Patents by Inventor Steven T. Sprouse

Steven T. Sprouse 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: 8773909
    Abstract: Various techniques for extending the capabilities of CAM NAND type memories are discussed. Multi-block or even full chip search operations can be performed. In addition to the inherent AND property of NAND strings, the memory array has an inherent OR property between NAND string from different blocks along the same bit line that can be exploited through multi-block CAM-type operations. To reduce data-dependent word line to word line effects, in multiple data dependent sensing operations, the sensing can be broken up into sub-operations that avoid data dependent values on adjacent word lines. To improve data protection, subsequent to writing a memory block with indices, the word lines are read back and compared bit-by-bit with their intended values and the results are accumulated to determine whether any of indices include error. A bloom filter can also be used as an initial check during data search operations in order to provide increased data protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140146609
    Abstract: In a nonvolatile memory array, such as a three-dimensional array of charge-storage memory cells, data is scrubbed according to a scheme which weights particular data that is exposed to potentially damaging voltages. Data that may cause damage to other data is moved to a location where such potential damage is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Inventors: Chris Nga Yee Avila, Yingda Dong, Alexander Kwok-Tung Mak, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Patent number: 8732391
    Abstract: In a nonvolatile memory array, blocks that contain only obsolete data are modified by adding charge to their cells, increasing the charge level from the programmed charge levels that represented obsolete data to elevated charge levels. The increase in overall charge in such blocks lessens the tendency of such blocks to impact data retention in neighboring blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Zac Shepard, Steven T. Sprouse, Chris Nga Yee Avila, Neil David Hutchison
  • Publication number: 20140136763
    Abstract: Various techniques for extending the capabilities of CAM NAND type memories are discussed. Multi-block or even full chip search operations can be performed. In addition to the inherent AND property of NAND strings, the memory array has an inherent OR property between NAND string from different blocks along the same bit line that can be exploited through multi-block CAM-type operations. To reduce data-dependent word line to word line effects, in multiple data dependent sensing operations, the sensing can be broken up into sub-operations that avoid data dependent values on adjacent word lines. To improve data protection, subsequent to writing a memory block with indices, the word lines are read back and compared bit-by-bit with their intended values and the results are accumulated to determine whether any of indices include error. A bloom filter can also be used as an initial check during data search operations in order to provide increased data protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140136764
    Abstract: Various techniques for extending the capabilities of CAM NAND type memories are discussed. Multi-block or even full chip search operations can be performed. In addition to the inherent AND property of NAND strings, the memory array has an inherent OR property between NAND string from different blocks along the same bit line that can be exploited through multi-block CAM-type operations. To reduce data-dependent word line to word line effects, in multiple data dependent sensing operations, the sensing can be broken up into sub-operations that avoid data dependent values on adjacent word lines. To improve data protection, subsequent to writing a memory block with indices, the word lines are read back and compared bit-by-bit with their intended values and the results are accumulated to determine whether any of indices include error. A bloom filter can also be used as an initial check during data search operations in order to provide increased data protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140136760
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host. This arrangement can be applied to de-duplication: for data sets stored in a primary data storage section, corresponding data keys can be generated and store in search NAND. A received key, rather from external to the system or internally generated, can then be compared against the search NAND.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Techologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140133237
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host. The system can be applied to perform a wide range of analytics on data sets loaded into the NAND array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li, Johann George
  • Publication number: 20140136761
    Abstract: A data analytic system allows for analytic operations be moved from a server on to a solid state drive (SSD) type analytic system, where a CAM NAND structure can be used in the analytic operations. The server can run a software using database language can issue command to the analytic system. On the data analytic system (that can interface with common, existing database language), the software commands are translated into firmware language and broken down into multiple small tasks. The small tasks are executed on the SSD flash controllers or on NAND flash according to the task specifications. The mid-product from the NAND flash or the SSD controllers can be merged within each SSD blade and also further merged on the top server level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, John R. Busch, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140133233
    Abstract: Various techniques for extending the capabilities of CAM NAND type memories are discussed. Multi-block or even full chip search operations can be performed. In addition to the inherent AND property of NAND strings, the memory array has an inherent OR property between NAND string from different blocks along the same bit line that can be exploited through multi-block CAM-type operations. To reduce data-dependent word line to word line effects, in multiple data dependent sensing operations, the sensing can be broken up into sub-operations that avoid data dependent values on adjacent word lines. To improve data protection, subsequent to writing a memory block with indices, the word lines are read back and compared bit-by-bit with their intended values and the results are accumulated to determine whether any of indices include error. A bloom filter can also be used as an initial check during data search operations in order to provide increased data protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Li, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140136759
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host. This arrangement can be applied to de-duplication: for data sets stored in a primary data storage section, corresponding data keys can be generated and store in search NAND. A received key, rather from external to the system or internally generated, can then be compared against the search NAND.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Techologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140133228
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140136758
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140136756
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140136757
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Publication number: 20140136762
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host. This arrangement can be applied to data search operations using bloom filters stored along bit lines of search matrix, where the search matrix can extend across large numbers of arrays. In the example of an internet search, the bloom filters are formed from key words associated with a website are stored along bit lines of the matrix and corresponding URLs are stored in primary storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Inventors: Yan Li, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Publication number: 20140115230
    Abstract: A NAND flash memory chip includes a first partition that has smaller memory cells, with smaller charge storage elements, and a second partition that has larger memory cells, with larger charge storage elements, in the same memory array. Data is selected for storage in the first or second partition according to characteristics, or expected characteristics, of the data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Nian Niles Yang, Chris Nga Yee Avila, Steven T. Sprouse
  • Patent number: 8688940
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein generally use a challenge to protect a removable mobile flash memory storage device, where the challenge may be in the form of a “Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart” (“CAPTCHA”). In one embodiment, a method is provided in which a removable mobile flash memory storage device receives a command from a host device, generates a CAPTCHA challenge, provides the CAPTCHA challenge to the host device, receives a response to the CAPTCHA challenge from the host device, determines if the response satisfies the CAPTCHA challenge, and performs the command only if the response satisfies the CAPTCHA challenge. In another embodiment, a removable mobile flash memory storage device is provided for performing these acts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Carlos J. Gonzalez, Ron Barzilai, Dhaval Parikh
  • Patent number: 8634247
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li
  • Patent number: 8634248
    Abstract: A NAND Flash based content addressable memory (CAM) is used for a key-value addressed storage drive. The device can use a standard transport protocol such as PCI-E, SAS, SATA, eMMC, SCSI, and so on. A host writes a key-value pair to the drive, where the drive writes the keys along bit lines of a CAM NAND portion of the drive and stores the value in the drive. The drive then maintains a table linking the keys to location of the value. In a read process, the host provides a key to drive, which then broadcasts down the word lines of blocks storing the keys. Based on any matching bit lines, the tables can then be used to retrieve and supply the corresponding data to the host. The system can be applied to perform a wide range of analytics on data sets loaded into the NAND array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Yan Li, Johann George
  • Publication number: 20130346805
    Abstract: A method and system have been described for counteracting and correcting for read disturb effects in blocks of flash memory. The method may include the step of a controller of the memory system performing a read scrub scan on only a portion of one targeted word line in a block at desired intervals. The controller may calculate whether a read scrub scan is necessary based on a probabilistic determination that is calculated in response to each received host read command. The controller may then place a block associated with the targeted word line into a refresh queue if a number of errors are detected in the targeted word line that meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold. The block refresh process may include copying the data from the block into a new block during a background operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: Steven T. Sprouse, Alexandra Bauche, Yichao Huang, Jian Chen, Jianmin Huang, Dana Lee