Patents by Inventor Gerard A. Kreifels

Gerard 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).

  • Patent number: 11442807
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20210141690
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 10949300
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 10901837
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20200073754
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 10496475
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20190129791
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 10176040
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20180314593
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 10067827
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20180004596
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory cell or cells are described. An error in stored data may be detected by an error correction code (ECC) operation during sensing of the memory cells used to store the data. The error may be indicated in hardware by generating a measurable signal on an output node. For example, the voltage at the output node may be changed from a first value to a second value. A device monitoring the output node may determine an error has occurred for a set of data based at least in part on the change in the signal at the output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Yihua Zhang, Paolo E. Mangalindan, Jianfei Lei, Andrew D. Proescholdt, Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20170286217
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods for ECC operation associated with memory. One example apparatus comprises a controller configured to perform an error correction code (ECC) operation on a codeword stored in the memory, wherein the codeword includes a first number of ECC bits and the first number of ECC bits are generated based on an encoding matrix, wherein each row of the encoding matrix has an odd number of bits having a binary value of 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels
  • Patent number: 8601202
    Abstract: Methods and systems to wear level a non-volatile memory device across partitions. In an embodiment, a memory device performs background operations to swap host addressable memory partitions with a spare memory partition outside of the host address space. In one embodiment, the background inter-partition wear leveling operations are appended to a user erase operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Melcher, Sean Eilert, Gerard Kreifels
  • Publication number: 20060282643
    Abstract: In high-density mode, data may be stored in consecutive byte blocks. In low-density mode, a codeword of memory space may have the capacity to store two bytes of data, but may be used to store only a single byte of data. In a multi-level cell architecture where two or more bits may be stored in a single cell, memory address translation circuitry (or other system component) may translate data to be stored in low-density mode. Memory address translation circuitry may adjust the bit ordering of data to be stored to compensate for the consequences of low-density mode. A single flash memory device may have data stored in one portion in low-density mode and data stored in another portion in high-density mode. Error correcting code (ECC) may be applied in high-density mode and not in low-density mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Publication date: December 14, 2006
    Inventors: Subramanyam Chandramouli, Gerard Kreifels, Bharat Pathak, Edward Babb
  • Patent number: 4891788
    Abstract: An almost full flag for a FIFO includes first and second counters for determining the proximity of the Read and Write pointers in the FIFO. A compare circuit is provided for comparing the output of the counters to determine when the count values are separated by a predetermined value. When the separation is equal to the predetermined value, the output of the comparitor goes low. A half flag is set when a Write operation occurs and the difference value between the Read and Write pointers increases. The set operation is performed in response to the presence of the compare signal at a low logic state at the time that the Write operation occurs, thus eliminating any delays in generating a transition in the compare circuit. The flag is reset when the compare signal is at the low logic state. Blanking circuitry is provided for blanking the reset operation when a Read operation occurs and the output of the comparator makes a transition from the first logic state to the second logic state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Inventor: Gerard A. Kreifels