Patent ID: 7197595

Claim:
A storage device comprising: a nonvolatile memory; and a control circuit, wherein said nonvolatile memory has a plurality of memory blocks, each of which has a plurality of sub memory blocks comprising a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells, and is capable of performing programming to a first sub memory block within a first memory block and a second sub memory block within a second memory block in parallel, wherein said control circuit controls programming to said nonvolatile memory in accordance with address information and data issued from an outside device, wherein said first sub memory block of said first memory block includes a management area, which is used for storing management information and includes an area for storing linking information between said first sub memory block of said first memory block and a corresponding sub memory block of at least one other memory block, wherein said control circuit performs control to read said linking information from said first sub memory block of said first memory block in accordance with said address information, and thereafter to program said first sub memory block of said first memory block in accordance with said address information and to said corresponding sub memory block based on said linking information stored in said first sub memory block.