Patents by Inventor Frank W. Tsai

Frank W. Tsai 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).

  • Patent number: 8711625
    Abstract: Column based defect management techniques are presented. Each column of the memory has an associated isolation latch or register whose value indicates whether the column is defective, but in addition to this information, for columns marked as defective, additional information is used to indicate whether the column as a whole is to be treated as defective, or whether just individual bits of the column are defective. The defective elements can then be re-mapped to a redundant element at either the appropriate bit or column level based on the data. When a column is bad, but only on the bit level, the good bits can still be used for data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, Kwang-Ho Kim, Frank W. Tsai, Aldo Bottelli
  • Publication number: 20120297245
    Abstract: Column based defect management techniques are presented. Each column of the memory has an associated isolation latch or register whose value indicates whether the column is defective, but in addition to this information, for columns marked as defective, additional information is used to indicate whether the column as a whole is to be treated as defective, or whether just individual bits of the column are defective. The defective elements can then be re-mapped to a redundant element at either the appropriate bit or column level based on the data. When a column is bad, but only on the bit level, the good bits can still be used for data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Yan Li, Kwang-ho Kim, Frank W. Tsai, Aldo Bottelli
  • Publication number: 20110002169
    Abstract: Column based defect management techniques are presented. Each column of the memory has an associated isolation latch or register whose value indicates whether the column is defective, but in addition to this information, for columns marked as defective, additional information is used to indicate whether the column as a whole is to be treated as defective, or whether just individual bits of the column are defective. The defective elements can then be re-mapped to a redundant element at either the appropriate bit or column level based on the data. When a column is bad, but only on the bit level, the good bits can still be used for data, although this may be done at a penalty of under programming for some bits, as is described further below. A self contained Built In Self Test (BIST) flow constructed to collect the bit information through a set of column tests is also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventors: Yan Li, Kwang-ho Kim, Frank W. Tsai, Aldo Bottelli
  • Patent number: 5394837
    Abstract: A furnace comprising a lower radiant section and an upper convection section, the lower section having associated fuel burners; generally vertically extending first tubular structure suspended in the first section; second tubular structure extending generally horizontally relative to the first section and suspending the first tubular structure; and grid structure extending generally horizontally and supporting the second tubular structure; whereby hot combustion gases produced by the burners flow upwardly in the first section and past the first and second tubular structure and the grid structure to the upper convection section; and the second tubular structures and/or the grid structure are cooled by circulation of fluids therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Inventors: Frank W. Tsai, Paul A. Bock
  • Patent number: 5107921
    Abstract: Heat exchanger apparatus for quenching hot hydrocarbon fluid feeds, of different compositions, so as to minimize coking including a shell, and baffle structure in the shell, defining spaced first and second chambers and primary inlet and outlet ports to flow the fluid to and from the shell via the two chambers, the shell and baffle structure also defining a third chamber between the first and second chambers, with secondary inlet and outlet ports communicating with the third chamber to flow quench fluid to and from the third chamber, and pipes of different bore sizes extending through the third chamber, and communicating between the first and second chambers, for passing the hydrocarbon fluid in a selected path or paths via the pipes and first and second chambers, in flowing between the primary inlet and outlet ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai
  • Patent number: 5057010
    Abstract: A method of operating an industrial furnace, the steps that include providing a process heating zone containing heat exchange tubing for flowing process fluid through the zone; providing first and second fuel combustion zones, and first and second heat regeneration zones; during a first time interval flowing a first stream of air through the first regeneration zone to be preheated therein, flowing the preheated air stream to the first combustion zone to support combustion of fuel therein producing a flame and hot combustion gases, transferring heat from the flame and the hot gases to the heat exchange tubing in the process heating zone, and then flowing the hot gases to the second heat regeneration zone for extracting heat from the gases at the second regeneration zone; and during a second time interval flowing a second stream of air through the second regeneration zone to be preheated therein, flowing the second preheated air stream to the second combustion zone to support combustion of fuel therein producin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai
  • Patent number: 5005530
    Abstract: The method of combining two furnaces into one, each furnace having a lower radiant section that includes upright walls and horizontal heat exchanger tubes, and an upper convection section, the lower section having associated fuel burners, including removing the horizontal heat exchanger tubes from the lower section; extending the lower section upright walls vertically upwardly, and providing space between the vertically extended lower sections; providing top walls over the vertically extended lower sections, and providing vertically extending heat exchanger tubing and suspending the tubing vertically within the vertically extended lower radiant sections, to be heated by hot gases produced by combustion of fuel supplied via the burners; and providing and locating an upright convection section of the furnace in flow receiving communication with the lower sections via lateral passages therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai
  • Patent number: 4879020
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon converter furnace has an upper convection heating zone and a lower radiant heating zone, and tubing extends in those zones to convey a fluid hydrocarbon feed and steam in sequence through the convection and radiant heating zones. The tubing includes a feed section and branches therefrom in the radiant section of the furnace, the feed section and branches arranged so that the hydrocarbon and steam flow from the feed section to said branches; also provided is valving for controlling the relative rates of flow in the branches to reduce differential coking in the branches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1989
    Assignee: Kinetics Technology International
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai
  • Patent number: 4792436
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon converter furnace has an upper convection heating zone and a lower radiant heating zone, and tubing extends in those zones to convey a fluid hydrocarbon feed and steam in sequence through the convection and radiant heating zones. The tubing includes a feed section and branches therefrom in the radiant section of the furnace, the feed section and branches arranged so that the hydrocarbon and steam flow from the feed section to said branches; also provided is valving for controlling the relative rates of flow in the branches to reduce differential coking in the branches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Assignee: Kinetics Technology International
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai