OCZ Assigned Three Patents

High performance SSDs and methods therefor

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., San Jose, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,331,123) developed by Franz Michael Schuette, Colorado Springs, CO, for "high performance solid-state drives and methods therefor."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "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 signals with the sub-arrays of the memory devices. A bus connects each memory control unit to a corresponding one of the sub-arrays. The control circuitry further includes a crossbar switch that functionally connects each memory control unit to the abstraction layer. The storage device is capable of overcoming limitations of current SSD designs by enabling independent read and write transfers (accesses) to the memory devices of the storage device, including concurrent read and write accesses."

The patent application was filed on Sept. 21, 2010 (12/886,771).

Optical memory device and method therefor

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., San Jose, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,335,099) developed by Franz Michael Schuette, Colorado Springs, CO, for an "optical memory device and method therefor."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "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 or more devices that generate light and transmit the light into the substrate, and one or more devices that cause the phase change material to change between the amorphous and crystalline phases thereof. At least one optical sensing device detects light that passes into the phase change material to the optical sensing device and generates electrical signals based thereon, which are converted into bit values if they exceed a threshold."

The patent application was filed on Aug. 19, 2010 (12/859,339).

Mass storage device for computer system and method therefor

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., San Jose, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,310,836) developed by Franz Michael Schuette, Colorado Springs, CO, for a "mass storage device for a computer system and method therefor."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A method and mass storage device that combine multiple SSDs to a single volume. The device includes a carrier board and at least two SSDs 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 SSDs are connected to the carrier board through the secondary connectors, and each SSD has a power and data connector directly connected to one of the secondary connectors of the carrier board. The SSDs are oriented substantially parallel to the carrier board and to each other."

The patent application was filed on May 20, 2010 (12/783,978).