Patent ID: 8140737
Filing Date: 2012-03-20
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for enhancing a life cycle of memory comprising: after all logical data blocks of the memory are at a first level, updating a content of a logical data block and moving the content of the logical data block from a first physical block of the memory to a free physical data block of the memory; updating a level of the logical data block from the first level to a second level and updating a modify count of the memory in response to the movement from the first physical block to the free physical data block when the modify count has not reached a predetermined value, wherein the second level indicates at least one more modification on the logical data block than the first level, and the modify count of the memory indicates a sum of modifications on all the logical data blocks of the memory between a transition from the first level and the second level of all the logical data blocks of the memory; when the modify count reaches the predetermined value, updating the level of only remaining logical data blocks which have not been modified between the transition from the first level to the second level and moving contents stored in physical blocks corresponding to the remaining logical data blocks to current free physical data blocks of the memory without updating the contents of the remaining logical data blocks; and when all the logical data blocks of the memory reach the second level, resetting the modify count.