Patent ID: 8626986

Claim:
A method of garbage collection in a memory device, the method comprising: with a controller in the memory device: receiving incoming data to write to a logical addressable unit; determining an amount of garbage collection to be performed for a garbage collection operation; if the determined amount of garbage collection is less than a predetermined threshold, initiating the garbage collection operation to carry out the predetermined threshold; selecting a least recently used update block for the garbage collection operation; if the determined amount of garbage collection for the least recently used update block is more than the predetermined threshold: selecting an alternate update block for the garbage collection operation instead of the selected least recently used update block; (A) if the determined amount of garbage collection for the alternate update block is more than the predetermined threshold: (1) writing the incoming data to a temporary storage space; and (2) copying a first quantity of data from an intact block to the alternate update block, where the first quantity of data is equal to the predetermined threshold; and (B) if the determined amount of garbage collection for the alternate update block is less than the predetermined threshold, copying a second quantity of data from the alternate update block to an open update block, where the second quantity of data is less than the predetermined threshold; and writing the incoming data to at least one physical metablock corresponding to the logical addressable unit.