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.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 21, 2009
Filed:
Dec. 03, 2007
Alan David Bennett, Edinburgh, GB;
Sergey Anatolievich Gorobets, Edinburgh, GB;
Andrew Tomlin, San Jose, CA (US);
Charles Schroter, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Alan David Bennett, Edinburgh, GB;
Sergey Anatolievich Gorobets, Edinburgh, GB;
Andrew Tomlin, San Jose, CA (US);
Charles Schroter, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Sandisk Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
A re-programmable non-volatile memory system, such as a flash EEPROM system, having its memory cells grouped into blocks of cells that are simultaneously erasable is operated to perform memory system housekeeping operations in the foreground during execution of a host command, wherein the housekeeping operations are unrelated to execution of the host command. Both one or more such housekeeping operations and execution of the host command are performed within a time budget established for executing that particular command. One such command is to write data being received to the memory. One such housekeeping operation is to level out the wear of the individual blocks that accumulates through repetitive erasing and re-programming.