Sony Assigned Eleven Patents

Storage control
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,203,262) developed by Yokoyama, Masayuki, Tokyo, Japan, for a “storage control apparatus and storage control method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Power generating elements output electromotive force. A path switching unit switches a path for connecting arbitrary power generating elements among the power generating elements. A voltage converting unit is a DC-DC converter that converts voltage levels of outputs of some of the power generating elements. A path switching control unit controls the path switching unit such that a set of power generating elements where a sum of maximum power point voltages falls within a range of an appropriate charging voltage of a storage element is connected to a short-circuit path and the other power generating elements are connected to a transformation path. A voltage conversion control unit controls a transformation rate of voltage conversion in the voltage converting unit such that a voltage in the transformation path and a voltage in the short-circuit path become equal to each other.“

The patent application was filed on November 9, 2010 (13/505,969).

Storage controlling
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,202,563) developed by Fujinami, Yasushi, Adachi, Naohiro, Ishii, Ken, Tokyo, Japan, Okubo, Hideaki, Saitama, Japan, Tsutsui, Keiichi, Kanagawa, Japan, Nakanishi, Kenichi, and Shinbashi, Tatsuo, Tokyo, Japan, for a “storage controlling apparatus, storage apparatus and processing method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage controlling apparatus includes a command decoder and command processing section. The command decoder decides whether or not a plurality of access object addresses of different commands included in a command string correspond to words different from each other in a same one of blocks of a memory cell array which have a common plate. The command processing section collectively and successively executes, when it is decided that the access object addresses of the commands correspond to the words different from each other in the same block of the memory cell array, those of operations in processing of the commands in which an equal voltage is applied as a drive voltage between the plate and a bit line.“

The patent application was filed on April 2, 2013 (13/855,155).

Magnetic storage element and magnetic memory
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,196,824) developed by Yamane, Kuzutaka, Kanagawa, Japan, Hosomi, Masanori, Tokyo, Japan, Ohmori, Hiroyuki, Bessho, Kazuhiro, Higo, Yutaka, and Uchida, Hiroyuki, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic storage element and magnetic memory.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A magnetic storage element including a recording layer and a heat generator. The recording layer has a magnetization direction that is configured to change via spin injection so that information can be recorded. The heat generator is positioned to heat the recording layer. The recording layer comprises,(i) cobalt and iron and, (ii) a non-magnetic element or a non-magnetic element and an oxide.“

The patent application was filed on April 18, 2014 (14/256,413).

Storage cell, storage device, and magnetic head
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,196,336) developed by YUchida, Hiroyuki, Kanagawa, Japan, Hosomi, Masanori, Tokyo, Japan, Ohmori, Hiroyuki, Bessho, Kazuhiro, Higo, Yutaka, Kanagawa, Japan, Asayama, Tetsuya, Tokyo, Japan, and Yamane, Kazutaka, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “storage cell, storage device, and magnetic head.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Provided is a storage cell that makes it possible to enhance magnetic characteristics of magnetization pinned layer, a storage device and a magnetic head that include the storage cell. The storage cell includes a layer structure including a base layer, a storage layer in which a direction of magnetization is varied in correspondence with information, a magnetization pinned layer that is formed above the base layer and has magnetization that is perpendicular to a film surface and serves as a reference of information stored in the storage layer, and an intermediate layer that is provided between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer and is made of a nonmagnetic body. The base layer has a laminated structure of ruthenium and a nonmagnetic body having a face-centered cubic lattice, and the ruthenium is formed at a location adjacent to the magnetization pinned layer.“

The patent application was filed on August 22, 2013 (14/430,478).

Storage device and system
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,183,132) developed by Nishihara, Toshiyuki, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “storage device, computer system, and storage system.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage device enabling realization of a new storage configuration enabling apparent elimination of the overhead and enabling high speed access all the time particularly when constructing a high parallel configured high speed flash memory system, that is, a storage device having a flash memory as a main storage and having the function of rewriting at least a partial region of the flash memory by additional writing update data in an empty region and invalidating original data and, at the time of standby of the device where there is no access from the outside, performing processing for automatically restoring the invalidated region to an empty region, and a computer system and a storage system using the same.“

The patent application was filed on July 27, 2006 (11/493,904).

Storage device and system, storage control
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,176,811) developed by Nakanishi, Kenichi, Fujinami, Yasushi, Tokyo, Japan, and Tsutsui, Keiichi, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “storage control apparatus, storage apparatus, information processing system, and storage control method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage control apparatus includes a standard read request unit, an error correcting unit, and a high-accuracy read request unit. The standard read request unit is configured to issue a request for a read with standard accuracy to a read address in a memory. The error correcting unit is configured to perform error correction on the basis of an error correcting code and data returned by the memory in response to the read request with the standard accuracy. The high-accuracy read request unit is configured to issue, when an error incapable of being corrected by the error correction is caused, a request again for a read with higher accuracy than the standard accuracy to the read address.“

The patent application was filed on September 18, 2013 (14/030,016).

Storage element and memory
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,172,029) developed by Higo, Yutaka, Hosomi, Masanori, Ohmori, Hiroyuki, Yamamoto, Tetsuya,Yamane, Kazutaka, Oishi, Yuki, and Kano, Hiroshi, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “storage element and memory.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage element includes a storage layer, a fixed magnetization layer, a spin barrier layer, and a spin absorption layer. The storage layer stores information based on a magnetization state of a magnetic material. The fixed magnetization layer is provided for the storage layer through a tunnel insulating layer. The spin barrier layer suppresses diffusion of spin-polarized electrons and is provided on the side of the storage layer opposite the fixed magnetization layer. The spin absorption layer is formed of a nonmagnetic metal layer causing spin pumping and provided on the side of the spin barrier layer opposite the storage layer. A direction of magnetization in the storage layer is changed by passing current in a layering direction to inject spin-polarized electrons so that information is recorded in the storage layer and the spin barrier layer includes at least a material selected from oxides, nitrides, and fluorides.“

The patent application was filed on May 27, 2014 (14/288,005).

Selecting region of nonvolatile memory
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,170,893) developed by Okubo, Hideaki, Saitama, Japan, Tsutsui, Keiichi, Kanagawa, Japan, Nakanishi, Kenichi, Fujinami, Yasushi, Adachi, Naohiro, Ishii, Ken, and Shinbashi, Tatsuo, Tokyo, Japan, for a “method and system for selecting region of a nonvolatile memory.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Disclosed herein is a storage controlling apparatus, including: a status acquisition section configured to acquire status including a number of times of execution of verification after writing into a memory from the memory, a history information retention section configured to retain a history of the status as history information in an associated relationship with each of predetermined regions of the memory, and a region selection section configured to select a region which satisfies a condition in accordance with the history information when a new region is to be used in the memory.“

The patent application was filed on March 14, 2013 (13/827,926).

Security chip
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,158,939) developed by Yoshimi, Hideo, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “security chip, program, information processing apparatus, and information processing system.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”There is provided a security chip having a tamper-resistant feature, including an acquisition part configured to acquire specific information transmitted by a device performing challenge-response authentication, the specific information being specific to the device, a storage configured to store second key information that enables generation of first key information from the specific information, the first key information being used by the device for challenge-response authentication, and a generation part configured to generate, using the second key information, the first key information from the specific information. A response to be transmitted to the device is generated, using the first key information, from a challenge transmitted by the device. In the device, the first key information is not stored in a tamper-resistant security chip.“

The patent application was filed on August 20, 2013 (13/970,692).

Non-volatile memory system with power reduction mechanism
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,153,317) developed by Kitagawa, Makoto, Boise, ID, Tsushima, Tomohito, Kunihiro, Takafumi, Sumino, Jun, Tokyo, Japan, and Otsuka, Wataru, Boise, ID, for a “non-volatile memory system with power reduction mechanism and method of operation thereof.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method of operation of a non-volatile memory system including: providing a resistive storage element having a transformation layer, activating a write driver, coupled to the resistive storage element, for applying a bias voltage to the transformation layer, monitoring a resistance of the resistive storage element by a sense amplifier, and detecting a conductive thread, formed in the transformation layer, by the sense amplifier for reducing a level of the bias voltage.“

The patent application was filed on December 21, 2012 (13/724,921).

Storage control device
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,152,416) developed by Nakanishi, Kenichi, Tokyo, Japan, Tsutsui, Keiichi, Kanagawa, Japan, Fujinami, Yasushi, Adachi, Naohiro, Tokyo, Japan, Okubo, Hideaki, Saitama, Japan, Shinbashi, Tatsuo, and Ishii, Ken, Tokyo, Japan, for a “storage control device, memory system, information processing system and storage control method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage control device includes a first rewriting section, a second rewriting section, and a first retry control section. The first rewriting section performs first rewrite to rewrite other of two binary values into a memory cell in which one of the two binary values is written. The second rewriting section performs second rewrite to rewrite the one of the two binary values into the memory cell in which the other of the two binary values is written. The first retry control section causes the memory cell that has undergone the first rewrite to be subjected to the second rewrite followed by the first rewrite again if an error occurs during the first rewrite.“

The patent application was filed on March 8, 2013 (13/790,438).