Patents by Inventor Bobby Ray Southerland

Bobby Ray Southerland 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: 20170249155
    Abstract: A memory system and method for fast firmware download are provided. In one embodiment, a memory system is presented comprising non-volatile memory, volatile memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a boot loader and firmware; store the boot loader and firmware in the volatile memory; execute the boot loader, wherein executing the boot loader causes the controller to read the firmware from the volatile memory, decompress the firmware, and store the decompressed firmware in the volatile memory; and copy the compressed firmware from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory. Other embodiments are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Kapil Sundrani, Jameer Babasaheb Mulani, Bobby Ray Southerland
  • Patent number: 9170941
    Abstract: A storage system, and a method of data hardening in the storage system, including: a de-glitch module configured for a detection of a power failure event; a write page module, coupled to the de-glitch module, the write page module configured for an execution of a cache write command based on the power failure event to send a cache page from a cache memory to a storage channel controller, wherein the cache memory is a volatile memory; and a signal empty module, coupled to the write page module, the signal empty module configured for a generation of a sleep signal to shut down a host bus adapter, wherein the host bus adapter interfaces with the storage channel controller to write the cache page back to the cache memory upon a power up of the host bus adapter and the storage channel controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: SANDISK ENTERPRISES IP LLC
    Inventors: Robert W. Ellis, Lace J. Herman, Bobby Ray Southerland
  • Publication number: 20140304454
    Abstract: A storage system, and a method of data hardening in the storage system, including: a de-glitch module configured for a detection of a power failure event; a write page module, coupled to the de-glitch module, the write page module configured for an execution of a cache write command based on the power failure event to send a cache page from a cache memory to a storage channel controller, wherein the cache memory is a volatile memory; and a signal empty module, coupled to the write page module, the signal empty module configured for a generation of a sleep signal to shut down a host bus adapter, wherein the host bus adapter interfaces with the storage channel controller to write the cache page back to the cache memory upon a power up of the host bus adapter and the storage channel controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Enterprise IP LLC
    Inventors: Robert W. Ellis, Lace J. Herman, Bobby Ray Southerland
  • Patent number: 7904750
    Abstract: A system and method identifies and masks physical sectors where the errors encountered during the defect scan exceed a predetermined level. This avoids the need to read and process all the data written to an individual sector during the initial defect scan. This method first writes a predetermined pattern such as a 2-T pattern to the magnetic media available for user data. This written pattern is then read. As the pattern is read, an error result increments or decrements a counter based on the error. The counter reaching a predetermined level signifies that there are too many errors in this physical sector. This sector may then be added to the primary defect list and masked out without reading the remaining written pattern within the sector. This will result significant time savings as physical sectors containing multiple errors are identified without process all the information written to the physical sector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Bobby Ray Southerland, John P. Mead
  • Publication number: 20080010509
    Abstract: A system and method identifies and masks physical sectors where the errors encountered during the defect scan exceed a predetermined level. This avoids the need to read and process all the data written to an individual sector during the initial defect scan. This method first writes a predetermined pattern such as a 2-T pattern to the magnetic media available for user data. This written pattern is then read. As the pattern is read, an error result increments or decrements a counter based on the error. The counter reaching a predetermined level signifies that there are too many errors in this physical sector. This sector may then be added to the primary defect list and masked out without reading the remaining written pattern within the sector. This will result significant time savings as physical sectors containing multiple errors are identified without process all the information written to the physical sector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Bobby Ray Southerland, John P. Mead
  • Patent number: 6332207
    Abstract: An apparatus for correcting read errors in a disk drive is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes circuitry for determining that an undesired distortion exists in a data signal read from a surface of a data storage disk; circuitry for finding an approximate starting location of said distortion within said data signal; and, circuitry for correcting errors in said data signal caused by said undesired distortion using said approximate starting location of said distortion. A method for correcting read errors in a disk drive is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Bobby Ray Southerland, Jin-Hong Hsueh, Lace J. Herman, John C. Purkett
  • Patent number: 6147827
    Abstract: An apparatus for correcting read errors in a disk drive is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes circuitry for determining that an undesired distortion exists in a data signal read from a surface of a data storage disk; circuitry for finding an approximate starting location of said distortion within said data signal; and, circuitry for correcting errors in said data signal caused by said undesired distortion using said approximate starting location of said distortion. A method for correcting read errors in a disk drive is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Bobby Ray Southerland, Jin-Hong Hsueh, Lace J. Herman, John C. Purkett
  • Patent number: 6084734
    Abstract: An apparatus for correcting read errors in a disk drive is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes circuitry for determining that an undesired distortion exists in a data signal read from a surface of a data storage disk; circuitry for finding an approximate starting location of said distortion within said data signal; and, circuitry for correcting errors in said data signal caused by said undesired distortion using said approximate starting location of said distortion. A method for correcting read errors in a disk drive is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Bobby Ray Southerland, Jin-Hong Hsueh, Lace J. Herman, John C. Purkett