Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Matrix Semiconductor, Inc.

Richard Matthew Fruin

Christopher S Moore

Samuel Yu

Chia Yang

Kyle Loudon

One-time programmable (OTP) and write-once read-many (WORM) memory devices and methods for use therewith are provided. These embodiments can be used to provide compatibility between a memory device that uses an OTP (or few-time programmable (FTP)) memory array and host devices that use a file system, such as the DOS FAT file system, that expects to be able to rewrite to a memory address in the memory device. These embodiments can also be used to prevent accidental or deliberate overwrites, changes, or deletions to existing data in a WORM memory device.

Method and memory device that powers-up in a read-only mode and is switchable to a read/write mode

Memory device operable in read-only and write-once, read-many (WORM) modes of operation

The preferred embodiments described herein provide various data allocation and error recovery methods that allow data to be written to a write-once memory array using a write-many file system. Other preferred embodiments described herein relate to methods for generating a set of valid file system structures. The various preferred embodiments can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Method for storing data in a write-once memory array using a write-many file system

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Richard Matthew Fruin