Patents by Inventor Gerald A. KREIFELS

Gerald A. KREIFELS 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).

  • Sub-sector wear leveling in memories
    Patent number: 9747045
    Abstract: Methods of wear leveling in a memory, and memories configured to perform such methods, are useful in extending cycling endurance in memories. Such methods include transferring data from a first block of the memory to a second block of the memory, erasing the first block, transferring data from a third block of the memory to the first block, erasing the third block, transferring data from the second block to the third block, swapping logical addresses for the first block and the third block with each other, and erasing the second block. Transferring data from the third block to the first block excludes a sub-sector of the third block that is to be erased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Giovanni Fontana, Massimo Montanaro, Anthony R. Cabrera, Gerald A. Kreifels
  • SUB-SECTOR WEAR LEVELING IN MEMORIES
    Publication number: 20160062683
    Abstract: Methods of wear leveling in a memory, and memories configured to perform such methods, are useful in extending cycling endurance in memories. Such methods include transferring data from a first block of the memory to a second block of the memory, erasing the first block, transferring data from a third block of the memory to the first block, erasing the third block, transferring data from the second block to the third block, swapping logical addresses for the first block and the third block with each other, and erasing the second block. Transferring data from the third block to the first block excludes a sub-sector of the third block that is to be erased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Marco Giovanni Fontana, Massimo Montanaro, Anthony R. Cabrera, Gerald A. Kreifels
  • Sub-sector wear leveling in memories
    Patent number: 9195590
    Abstract: Methods and memories for wear leveling by sub-sectors of a block are provided. In one such method, data are transferred from a first block of the memory to a second block of the memory, excluding a sub-sector of the first block that is to be erased, logical addresses for the first block and the second block are swapped with each other, the first block is erased, data are transferred from a third block to the first block, logical addresses for the first block and the third block are swapped with each other, and the third block is erased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Giovanni Fontana, Massimo Montanaro, Anthony R. Cabrera, Gerald A. Kreifels
  • SUB-SECTOR WEAR LEVELING IN MEMORIES
    Publication number: 20150067232
    Abstract: Methods and memories for wear leveling by sub-sectors of a block are provided. In one such method, data are transferred from a first block of the memory to a second block of the memory, excluding a sub-sector of the first block that is to be erased, logical addresses for the first block and the second block are swapped with each other, the first block is erased, data are transferred from a third block to the first block, logical addresses for the first block and the third block are swapped with each other, and the third block is erased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Giovanni FONTANA, Massimo MONTANARO, Anthony R. CABRERA, Gerald A. KREIFELS