Silicon Motion Assigned Fourteen Patents

Storage device and interface chip
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,762,007) developed by Yang, Tsung-Chieh, Hsinchu, Taiwan, for “storage device and interface chip thereof.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A storage device and an interface chip thereof are provided, wherein the interface chip can be applied to the storage device. The interface chip comprises a slave interface circuit, a master interface circuit, and a control circuit. The storage device comprises a memory controller and a non-volatile (NV) memory, and the NV memory comprises a plurality of NV memory chips. The slave interface circuit is arranged for coupling the interface chip to the memory controller. The master interface circuit is arranged for coupling the interface chip to a set of NV memory chips within the plurality of NV memory chips. A hierarchical architecture in the storage device comprises the memory controller, the interface chip, and the set of NV memory chips. The control circuit is arranged for controlling operations of the interface chip.”

The patent application was filed on July 30, 2018 (16/048,348).

Data storage device and method for operating non-volatile memory
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,761,982) developed by Chang, Ming-Hung, Zhubei, Taiwan, and Peng, Fang-I, Hsinchu, Taiwan, for “data storage device and method for operating non-volatile memory.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”An efficient data storage device is disclosed, which uses a microprocessor and at least one volatile memory to operate a non-volatile memory. The microprocessor allocates the volatile memory to provide a cache area. According to an asynchronous event request (AER) issued by a host, the microprocessor uses the cache area to collect sections of write data requested by the host, programs the sections of write data collected in the cache area to the non-volatile memory together, and reports failed programming of the sections of write data to the host by AER completion information.”

The patent application was filed on August 30, 2018 (16/117,115).

Data storage, control unit, and task sorting method for data storage
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,761,880) developed by Hsieh, Chao-Kuei, New Taipei, Taiwan, for “data storage device, control unit thereof, and task sorting method for data storage device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device includes a data storage medium and a control unit. The control unit is electrically connected to the data storage medium. When switched to a command queue mode, the control unit is configured to receive a queue command comprising at least one task from a host, determine whether the at least one task is a ready-for-execution task, sort at least one ready-for-execution task and selectively reply the host with first queue status information. The first queue status information contains a task quantity corresponding to the at least one ready-for-execution task and at least one task serial number corresponding to the at least one sorted ready-for-execution task.”

The patent application was filed on July 20, 2016 (15/214,457).

Data storage device
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,754,566) developed by Yeh, Szu-I, New Taipei, Taiwan, for “data storage device and data storage method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device utilized for storing a plurality of data includes a memory and a controller. The memory includes a plurality of blocks, and each of the blocks includes a plurality of physical pages. The controller is coupled to the memory. When the data storage device is initiated, or when the data size read by a host is greater than a threshold value, the controller inspects the status of the data stored by the physical pages of the memory.”

The patent application was filed on June 19, 2017 (15/626,371).

Data storage and method for rewriting parameters
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,754,548) developed by Wang, Te-Kai, New Taipei, Taiwan, and Chen, Yu-Da, Taipei, Taiwan, for “data storage device and method for rewriting parameters thereof.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device is provided. The data storage device includes a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory stores a firmware. The firmware includes a plurality of mode page settings, and each mode page setting includes a plurality of mode parameters. The controller receives a mode selection command and a data out message arranged to rewrite a first mode page setting among the plurality of mode page settings from a host. The controller determines whether the data out message will change the mode parameters which cannot be rewritten in the first mode page setting according to the data out message. When the data out message will not change the mode parameters which cannot be rewritten in the first mode page setting, the controller determines whether a plurality of new mode parameters are kept in the flash after the data storage device is turned off.”

The patent application was filed on June 5, 2019 (16/432,015).

Non-volatile data-storage with spare block pools using block clearing
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,740,013) developed by Fan, Yu-Wei, Taipei, Taiwan, for a “non-volatile data-storage device with spare block pools using a block clearing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A block clearing method for a non-volatile data-storage device operates by determining whether a number of data block programmed in a first mode is less than a threshold, selecting a spare block from a spare pool, programming a plurality of data from the selected data blocks into the selected spare block in a second mode, mapping a plurality of logical addresses of the data to a plurality of physical addresses on the selected spare block programmed in the second mode, and releasing the selected data blocks into the spare pool, wherein the selected spare block is able to be programmed in either the first mode or the second mode. Following the determining step, if the determination is true, the method selects a plurality of data blocks programmed in the first mode.”

The patent application was filed on November 23, 2018 (16/198,992).

Scheduling read commands
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,725,902) developed by Shen, Yang-Chih, Taipei, Taiwan, for “methods for scheduling read commands and apparatuses using the same.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method for scheduling read commands, performed by a processing unit, includes at least the following steps: receiving a logical read command and a logical address, obtaining a high-level mapping table, obtaining a mapping table block according to the logical address and the high-level mapping table, obtaining a first physical address according to the logical address and the mapping table block, outputting an actual read command and the first physical address to a storage unit to obtain a data, and outputting the data which is responsive to the logical read command. The high-level mapping table includes a plurality of records, and one of the records is utilized to illustrate a second physical address of the mapping table block.”

The patent application was filed on July 10, 2018 (16/031,598).

Data storage and control for non-volatile memory
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,719,272) developed by Chen, Liang-Cheng, Changhua County, Taiwan, for “data storage device and control method for non-volatile memory.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Multi-channel accessing of non-volatile memory. A controller uses three kinds of tables to manage cross-channel accessing areas and, accordingly, to access the non-volatile memory through multiple channels. Each cross-channel accessing area includes M storage units, where M is an integer greater than 1. For each cross-channel accessing area, the first table marks whether there is a need for storage unit substitution and points to substitution information. The substitution information is stored in the second table and the third table. For each cross-channel accessing area marked in the first table, the second table stores M bits corresponding to M storage units of the marked cross-channel accessing area for substitution indication, and related substitute storage unit indication is stored in the third table.”

The patent application was filed on January 24, 2019 (16/255,925).

Merging data from single-level cell block to multiple-level cell block
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,719,254) developed by Lin, Wen-Sheng, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Chen, Yu-Da, Taipei, Taiwan, for “merging data from single-level cell block to multiple-level cell block based on sudden power off event and valid page count in single-level cell block.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device includes a memory device and a controller. The memory device includes multiple memory blocks. The memory blocks include single-level cell blocks and multiple-level cell blocks. The controller is coupled to the memory device. When the controller executes a predetermined procedure to write data stored in the single-level cell blocks into the multiple-level cell blocks, the controller is configured to determine whether a valid page count corresponding to each single-level cell block is greater than a threshold, and when the valid page count corresponding to more than one single-level cell block is greater than the threshold, the controller is configured to execute a first merge procedure to directly write the data stored in the single-level cell blocks with the valid page count greater than the threshold into one or more of the multiple-level cell blocks.”

The patent application was filed on July 19, 2018 (16/039,722).

Data storage and method for preventing data error
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,714,193) developed by Cheng, Yu-Hsuan, New Taipei, Taiwan, for “data storage apparatus and method for preventing data error using the same.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage apparatus and a method for preventing data error using the same are provided. The data storage apparatus includes a memory and a memory controller. The memory includes a plurality of blocks. The memory controller is coupled to the memory and configured to perform the following operations: recording a read count of a target block of the memory, performing an error bit check on a free storage space of the target block when the read count of the target block meets a condition, and programming a dummy data to the free storage space of the target block in response to the determination that the check result is negative.”

The patent application was filed on April 18, 2019 (16/388,445).

Performing access control in memory device
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,705,749) developed by Cheng, Chiao-Wen, Taichung, Taiwan, for “method for performing access control in a memory device, associated memory device and controller thereof.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method for performing access control in a memory device, the associated memory device and the controller thereof are provided. The method includes: according to at least one predetermined arrangement pattern, writing a plurality of sets of symbols into a plurality of storage regions of a memory as a plurality of redundant array of independent disks (RAID) groups, respectively, and utilizing a RAID engine circuit in the memory device to perform a plurality of operations related to data protection, such as: determining a series of reading patterns corresponding to the predetermined arrangement pattern, according to a reading pattern of the series of reading patterns, reading a plurality of symbols from each RAID group of the RAID groups, and performing exclusive-OR (XOR) operations on the symbols to convert the symbols into at least one XOR result, for performing data protection.”

The patent application was filed on September 3, 2018 (16/120,311).

Data storage and data processing
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,698,814) developed by Lin, Hsuan-Ping, Taichung, Taiwan, and Liang, Chia-Chi, Zhubei, Taiwan, for “data storage devices and data processing methods.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device includes a memory device and a memory controller. The memory controller is coupled to the memory device and configured to access the memory device and establish a physical to logical address mapping table and a logical address section table. The logical address section table records statuses of a plurality of logical address sections. Each status is utilized to indicate whether the physical to logical address mapping table records any logical address that belongs to the corresponding logical address section. The logical address section table includes a plurality of section bits in a plurality of dimensions. When the memory controller receives a write command to write data of a first predetermined logical address, the memory controller determines the section bit of each dimension corresponding to the first predetermined logical address, and accordingly sets a corresponding digital value for each section bit.”

The patent application was filed on January 16, 2019 (16/249,099).

Testing data storage
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,691,569) developed by Shih, Po-Yi, Zhubei, Taiwan, for “system and method for testing a data storage device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A system for testing a data storage device includes the data storage device, an electronic device and a computer device. The electronic device includes a host device coupled to the data storage device and communicating with the data storage device via an interface logic. The computer device is coupled to the electronic device and is configured to issue a plurality of commands to test the data storage device in a test procedure. When the electronic device has been successfully started up, the computer device issues a first command to the electronic device to trigger the electronic device to enter a hibernate mode. After waiting for a first predetermined period of time, the computer device issues a second command to the electronic device, so as to wake up the electronic device.”

The patent application was filed on October 18, 2018 (16/163,831).

Memory controller and method capable of using different storing modes to store data units
Silicon Motion, Inc., Hsinchu County, Taiwan, has been assigned a patent (10,691,358) developed by Lin, Ming-Yen, Taipei, Taiwan, for “memory controller and method capable of using different storing modes to store data units having different data sizes.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method applied into a memory controller coupled between a memory device and a host device wherein the memory device supports at least two different storing modes includes: receiving and buffering data transmitted from the host device, using a first storing mode to store a first data unit into the memory device, a size of the first data unit being not larger than a size of a specific storage unit defined in the memory device, and using a second storing mode, different from the first storing mode, to store a second data unit into the memory device, a size of the second data unit being larger than the size of the specific storage unit.”

The patent application was filed on June 14, 2018 (16/008,047).