Patent ID: 7590794

Claim:
A method of operating a re-programmable non-volatile memory system having a plurality of blocks of memory cells that are individually erased prior to data being written therein, wherein said memory system receives data having logical addresses of unique file identifiers and offsets within the individual files and uses said unique file identifiers and offsets for logically addressing the data in said individual files, by means of a directory of the memory system for locating said individual files, when data of a first file are stored in at least first and second blocks with the second block being only partially filled with data of the first file and a remaining portion of the second block being erased, and wherein, in response to data of the first file being relocated from the first block, valid data of the first file is copied from the first block into the erased portion of the second block, whereby said valid data are not copied into a totally erased block, so that more of the data in the first file is stored in the second block after the copying than before the copying.