The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Jun. 11, 2002

Filed:

May. 26, 1999
Applicant:
Inventors:

Kazuhiko Bando, Tokyo, JP;

Shinji Hiratsuka, Tokyo, JP;

Assignee:
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G11C 2/900 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G11C 2/900 ;
Abstract

A storage device uses an inventive alternate processing method for accommodating defective sectors of the storage device. The storage device includes a host interface, an alternate process controller which controls the storage and transfer of user data in and among the components of the apparatus, a memory which has a user sector area, an alternate information area, and a spare sector area, and a buffer memory which may be a part of the controller. User data addressed to normal sectors of memory are stored directly in the user sector area. When user data is addressed to a defective sector, the controller performs alternate processing and temporarily stores the data in the buffer memory. A plurality of user data sectors stored in the buffer memory are then written by the controller at one time to the spare sector area of memory using address data in the alternate information area.


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