Google Assigned Three Patents

Partitioning flash memory storage device
Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,639,871) developed by three co-inventors for “partitioning a flash memory storage device.”

The co-inventors are Andrew T. Swing, Los Gatos, CA, Robert S. Sprinkle, Mountain View, CA, and Albert T. Borchers, Santa Cruz, CA.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A method of partitioning a data storage device that has a plurality of memory chips includes determining a number memory chips in the data storage device, defining, via a host coupled to the data storage device, a first partition of the data storage device, where the first partition includes a first subset of the plurality of memory chips, defining a second partition of the data storage device via the host where the second partition includes a second subset of the plurality of memory chips, such that the first subset does not include any memory chips of the second subset and wherein the second subset does not include any memory chips of the first subset.”

The patent application was filed on Aug. 7, 2009 (12/537,741).

Nested coding techniques for storage
Google, Mountain View, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,640,000) developed by Robert Cypher, Saratoga, CA, for “nested coding techniques for storage.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for skewed orthogonal coding techniques. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a block of data comprising a plurality of data chunks. One or more rows of word code chunks are generated using a first linear error-correcting code in systematic form and the data chunks. For each of m rows of the data chunks, one or more split row code chunks are generated using the data chunks of the row, wherein the split row code chunks are generated so that a linear combination of m split row code chunks from different rows forms a first word code chunk of a first codeword including the data chunks and the word code chunks. The rows of data chunks and the split row code chunks and the word code chunks are stored.“

The patent application was filed on June 16, 2011 (13/162,191).

Cloud based file storage service
Google, Mountain View, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,620,879) developed by Ryan Cairns, Sunnyvale, CA, for “cloud based file storage service.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A server receives from a user’s computer a request to store a file and a file hash value. The server determines whether a file with the same hash value is stored on the server. If so, the server grants access to the server’s file copy. If not, the server requests the user to upload the file and stores it. The server grants access to the copy by sending the user a pointer to the copy’s storage location and associating the user with the pointer in a database. The server can challenge the user’s right to access the copy by requesting a file password or a portion of the file stored on the user’s computer. The server can limit access to the server’s copy to users who successfully respond to the challenge.”

The patent application was filed on Aug. 18, 2010 (12/859,249).