Patent ID: 6130837
Filing Date: 2000-10-10
Classification: G06F,G11C

Abstract:
A storage device employing a flash memory, comprising:a storage area which is divided into physical areas that are identified by physical area identification information;logical area conversion means supplied with logical area identification information, being virtual identification information in a data writing operation, for converting said logical area identification information into the physical area identification information corresponding thereto in the case of writing said data into a logical area;a memory controller which receives said physical area identification information resulting from the conversion and which writes said data into the physical area; andwherein said logical area conversion means is capable of converting the identical logical area identification information into plural items of physical area identification information,wherein said physical areas include a data memory area in which data are stored, a substitutive memory area which substitutes for locations of errors in said data memory area, and an error memory area in which addresses of said substitutive memory area corresponding to said locations of said errors in said data memory area are retained as error information,wherein said logical area conversion means converts the location of an error in said data memory area into an address of said substitutive memory area in accordance with the error information, andwherein said memory controller reads data out of and writes data into said data memory area, said substitutive memory area and said error memory area.