Patent ID: 6286113
Filing Date: 2001-09-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method (100) of making protected changes to data stored in memory blocks in a database (DB), each of the memory blocks having a block number (BNO) assigned thereto, said method (100) comprising the steps of:searching for a free memory block (BL*) in the database (DB) for new data (D*) which are to replace old data (D) (step 130);temporarily storing the block number (BNO) of said memory block (BL*) in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVM) (step 140);writing the new data (D*) into the free memory block (BL*) (step 150);checking whether the writing of the new data (D*) was disturbed (step 160); andif the writing was not disturbed, erasing the block number (BNO) of the memory block (BL*) containing the new data (D*) from the semiconductor memory (NVM), and deallocating the memory block (BL) containing the old data (D) (step 161), orif the writing was disturbed, continuing to manage the free memory block (BL*) into which the new data (D*) were to be written as a free memory block (BL*) (step 165).