile memory device is defined by a row of memory locations wherein corresponding rows of at least two semiconductor devices maintain two sectors of information therein with the overhead information relating to the two sectors maintained in one of the memory rows of the nonvolatile memory device.

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.

Abstract: In a digital system having a host, a controller device and at least one nonvolatile memory integrated circuit, such as a flash memory chip, a method and apparatus is disclosed for storing digital information, provided by the host, in the nonvolatile memory under the direction of the controller in an efficient manner so as to significantly improve system performance. The nonvolatile memory is organized into sequentially-numbered blocks. Each nonvolatile integrated circuit is assigned a predetermined number of sequential blocks and when a free block is solicited for storage of digital information provided by the host, the nonvolatile integrated circuit rather than the entire nonvolatile memory is searched for the free block. When the information stored in a block is being updated by the host, the nonvolatile integrated circuit assigned to that block is excluded from the search for the free block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for increasing the system performance of a digital system having a controller for controlling nonvolatile devices for storing blocks of information, each block having a group of sectors. When sectors within a block are being re-written in sequential order, the controller writes the new sector information into a sector location of another block without the need to move any of the sectors within the original block thereby reducing the number of read and write cycles needed to avoid erase-before-write operations. A `used` flag, stored in the sector location of each block, indicates that the sector has been transferred to another block or, alternatively, a move locator word maintains status information regarding the position of the sectors within the block that have been moved.

Abstract: A semiconductor non-volatile mass storage memory is partitioned into user files and system files. The system files partition is further subdivided into clusters, each cluster having a plurality of sectors. Each cluster stores the system file for a single predetermined LBA. As the information within the LBA is changed, the new information is written into an empty sector within the cluster. Once the cluster is filled, the system either erases for recycling the cluster or preferably locates an empty cluster and repeats the process with that new cluster. Once all the clusters are filled, all clusters containing old data are erased for recycling.

Abstract: A microprocessor-controlled solid state storage system having a controller and non-volatile memory for storing firmware code therein. The controller includes first memory for storing firmware code transferred from the non-volatile memory, and second memory including primitive firmware code stored therein causing execution of a microprocessor for transferring the firmware code from reserved blocks in the non-volatile memory into the first memory upon initialization of the storage system and causing calculation of a checksum for verification of the integrity of the firmware code.