Patents by Inventor Nigel Horspool

Nigel Horspool 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: 11966295
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for a Solid State Drive (SSD) to manage data in response to a power loss event, including writing data received from a host to a volatile storage of the SSD, detecting the power loss event before the data is written to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, storing the write commands to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, marking at least one storage location of the SSD associated with the write commands as uncorrectable, for example, after the power is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Steve Wells
  • Patent number: 11966605
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for managing superblocks, including a non-volatile storage including a superblock and a controller configured to notify a host of a size of the superblock to a host, determine a stream that aligns with the superblock, write data corresponding to the stream to the superblock, and determine that writing the data correspond to the stream has completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven Wells, Neil Buxton, Nigel Horspool, Mohinder Saluja, Paul Suhler
  • Publication number: 20230333774
    Abstract: A solid-state drive having an integrated circuit comprising a controller that is configured to determine, for data transferred between a host interface of the integrated circuit and nonvolatile semiconductor storage device interface of the integrated circuit, the availability of an internal buffer of the integrated circuit to transparently accumulate the transferred data, and (i) if the internal buffer is available, accumulate the data from target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in the internal buffer, or (ii) if the internal buffer is not available, accumulate the data unit from the target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in an external buffer communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the external buffer is external to the integrated circuit. The controller then provides the accumulated data to the respective interfaces to furnish a read or write request from the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Julien Margetts
  • Publication number: 20230305745
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for managing write commands to superblocks, including receiving, by a storage device from a host, a write command and a write data. The write command indicates that the write data is to be written to a first superblock of the storage device. The storage device determines the first superblock lacks sufficient capacity to store the write data. In response to determining that the first superblock lacks the sufficient capacity to store the write data, the storage device programs the write data to at least one of a reserved capacity of the first superblock or a second superblock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Steve Wells, Neil Buxton
  • Publication number: 20230289078
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for managing superblocks, including a non-volatile storage including a superblock and a controller configured to notify a host of a size of the superblock to a host, determine a stream that aligns with the superblock, write data corresponding to the stream to the superblock, and determine that writing the data correspond to the stream has completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Steven Wells, Neil Buxton, Nigel Horspool, Mohinder Saluja, Paul Suhler
  • Patent number: 11726704
    Abstract: A solid-state drive having an integrated circuit comprising a controller that is configured to determine, for data transferred between a host interface of the integrated circuit and nonvolatile semiconductor storage device interface of the integrated circuit, the availability of an internal buffer of the integrated circuit to transparently accumulate the transferred data, and (i) if the internal buffer is available, accumulate the data from target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in the internal buffer, or (ii) if the internal buffer is not available, accumulate the data unit from the target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in an external buffer communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the external buffer is external to the integrated circuit. The controller then provides the accumulated data to the respective interfaces to furnish a read or write request from the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Julien Margetts
  • Patent number: 11698753
    Abstract: A method performed by a controller of an SSD, the controller coupled to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device and comprising a first command queue (Q1) and a second command queue (Q2). The method comprises selecting from a submission queue at least one command from a host, the command relating to an action to be performed on the memory device. The method comprises determining if a number of in-flight commands received from the host via the submission queue and already present in Q1 exceeds a threshold. The method comprises adding the selected command to Q2 if the threshold is exceeded, otherwise adding the selected command to Q1. The method comprises processing a first command from Q1 and a second command from Q2 to perform a first action and a second action, respectively, on the memory device, the first action being completed in advance of the second action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Brian Clarke
  • Patent number: 11586734
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for protecting data stored on a Solid State Drive (SSD) against malware, including determining, by a controller of the SSD, a typical traffic profile, receiving, by the controller, commands from a host, and determining, by the controller, that the commands are likely caused by malware by determining that the commands deviate from the typical traffic profile. In response to determining the commands are likely caused by the malware, the controller performs a malware response action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Gary James Calder
  • Publication number: 20220291997
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for a Solid State Drive (SSD) to manage data in response to a power loss event, including writing data received from a host to a volatile storage of the SSD, detecting the power loss event before the data is written to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, storing the write commands to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, marking at least one storage location of the SSD associated with the write commands as uncorrectable, for example, after the power is restored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel HORSPOOL, Steve WELLS
  • Publication number: 20220261183
    Abstract: A method performed by a controller of an SSD, the controller coupled to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device and comprising a first command queue (Q1) and a second command queue (Q2). The method comprises selecting from a submission queue at least one command from a host, the command relating to an action to be performed on the memory device. The method comprises determining if a number of in-flight commands received from the host via the submission queue and already present in Q1 exceeds a threshold. The method comprises adding the selected command to Q2 if the threshold is exceeded, otherwise adding the selected command to Q1. The method comprises processing a first command from Q1 and a second command from Q2 to perform a first action and a second action, respectively, on the memory device, the first action being completed in advance of the second action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Brian Clarke
  • Patent number: 11347593
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for a Solid State Drive (SSD) to manage data in response to a power loss event, including writing data received from a host to a volatile storage of the SSD, detecting the power loss event before the data is written to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, storing the write commands to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, marking at least one storage location of the SSD associated with the write commands as uncorrectable, for example, after the power is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: KIOXIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Steve Wells
  • Publication number: 20210303199
    Abstract: A solid-state drive having an integrated circuit comprising a controller that is configured to determine, for data transferred between a host interface of the integrated circuit and nonvolatile semiconductor storage device interface of the integrated circuit, the availability of an internal buffer of the integrated circuit to transparently accumulate the transferred data, and (i) if the internal buffer is available, accumulate the data from target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in the internal buffer, or (ii) if the internal buffer is not available, accumulate the data unit from the target nonvolatile semiconductor storage devices or the host in an external buffer communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the external buffer is external to the integrated circuit. The controller then provides the accumulated data to the respective interfaces to furnish a read or write request from the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Julien Margetts
  • Publication number: 20210271757
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for protecting data stored on a Solid State Drive (SSD) against malware, including determining, by a controller of the SSD, a typical traffic profile, receiving, by the controller, commands from a host, and determining, by the controller, that the commands are likely caused by malware by determining that the commands deviate from the typical traffic profile. In response to determining the commands are likely caused by the malware, the controller performs a malware response action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Gary James Calder
  • Publication number: 20210011809
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for a Solid State Drive (SSD) to manage data in response to a power loss event, including writing data received from a host to a volatile storage of the SSD, detecting the power loss event before the data is written to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, storing the write commands to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, marking at least one storage location of the SSD associated with the write commands as uncorrectable, for example, after the power is restored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel HORSPOOL, Steve WELLS
  • Patent number: 10789130
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein relate to systems and methods for a Solid State Drive (SSD) to manage data in response to a power loss event, including writing data received from a host to a volatile storage of the SSD, detecting the power loss event before the data is written to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, storing the write commands to a non-volatile storage of the SSD, marking at least one storage location of the SSD associated with the write commands as uncorrectable, for example, after the power is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Steve Wells
  • Patent number: 6594283
    Abstract: A network communications device is arranged to have a fast throughput of data packets. This is achieved by recognising that, in protocols such as Ethernet, the first symbols in a data packet do not carry any data and therefore do not necessarily require to be properly carried through a communications hub. Rather, a known number of symbols are discarded from the start of a packet on receipt and replaced on re-transmission. This discarding reduces the reception delays particularly in bussed-architecture repeaters where bus arbitration must take place for each received packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: 3Com Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, David Law, Quang Tran, Patrick Overs
  • Patent number: 6538994
    Abstract: A data connection between two network stations such as an Ethernet hub and an end station which are both capable of exchanging data at the higher of two rates, the higher rate being selected by an auto-negotiation process, is monitored for the occurrence of error represented by a symbol representing the start of a data packet immediately followed by an idle symbol. The rate of occurrence of such errors is compared against a threshold and the speed of the data connection is downgraded to the lower rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: 3Com Technologies
    Inventors: Nigel Horspool, Paul J. Moran, David J. Law, Paul Cramphorn
  • Patent number: 6430192
    Abstract: A method of operating a repeater for a packet-based data transmission system wherein the repeater has a receiving port associated with a buffer whereby packets received at the port are temporarily stored before they are onwardly transmitted and wherein the repeater performs a contention resolution process such that if an attempted onward transmission of a packet is prevented by virtue of contention with a prior or an existing transmission, a subsequent attempt at transmission of that packet is delayed for a time which is likely to be substantially greater than a selected minimum time. The method includes examining a received packet to determine whether the packet is a multi-media packet, and giving the packet a higher priority in the contention resolution process such that if the packet is not transmitted onwardly owing to contention with a prior transmission, a fresh attempt at transmission of the packet is made on the expiry of the selected minimum time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: 3COM Technologies
    Inventors: Tadhg Creedon, David J. Law, Terence D. Lockyer, Nigel Horspool
  • Patent number: 6256318
    Abstract: The occurrence of collision and activity in a computer network is indicated by activation of a visual indication device. The device is activated for periods which are longer than the actual periods of collision and activity to permit the human eye to register the visual indications. This is particularly useful for high speed networks where the periods of collision and activity may be very brief.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: 3Com Corporation
    Inventors: Pauric O'Callaghan, Nigel Horspool, David Law, Justin Drummond-Murray, Nicholas Stapleton