Patents by Inventor Steven Michael Kientz

Steven Michael Kientz 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: 20220066639
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to perform operations comprising opening a block family associated with the memory device; initialize a timer associated with the block family; assigning a plurality of cursors to the block family; responsive to programming a first block associated with a first cursor of the memory device, associating the first block with the block family; responsive to programming a second block associated with a second cursor of the memory device, associating the second block with the block family; and responsive to detecting expiration of the timer, closing the block family.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Peter Feeley, Larry J. Koudele, Shane Nowell, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20220057935
    Abstract: A system comprising a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is to perform operations including initializing a block family associated with the memory device and measuring an opening temperature of the memory device at initialization of the block family. Responsive to programming a page residing on the memory device, the operations further include associating the page with the block family. The operations further include determining a temperature metric value by integrating, over time, an absolute temperature difference between the opening temperature and an immediate temperature of the memory device. The operations further include closing the block family in response to the temperature metric value being greater than or equal to a specified threshold temperature value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20220059181
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system including a memory device having a plurality of physical cells and a processing device, operatively coupled with the memory device, to perform operations that include selecting, responsive to detecting a power event, a subset of a plurality of memory cells of the memory device, the memory device being characterized by auxiliary read metadata identifying one or more read offsets for each of the plurality of memory cells, the one or more read offsets representing corrections to read signals applied to the respective memory cell during a read operation. The operations further include performing one or more diagnostic read operations for each of the subset of the plurality of memory cells of the memory device and modifying the auxiliary read metadata by updating the one or more read offsets for at least some of the plurality of memory cells of the memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20220059179
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system that comprises a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled with the memory device, to perform operations that include, responsive to detecting a triggering event, selecting a family of memory blocks of the memory device, the selected family being associated with a set of bins, each bin associated with a plurality of read voltage offsets to be applied to base read voltages during read operations. The operations performed by the processing device further include calibration operations to determine data state metric values characterizing application of read voltage offsets of various bins. The operations performed by the processing device further include identifying, based on the determined data state metrics, a target bin and associating the selected family with the target bin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20220057934
    Abstract: A includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is to: initialize a block family associated with the memory device; initialize a timer at initialization of the block family; and aggregate temperature values received from sensor(s) of the memory device over time to generate an aggregate temperature. Responsive to programming a page residing on the memory device, the processing device associates the page with the block family. The processing device closes the block family in response to the aggregate temperature being greater than a first temperature value and the timer reaching a first time value. The processing device closes the block family in response to the aggregate temperature being less than or equal to the first temperature value and the timer reaching a second time value that is greater than the first time value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Larry J. Koudele, Bruce A. Liikanen, Steven Michael Kientz, Kishore Kumar Muchherla
  • Publication number: 20220050777
    Abstract: A system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is to perform operations including detecting a voltage of a power source for the memory device has dropped below a threshold voltage indicative of an imminent power loss and writing data to the memory device in response to the detecting. The operations further include measuring a characteristic of the data in response to detecting a power on of the memory device; determining an estimated amount of time for which the memory device was powered off based on results of the measuring; and in response to the estimated amount of time satisfying a first threshold criterion, updating a value for a temporal voltage shift of a block family of programmed data based on the estimated amount of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Bruce A. Liikanen, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Patent number: 11231863
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to initialize a block family associated with a memory device; initialize a timeout associated with the block family; initializing a low temperature and a high temperature using a reference temperature at the memory device; responsive to programming a block residing on the memory device, associate the block with the block family; and responsive to at least one of: detecting expiration of the timeout or determining that a difference between the high temperature and the low temperature is greater than or equal to a specified threshold temperature value, close the block family.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Bruce A. Liikanen, Peter Feeley, Larry J. Koudele, Shane Nowell, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Patent number: 11217320
    Abstract: A system includes a memory device having a plurality of dice and A processing device to perform operations, including determining a representative number of program-erase cycles performed across the plurality of dice. The operations further include tracking the representative number of program-erase cycles over time. The operations further include, in response to the representative number of program-erase cycles satisfying a first threshold criterion, adding an additional threshold voltage offset bin to a plurality of threshold voltage offset bins for the memory device, wherein each of the plurality of threshold voltage offset bins comprises a corresponding window of time after program of data to the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20210191617
    Abstract: An example memory sub-system includes a memory device and a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to initialize a block family associated with a memory device; initialize a timeout associated with the block family; initializing a low temperature and a high temperature using a reference temperature at the memory device; responsive to programming a block residing on the memory device, associate the block with the block family; and responsive to at least one of: detecting expiration of the timeout or determining that a difference between the high temperature and the low temperature is greater than or equal to a specified threshold temperature value, close the block family.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Michael Sheperek, Kishore Kumar Muchherla, Mustafa N. Kaynak, Vamsi Pavan Rayaprolu, Bruce A. Liikanen, Peter Feeley, Larry J. Koudele, Shane Nowell, Steven Michael Kientz
  • Publication number: 20120212846
    Abstract: A method of calibrating a servo reader and a read/write head for a data storage tape machine that reads and writes data to a data storage tape. The data storage tape has a servo pattern that is recorded on the tape in a known location. The servo pattern is used to provide precise position information for the data storage tape. According to the method, data is recorded on the data storage tape and the location of the data storage track is read. The location of the data storage tape is compared to the known location of the servo pattern to establish a reader offset value. The data storage tape machine is updated based upon the reader offset value to adjust the position of the read/write head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz, Keith Gary Boyer, Matthew K. Tucker
  • Patent number: 7697229
    Abstract: A tape drive system for a tape cartridge including a tape and wireless identification tag may read information from the wireless identification tag and write the information to the tape. The tape drive system may toggle a bit stored on the wireless identification tag to indicate that the information has been written to the tape. The information may include tape initialization information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz, Matthew P. Wojciechowski
  • Publication number: 20090316287
    Abstract: A tape drive system for a tape cartridge including a tape and wireless identification tag may read information from the wireless identification tag and write the information to the tape. The tape drive system may toggle a bit stored on the wireless identification tag to indicate that the information has been written to the tape. The information may include tape initialization information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz, Matthew P. Wojciechowski
  • Patent number: 7227721
    Abstract: A method and system for transmitting tape cartridge information using a bi-axial tape cartridge antenna design. A contactless tape cartridge memory device is provided in which the memory device is accessible from multiple surfaces of the cartridge. A single flexible antenna surrounds the tape cartridge memory device. The antenna may be bent to fit within the corner of the tape cartridge, thus providing a parallel antenna surface to two locations on the cartridge, such as the front of the cartridge and the side or bottom of the cartridge. As a result, the memory device in the tape cartridge may be read when the cartridge is being inserted into the tape drive as well as while the cartridge is stored within the tape drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz, Michael S. Wagner, Matthew P. Wojciechowski
  • Patent number: 7085091
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing tape media edge damage in data regions. The present invention controls where popped strand occur by shifting the wrap turn around/stream points in the tape media to an unused region of tape. As data is written for the length of the tape, when a wrap turn around point is reached, the write current is shut off. However, the servo motors in the tape drive continue to stream the tape for a predefined distance past the turn around point. The head may then be moved transversely to acquire a new track. The tape may then be spooled in the reverse direction on the new track. When a wrap point is encountered, the write current may be turned on and the next track (wrap) may be written. This combination of steps may be repeated for each serpentine wrap on the tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Steven Michael Kientz
  • Patent number: 6934115
    Abstract: A timing based servo alignment system that uses a set of band identification marks to determine which data band is being currently read. The system uses a read module having a plurality of band identification read elements. The band identification read elements are placed on the read module such that each band identification read element is aligned only to the band identification marks when a corresponding data band is aligned to the data read element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Michael Kientz, David Lyle Peterson