Patent ID: 6928595
Filing Date: 2005-08-09
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
1. A medium reading apparatus, comprising; a media drive for driving a medium on which first data are recorded; a drive circuit for electrically controlling and driving the media drive; a read device for reading the first data recorded on said medium as electric signals; a signal processing circuit for processing output signals of the read device and reproducing data; and a control device for controlling said drive circuit and the signal processing circuit, wherein the control device includes a semicondutor integrated circurt in which a central processing unit, a random access memo and a nonvolatile memory are formed on a single semiconductor chip, wherein the central processing unit controls the control device, wherein the random access memory temporarily stores data and provides a work area to the central processing unit, wherein the nonvolatile memory includes a first area in which user data are stored, a second area in which an application program is stored, and a third area in which a vector table, accessed when a predetermined interrupt occurs to the central processing unit, is stored, wherein the nonvolatile memory is operable to electrically write data unit by unit and electrically erase data block by block, wherein the first area includes a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks having a plurality of units, wherein each of the units includes a fourth area in which bits to manage user data are stored and a fifth area in which user data are stored, wherein if user data are not written in the fifth area, first bits are written in the fourth area, and if use, data are written in the fifth area, second bits are written in the fourth area, and wherein the first bits of the fourth area are rewritten to the second bits when user data are written in the fifth area.