Patents by Inventor James A. Fuxa

James A. Fuxa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120221781
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of adapting to the failure of one or more FLASH memory devices in the memory system. The controller stores data in the form of page stripes, each page stripe composed of data pages, and each data page stored in a different FLASH memory device. The controller also detects failure of a FLASH memory device in which a data page of a particular page stripe is stored, reconstructs the data page, and stores the reconstructed data page in a new page stripe, where the number of data pages in the new page stripe is less than the number of data pages in the particular page stripe, and where no page of the new page stripe is stored in a memory location within the failed FLASH memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Patent number: 8190842
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for reduction of Read Disturb errors in a NAND FLASH memory system comprise a controller configured to organize FLASH memory devices into blocks, each block having a plurality of pages, and each page defining an individually addressable physical memory location. The controller is further configured to accumulate a Block READ Count corresponding to the number of times any pages in a first block of pages have been read since the first block was last erased. Once the READ count reaches a predetermined number, the controller responds to subsequent READ requests for pages within the first block by moving data associated with a requested page to a page in a second, different block without moving data associated with other pages in the first block, and modifying a logical-to-physical translation table to associate the moved data with the physical address of the page in the second block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, Charles J. Camp, Timothy J. Fisher, James A. Fuxa, Lance W. Shelton
  • Patent number: 8176360
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of adapting to the failure of one or more FLASH memory devices in the memory system. The controller stores data in the form of page stripes, each page stripe composed of data pages, and each data page stored in a different FLASH memory device. The controller also detects failure of a FLASH memory device in which a data page of a particular page stripe is stored, reconstructs the data page, and stores the reconstructed data page in a new page stripe, where the number of data pages in the new page stripe is less than the number of data pages in the particular page stripe, and where no page of the new page stripe is stored in a memory location within the failed FLASH memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Patent number: 8176284
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of protecting data using different size page stripes. The controller is configured to store data in FLASH memory devices in the form of page stripes, each page stripe comprising a plurality of pages of information, each page of information being stored in a different FLASH memory chip. The controller stores the data in a manner such that the pages making up each page stripe includes a plurality of data pages and at least one data protection page. In one implementation, the page stripes stored by the controller include a first page stripe having N data pages and one data protection page, and a second page stripe having M data pages and one data protection page, where N is an integer greater than three and M is an integer less than N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Publication number: 20110087855
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of using variable size page stripes in the memory system. The controller is configured to store data such that each page stripe comprises a plurality of data pages, with each data page in the page stripe being stored in a different FLASH memory chip. The controller is also configured to maintain one or more buffers containing information reflecting blocks of memory within the FLASH memory chips that have been erased and are available for information storage, and to dynamically determine the number of data pages to be included in a page stripe based on the information in the one or more buffers such that a first page stripe and a second page stripe can have different numbers of data pages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Publication number: 20110040927
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for enhanced READ and WRITE operations in a FLASH-based solid state storage system that includes a logical to physical translation table where the logical to physical translation table can include entries associating a logical block address with one or more data identifiers, where each data identifier is associated with a data string.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: James A. Fuxa, Lance W. Shelton, Justin C. Haggard
  • Publication number: 20110040926
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of protecting data using different size page stripes. The controller is configured to store data in FLASH memory devices in the form of page stripes, each page stripe comprising a plurality of pages of information, each page of information being stored in a different FLASH memory chip. The controller stores the data in a manner such that the pages making up each page stripe includes a plurality of data pages and at least one data protection page. In one implementation, the page stripes stored by the controller include a first page stripe having N data pages and one data protection page, and a second page stripe having M data pages and one data protection page, where N is an integer greater than three and M is an integer less than N.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Publication number: 20110040932
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for reduction of Read Disturb errors in a NAND FLASH memory system comprise a controller configured to organize FLASH memory devices into blocks, each block having a plurality of pages, and each page defining an individually addressable physical memory location. The controller is further configured to accumulate a Block READ Count corresponding to the number of times any pages in a first block of pages have been read since the first block was last erased. Once the READ count reaches a predetermined number, the controller responds to subsequent READ requests for pages within the first block by moving data associated with a requested page to a page in a second, different block without moving data associated with other pages in the first block, and modifying a logical-to-physical translation table to associate the moved data with the physical address of the page in the second block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: TEXAS MEMORY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, Charles J. Camp, Timothy J. Fisher, James A. Fuxa, Lance W. Shelton
  • Publication number: 20110040925
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of adapting to the failure of one or more FLASH memory devices in the memory system. The controller stores data in the form of page stripes, each page stripe composed of data pages, and each data page stored in a different FLASH memory device. The controller also detects failure of a FLASH memory device in which a data page of a particular page stripe is stored, reconstructs the data page, and stores the reconstructed data page in a new page stripe, where the number of data pages in the new page stripe is less than the number of data pages in the particular page stripe, and where no page of the new page stripe is stored in a memory location within the failed FLASH memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Patent number: 7856528
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of using variable size page stripes in the memory system. The controller is configured to store data such that each page stripe comprises a plurality of data pages, with each data page in the page stripe being stored in a different FLASH memory chip. The controller is also configured to maintain one or more buffers containing information reflecting blocks of memory within the FLASH memory chips that have been erased and are available for information storage, and to dynamically determine the number of data pages to be included in a page stripe based on the information in the one or more buffers such that a first page stripe and a second page strip can have different numbers of data pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, James A. Fuxa, Charles J. Camp
  • Patent number: 7818525
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for reduction of Read Disturb errors in a NAND FLASH memory system comprise a controller configured to organize FLASH memory devices into blocks, each block having a plurality of pages, and each page defining an individually addressable physical memory location. The controller is further configured to accumulate a Block READ Count corresponding to the number of times any pages in a first block of pages have been read since the first block was last erased. Once the READ count reaches a predetermined number, the controller responds to subsequent READ requests for pages within the first block by moving data associated with a requested page to a page in a second, different block without moving data associated with other pages in the first block, and modifying a logical-to-physical translation table to associate the moved data with the physical address of the page in the second block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Memory Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Holloway H. Frost, Charles J. Camp, Timothy J. Fisher, James A. Fuxa, Lance W. Shelton