Patent ID: 7212426

Claim:
A flash memory system comprising: a flash memory to store data in units of pages; a buffer memory to store data in pages subdivided into units of sectors; a random data input/output circuit to perform one of receive data in units of sectors from the buffer memory or to output data in units of sectors to the buffer memory, and to perform one of output data in units of pages to the flash memory or to receive data in units of pages from the flash memory, the random data input/output circuit further including: a latch circuit to store data that is to be either outputted to the flash memory or inputted from the flash memory; an input/output buffer to receive a control signal from the state machine to output internal control signals and to receive data from the state machine and the buffer memory to output a command, an address, and data; a command input circuit to receive a command from the input/output buffer to output reset signal; an address setting pulse generating circuit to receive an internal control signal from the input/output buffer to output column address setting pulses c 1 and c 2 and/or row address setting pulses r 1 and r 2 ; an address counter to receive the column and/or row address setting pulses from the address setting pulse generating circuit to output a column address and a row address, increasing the column address in order according to a predetermined number of cycles, and to receive the reset signals from the command input circuit to initialize the column address; a selection circuit to receive the column address from the address counter to output a sector selection signal to the latch circuit; and a data input/output circuit to receive data from the input/output buffer to output the data to the latch circuit, and to receive data from the latch circuit to output the data to the input/output buffer; a control circuit to control the order and the number of times of inputting/outputting data in units of sectors between the buffer memory and the random data input/output circuit.