Patent ID: 8879319

Claim:
A multi-level cell flash memory storage device, wherein each cell of the flash memory storage device has a charge level such that different charge levels represent different information and wherein information can be stored in the cells by application of charge in a write direction while application of charge in an erase direction opposite the storage direction can be performed on blocks of cells as a unit, a block comprising a plurality of cells larger than a granularity at which information can be stored in the cells, the multi-level cell flash memory storage device comprising: circuitry for reading stored charge from one or more cells; circuitry for storing a re-write generation value for a group of a plurality of cells in a block of cells; circuitry for writing to cells, wherein writing to one or more cells without an erase includes an increment of the re-write generation value; and circuitry for reading from cells, including circuitry for reading the re-write generation value.