Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Shared memory area
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-28
2004-03-30
Peikari, B. James (Department: 2186)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Shared memory area
C711S103000, C710S036000, C365S185330
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715041
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device, a system and a method for a non volatile memory (NVM) device with at least two ports, in which at least one port is for general data access, while at least one additional port is dedicated for reading/writing a particular type of data from the NVM. A preferred example of the NVM device is implemented with a flash disk.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
NVM devices have many different uses, including data storage for portable devices or other devices in which storage size, weight and/or power consumption is a factor. As shown with regard to background art
FIG. 1
, a typical NVM device
10
features a single port
12
for accessing data, including both reading and writing data. The data itself is stored in a NVM media
14
, which is accessible by a logic processor
16
of some type, such as a CPU for example, through single port
12
. Logic processor
16
is able to read and write data through single port
12
, by communicating with NVM media
14
through a NVM controller
18
(which logic processor may also communicate with an external device, such as a video processor
20
). However, logic processor
16
cannot simultaneously read data from and write data to NVM media
14
or read from 2 different locations in NVM media
14
. Thus, if logic processor
16
is in the middle of a process of reading from or writing to one location in NVM media
14
, and then receives a request to retrieve data from another location in NVM media
14
, the first process must be stopped before the second request can be processed.
Such a requirement for only reading from, or only writing data to, NVM media
14
, may not be important for data operations which involve reading/writing discrete segments of data. However, for operations which may require continuous reading operations, such as reading video and/or audio stream data from NVM media
14
for example, interruptions to the reading streamed data process are clearly detrimental. Furthermore, the current implementation of the NVM storage according to background art
FIG. 1
has major drawbacks. For example, if NVM storage
14
includes two types of data, a first regular type of data that is required by logic processor
16
, and a second type of streamed data that is required by another element in the system. Since only one element can be connected to NVM storage
10
, logic processor
16
is used as a bridge between other components of the system and NVM storage
10
, causing extra delays and additional power consumption which may be detrimental, for example for portable devices with limited power supply. Unfortunately, there is currently no solution to this problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The background art does not teach or suggest a device, system or method which enables data to be continually read from a NVM storage device, without requiring the logic processor, such as a CPU, to operate continuously. In addition, the background art does not teach or suggest a device, system or method which enables data to be read from a NVM, without interrupting this process when data is to be written to the NVM.
The present invention overcomes these deficiencies of the background art, by providing a device, a method and a system for reading\writing data of a particular type from a first dedicated port of a NVM storage device, while data is read\written to at least a second general port of the NVM storage device. Preferably, while data is being continually read through the dedicated port of the NVM storage, the logic processor which controls the NVM storage device optionally “sleeps”, or reverts to a lower power consumption mode.
The NVM storage device of the present invention may optionally feature a plurality of ports, as long as at least one dedicated port for reading data, preferably of a particular type, and at least one general port for reading/writing data, is provided. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the at least one dedicated port is a port for reading/writing streamed data, such as streaming audio and/or video data for example. Most preferably, the dedicated port is for reading streaming audio data, such as MP3 file data for example, for providing a portable audio player.
According to the present invention, there is provided a NVM storage device for dedicated reading of data, comprising: (a) a general port for reading and writing data; (b) a dedicated port for dedicated reading/writing of data; (c) an internal controller for receiving a command for dedicated data; and (d) a media such as a flash memory for storing the data, such that the data is read/written when the command for dedicated data is received by the internal storage controller and such that the data is transferred through the dedicated port.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a portable device for dedicated reading of data, comprising: (a) a non-volatile memory component for storing at least one data file, the non-volatile memory component featuring a general port for reading and writing data, and a dedicated port for dedicated reading\writing of data; and (b) a CPU for transmitting a command to the non-volatile memory component to read\write the dedicated data.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for reading dedicated data, comprising: providing a portable device for dedicated reading of data, the portable device comprising: a non-volatile memory component for storing at least one data file, the non-volatile memory component featuring a general port for reading and writing data, and a dedicated port for dedicated reading of data; sending a command to the non-volatile memory component to read the dedicated data through the dedicated port; and reading the dedicated data through the dedicated port.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5048101 (1991-09-01), Kurosu et al.
patent: 6559859 (2003-05-01), Henry et al.
patent: 2003/0070024 (2003-04-01), Su et al.
patent: 1043894 (2000-10-01), None
Friedman Mark M.
M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd.
Peikari B. James
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