Patent ID: 8014196

Claim:
An electronic device comprising: a multi-level cell memory comprising a plurality of m-level cells, m being an integer greater than 2, the m-level multi-level cell memory adapted to store a codeword in the plurality of m-level cells, an m-level cell being capable of being programmed to a first one of the m levels using a smaller quantity of energy than is required to program the m-level cell to a second one of the m levels, the second level being higher than the first level; and an encoder adapted to receive a k-bit segment of raw data, the encoder adapted to determine a corresponding p-symbol codeword for storing in the multi-level cell memory using p m-level cells, each cell storing one symbol, the p-symbol code word also corresponds to an n-bit segment of encoded data, k being an integer less than n, n being an integer substantially equal to p·log 2 m, the determination based on the amount of energy required to store the corresponding p-symbol codeword in the multi-level cell memory.