Patent ID: 8245109

Claim:
A method of storing data and check bits for that data within a memory chip, the memory chip storing the data and check bits in a plurality of pages contained in the memory chip, each page including a plurality of storage locations with each storage location having an associated address, the method comprising: receiving data to be stored in the memory, wherein the data comprises a plurality of data lines having a plurality of data words; calculating a separate set of check bits for each individual data word as the individual data word is received; mapping each individual data word to an address associated with the storage locations in a given page in the memory chip; mapping each separate set of check bits to an address associated with the storage locations contained in the same page of the memory chip as the data word to which said separate set of check bits corresponds; storing each data word and the separate set of check bits corresponding to that data word in the same page of the memory chip; and during a read-modify-write operation, merging modified check bits corresponding to modified data words with unchanged check bits corresponding to unchanged data words to form a new set of check bits stored in the same page as the corresponding modified and unchanged data words.