OCZ Technology Patent Grants

Non-volatile memory-based mass storage devices and methods for writing data thereto

Granted: April 8, 2014
Patent Number: 8694754
A non-volatile solid state memory-based mass storage device having at least one non-volatile memory component and methods of operating the storage device. In one aspect of the invention, the one or more memory components define a memory space partitioned into user memory and over-provisioning pools based on a P/E cycle count stored in a block information record. The storage device transfers the P/E cycle count of erased blocks to a host and the host stores the P/E cycle count in a…

PCIe bus extension system, method and interfaces therefor

Granted: April 8, 2014
Patent Number: 8693208
A PCIe bus extension system, method, interface card and cable for connecting a PCIe-compliant peripheral device to a PCIe bus of a computer system. The interface card includes a printed circuit board, an edge connector adapted for insertion into a PCIe expansion slot on a motherboard of the computer system for transmitting PCIe signals between the motherboard and the interface card, an interface port configured to mate with a connector of the cable, and a logic integrated circuit on the…

Computer system and processing method utilizing graphics processing unit with ECC and non-ECC memory switching capability

Granted: April 8, 2014
Patent Number: 8692836
Computer systems and methods that utilize a GPU whose operation is able to switch between ECC and non-ECC memory operations on demand. The computer system includes a graphics processing unit and a memory controller and local memory that are functionally integrated with the graphics processing unit. The memory controller has at least two operating modes comprising a first memory access mode that uses error checking and correction when accessing the local memory, and a second memory access…

Controller for solid state disk which controls access to memory bank

Granted: December 3, 2013
Patent Number: 8601200
A controller for a solid state disk is provided. The controller includes a storage module to store an index of at least one idle bank among a plurality of memory banks, and a control module to control an access to the at least one idle bank using the stored index. Here, the access to the at least one idle bank may be controlled based on a state of a channel corresponding to each of the at least one idle bank.

Memory system and method for generating and transferring parity information

Granted: October 22, 2013
Patent Number: 8566669
A memory system and method for generating and transferring parity information within burst transactions of burst read and write transfers and without dedicated parity chips or parity data lines.

Device and method of controlling flash memory

Granted: October 8, 2013
Patent Number: 8554986
Disclosed is a flash memory controlling method and controlling device. The flash memory controlling method including calculating a cost for each of available block recycling schemes based on a multi-block erase function when the multi-block erase function is supported, the multi-block erase function being a function that simultaneously erases data stored in a plurality of blocks of a flash memory and selecting at least one scheme from among the available block recycling schemes based on…

Mass storage device with solid-state memory components capable of increased endurance

Granted: July 16, 2013
Patent Number: 8488377
A mass storage device that utilizes one or more solid-state memory components to store data for a host system, and a method for increasing the write endurance of the memory components. The memory components are periodically heated above an intrinsic operating temperature thereof to a preselected temperature that is sufficient to thermally recondition the memory component in a manner that increases the write endurance of the memory component.

Solid-state mass storage device and method for failure anticipation

Granted: July 16, 2013
Patent Number: 8489966
A solid-state mass storage device and method of operating the storage device to anticipate the failure of at least one memory device thereof before a write endurance limitation is reached. The method includes assigning at least a first memory block of the memory device as a wear indicator that is excluded from use as data storage, using pages of at least a set of memory blocks of the memory device for data storage, writing data to and erasing data from each memory block of the set in…

NAND flash-based solid state drive and method of operation

Granted: July 16, 2013
Patent Number: 8489855
A solid state drive that uses over-provisioning of NAND flash memory blocks as part of housekeeping functionality, including deduplication and coalescence of data for efficient usage of NAND flash memory devices and maintaining sufficient numbers of erased blocks to promote write performance.

Flash memory device and method of operation

Granted: July 16, 2013
Patent Number: 8488389
A NAND flash memory device and method of erasing memory cells thereof, wherein each cell is only subjected to the level of erase voltage needed to restore its nominal “erased” state. Each memory cell of the NAND flash memory device comprises a floating gate, a control gate connected to a wordline and receives a control voltage therefrom to induce a programming charge on the floating gate, and a bitline adapted to apply an erase voltage to deplete the floating gate of the programming…

Computer system with backup function and method therefor

Granted: June 11, 2013
Patent Number: 8464106
A solid-state mass storage device and method of anticipating a failure of the mass storage device resulting from a memory device of the mass storage device reaching a write endurance limit. A procedure is then initiated to back up data to a second mass storage device prior to failure. The method includes assigning at least a first memory block of the memory device as a wear indicator, using other memory blocks of the memory device as data blocks for data storage, performing program/erase…

Non-volatile storage devices, methods of addressing, and control logic therefor

Granted: June 11, 2013
Patent Number: 8463979
Non-volatile storage devices and methods capable of achieving large capacity solid state drives containing multiple banks of memory devices. The storage devices include a printed circuit board, at least two banks of non-volatile solid-state memory devices, bank switching circuitry, a connector, and a memory controller. The bank switching circuitry is integrated onto the memory controller and functionally interposed between the banks of memory devices and the front end of the memory…

Modular mass storage system and method therefor

Granted: May 21, 2013
Patent Number: 8446729
A modular mass storage system and method that enables cableless mounting of ATA and/or similar high speed interface-based mass storage devices in a computer system. The system includes a printed circuit board, a system expansion slot interface on the printed circuit board and comprising power and data pins, a host bus controller on the printed circuit board and electrically connected to the system expansion slot interface, docking connectors connected with the host bus controller to…

Method and apparatus for reducing write cycles in NAND-based flash memory devices

Granted: February 12, 2013
Patent Number: 8375162
A NAND-based flash memory device and a method of its operation that extends the life of the device by reducing the number of unnecessary write cycles to the device. The memory device includes blocks, pages contained by each of the blocks, and a page abstraction layer containing a look-up table for translating logical page numbers into physical page numbers. A certain number of the pages in at least one of the blocks is preferably reserved so as not to be used in default data storage mode…

Mass storage device and method for offline background scrubbing of solid-state memory devices

Granted: February 5, 2013
Patent Number: 8370720
A solid-state mass storage device and method for its operation that includes performing preemptive scrubbing of data during offline periods or disconnects from a host system to which the mass storage device is attached. The device includes a system interface adapted to connect the drive to a host system, at least one nonvolatile memory device, controller means through which data pass when being written to and read from the memory device, a volatile memory cache, a system logic device,…

Optical memory device and method therefor

Granted: December 18, 2012
Patent Number: 8335099
A nonvolatile memory device and method using phase changes in a substrate to alter optical properties of the substrate for the purpose of data storage. The memory device includes a substrate containing a phase change material having phases comprising amorphous and crystalline phases. The phase change material has optical properties that change depending on whether the phase change material is in the amorphous phase or the crystalline phase. The memory device is further equipped with one…

High performance solid-state drives and methods therefor

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8331123
A nonvolatile storage device adapted for use with computers, workstations and other processing apparatuses. The storage device includes a printed circuit board, a nonvolatile memory array comprising at least two sub-arrays that contain nonvolatile solid-state memory devices, and control circuitry for interfacing with the processing apparatus. The control circuitry includes an abstraction layer and at least two memory control units configured to communicate data, address and control…

Method for optimizing memory modules for user-specific environments

Granted: November 13, 2012
Patent Number: 8312444
A method for altering and preferably optimizing the performance of system memory of a computer system. The method includes identifying the motherboard and the memory module of the computer system, and then searching multiple SPD update files associated with multiple motherboards and containing data corresponding to physical and operational characteristics of multiple memory modules. From these SPD update files, a compatible SPD update file is identified that is compatible with the…

Mass storage device for a computer system and method therefor

Granted: November 13, 2012
Patent Number: 8310836
A method and mass storage device that combine multiple solid state drives (SSDs) to a single volume. The device includes a carrier board and at least two solid state drives having power and data connections to the carrier board. The carrier board includes a circuit board functionally connected to a control logic and at least two secondary connectors that are disposed at different edges of the circuit board and functionally connected to the control logic. The solid state drives are…

Method of increasing DDR memory bandwidth in DDR SDRAM modules

Granted: April 3, 2012
Patent Number: 8151030
The present invention provides a method of increasing DDR memory bandwidth in DDR SDRAM modules. DDR memory has an inherent feature called the Variable Early Read command, where the read command is issued one CAS latency before the termination of an ongoing data burst By using the Variable Early Read command the effect of the CAS latency is minimized in terms of the effect on bandwidth. The enhanced bandwidth technology achieved with this invention optimizes the remaining two access…