Sandisk Corporation

Waferscale Integration, Inc.

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Socket Communications, Inc.

Yoram Cedar

Yosi Pinto

Micky Holtzman

Kevin M Conley

Wesley G Brewer

Eli Harari

Michael Holtzman

Robert F Wallace

Reuven Elhamias

Takashi Torii

Arye Ziklik

Bob Wallace

Dan Auclair

Kosei Okamoto

Daniel C Guterman

Robert C Miller

Carlos J Gonzalez

Leonard L Ott

Kevin J Mills

Alexander Shubat

Michael Gifford

Aviad Zer

Charles Michael Schroter

Milton Lourenco Barrocas

Robert C Chang

Edwin J Cuellar

Alex Shubat

Yaron Slezak

John H Pasternak

Eric Bone

Syed Ali

Ching Lee

Ilan Wienner

Wes G Brewer

A removable electronic circuit card having both a memory module with a non-volatile mass storage memory and a separate input-output module so that data transfers may be made through the input-output module directly to and from the mass storage memory in a direct memory access (DMA) type transfer when the card is inserted into the host system but without having to pass the data through the host system. Once the host gives a DMA command, the data transfer is accomplished independently of the host system, except for the host supplying power and possibly a clock signal and other like support, during such a data transfer directly with card. The data for the transfer can be communicated between the input-output module and the exterior device through either wireless or an electrical connection means.

Combination non-volatile memory and input-output card with direct memory access

A data storage device includes one or more data paths through electrical contacts of the data storage device. The data paths are operably connected to allow bits to be transferred into and out of the data storage device. The data storage device stores an indication of a number of the one or more data paths in a configuration register. A method includes performing, while the data storage device is operatively coupled to a host device, receiving a command of the host device to read the configuration register and providing the indication via at least one of the one or more data paths. Providing the indication enables indicating to the host device the number of the one or more data paths.

Data storage device with host-accessible indicator

A memory card of one published standard, such as the Multi-Media Card (MMC) or Secure Digital Card (SD), is modified to include the function of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) according to another published standard. The controller of the memory card communicates between electrical contacts on the outside of the card and both the memory and the SIM. In one specific form, the memory card has the physical configuration of the current Plug-in SIM card with a few external contacts added to accommodate the memory controller and data memory. In another specific form, the memory card has the physical configuration of the current SD card, including external contacts.

Memory cards including a standard security function

A data storage device includes one or more electrical contacts and one or more data paths through the electrical contacts. The one or more electrical contacts enable bits to be transferred into and out of the data storage device via the one or more data paths. The data storage device also includes a memory that stores an indication of a number of the one or more data paths. The data storage device is configured to provide the indication via at least one of the one or more data paths while the data storage device is operatively coupled to a host device to indicate to the host device the number of the one or more data paths.

Enhanced data storage device

A flash memory card structure with an external contact structure according to a published standard, such as the USB standard, also includes a second data transmission path, such as a wireless one. A removable cap fits over the card to cover the external contacts when they are not being used as a memory data path. One of two or more different caps may be selected to be placed on the card in order to control operation of the second data transmission path, such as to select the distance of wireless transmission from one of two or more pre-set distances. Power to operate the memory card through the second path, when not connected to a host, may also be provided through the external contacts by including a battery in the caps.

Portable memory devices with removable caps that effect operation of the devices when attached

A method of transmitting a stream of data bits from a memory card to a host device includes determining, at the memory card, a first number of data lines between the memory card and the host device, from one to a plurality of data lines. If the first number of data lines is determined to be a plurality of data lines, the method includes switching, at the memory card, the data stream between one of the first number of data lines and another of the first number of data lines after each occurrence of a second number of one or more bits of the data stream having passed toward the host device. The method also includes, if the first number of data lines is determined to be one data line, transmitting, from the memory card, the stream of data bits over the one data line to the host device.

Enhanced data communication by a non-volatile memory card

A removable data storage device that intelligently operates as one large data storage region or as multiple, smaller data storage regions is disclosed. The removable data storage device can be used in not only modern electronic products (using 32-bit addressing) but also legacy products (using 16-bit addressing). A host device can couple to the removable storage device to access data stored in/to the removable storage device. As an example, the removable data storage device can be a memory card.

Memory card that supports file system interoperability

Two or more very small encapsulated electronic circuit cards to which data are read and written are removably inserted into two or more sockets of a host system that is wired to the sockets. According to one aspect of the disclosure, command and response signals are normally communicated between the host and the cards by a single circuit commonly connected between the host and all of the sockets but during initialization of the system a unique relative card address is confirmed to have been written into each card inserted into the sockets by connecting the command and status circuit to each socket one at a time in sequence. This is a fast and relatively simple way of setting card addresses upon initialization of such a system. According to a second aspect of the disclosure, the host adapts to transferring data between it and different cards of the system over at least two different number of the data lines commonly connected between the host and all of one or more sockets, each card permanently storing a host readable indication of the number of parallel data lines the card is capable of using. This allows increasing the rate of data transfer when the need justifies an increased card circuit complexity. According to a third aspect of the disclosure, a serial stream of data is sent over a number of data lines from one to many by alternately connecting bits of the stream to a particular number of individual lines.

Multiple removable non-volatile memory cards serially communicating with a host

A method of programming a non-volatile memory array using an on-chip write cache is disclosed. Individual data packets received by the memory system are stored in cache memory. More than one data packet may be stored in this way and then programmed to a single page of the non-volatile array. This results in more efficient use of storage space in the non-volatile array.

System and method for use of on-chip non-volatile memory write cache

A non-volatile memory device is provided with a controller and includes method that controls memory operations and to emulate the memory and communication characteristics of a legacy memory device. In this way, the memory device is compatible with a host that was originally designed to operate the legacy memory device. In particular, the controller performs the emulation to the host taking into account differences such as multibit memory, error correction requirement, memory support of overwrites, and erasable block sizes.

Method for adapting a memory system to operate with a legacy host originally designed to operate with a different memory system

Memory system for legacy hosts

Very small non-volatile memory cards are modified to include a connector to which a connector on a separate data input-output card electrically and mechanically mates when pushed together. The input-output card transfers data directly between an external device and the non-volatile memory, without having to go through the host to which the memory card is connected. The input-output card communicates with the external device through a wired or a wireless communication channel.

Cooperative interconnection and operation of a non-volatile memory card and an input-output card

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Yoram Cedar