US5535357A — Flash memory system providing both BIOS and user …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 118 words

A system, comprising: system memory means for storing user data; central processing means connected to said system memory means for providing control functions of said system; a system bus for communicating data between said system memory means, said central processing means and an integrated circuit package; said integrated circuit package comprising: flash memory means for storing both BIOS routines and said user data; and controller means for interfacing said flash memory means and said system bus, said flash memory means storing emulation means for allowing a portion of said flash memory means to emulate a hard disk and said controller means including means for intercepting a BIOS boot process to install said emulation means in said system memory.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 118 words

A system, comprising: system memory means for storing user data; central processing means connected to said system memory means for providing control functions of said system; a system bus for communicating data between said system memory means, said central processing means and an integrated circuit package; said integrated circuit package comprising: flash memory means for storing both BIOS routines and said user data; and controller means for interfacing said flash memory means and said system bus, said flash memory means storing emulation means for allowing a portion of said flash memory means to emulate a hard disk and said controller means including means for intercepting a BIOS boot process to install said emulation means in said system memory.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 22 words

The system of claim 1, wherein said controller means provides a window between said flash memory means and said system memory means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 22 words

The system of claim 2, wherein said controller means includes address means for detecting accesses to system memory addresses within said window.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 24 words

The system of claim 3, wherein said controller means includes shifting means for shifting said window between different portions of said flash memory device.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 32 words

The system of claim 4, wherein said shifting means shifts said window in response to a detection of an access to at least one predetermined system memory address by said address means.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 42 words

The system of claim 5, wherein said shifting means shifts said window to a portion of said flash memory means which emulates a hard disk drive in response to a detection of predetermined sequence of system memory addresses by said address means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 29 words

The system of claim 1, wherein said intercepting means includes insertion means for inserting a jump-in-place instruction into one of said BIOS routines in response to a system reset.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system of claim 7, wherein said intercepting means further comprises detecting means for detecting when said jump-in-place instructions has been executed a predetermined number of consecutive times.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 43 words

The system of claim 8, wherein said insertion means causes said central processing means to jump to an address in said flash memory means in response to a result of said detecting means, whereby said emulation means is loaded into said system memory.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system of claim 9, wherein said central processing means completes said one of said BIOS routines after said emulation means has been loaded into said system memory.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 27 words

The system of claim 1, wherein said emulation means replaces original hardware interrupt vectors of said system with vectors pointing to a subroutine in said emulation means.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 22 words

The system of claim 1, wherein said emulation means controls reading, writing, and erasing of said portion of said flash memory means.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 87 words

An integrated circuit package, comprising: flash memory means for storing both BIOS routines and user data; controller means for controlling access; to said flash memory means; and pin means connected to said controller means for providing external connections to said integrated circuit package, wherein said flash memory means stores emulation means for allowing a portion of said flash memory means to emulate a hard disk and wherein said controller means includes means for intercepting a BIOS boot process to install said emulation means in the system memory.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 87 words

An integrated circuit package, comprising: flash memory means for storing both BIOS routines and user data; controller means for controlling access; to said flash memory means; and pin means connected to said controller means for providing external connections to said integrated circuit package, wherein said flash memory means stores emulation means for allowing a portion of said flash memory means to emulate a hard disk and wherein said controller means includes means for intercepting a BIOS boot process to install said emulation means in the system memory.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 16 words

The integrated circuit package of claim 13, wherein said pin means comprises a 28-pin DIP configuration.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 36 words

The integrated circuit package of claim 13, wherein said intercepting means includes insertion means for inserting a jump-in-place instruction into one of said BIOS routines in response to a system reset received by said pin means.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 30 words

The integrated circuit package of claim 15, wherein said intercepting means further comprises detecting means for detecting when said jump-in-place instruction has been executed a predetermined number of consecutive times.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 176 words

A memory system for computers, comprising: a flash memory device that is divided into at least two portions, a first portion of said flash memory device storing low-level service routines for the operation of a computer, and a second portion of said flash memory device being configured to store user-designated information and a controller which operates as an interface between said flash memory device and an associated computer system, said controller including: windowing means for mapping external addresses of the associated computer system to addresses in a selected portion of said flash memory device, to thereby establish a window to said selected portion of said flash memory device, and means connected to said windowing means responsive to memory accesses by the computer system for switching the selected portion of said flash memory device between said first and second portions, wherein said second portion of the flash memory device includes a first block of memory which stores a flash file management system, and at least one other block of memory which is adapted to store user-designated data.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 176 words

A memory system for computers, comprising: a flash memory device that is divided into at least two portions, a first portion of said flash memory device storing low-level service routines for the operation of a computer, and a second portion of said flash memory device being configured to store user-designated information and a controller which operates as an interface between said flash memory device and an associated computer system, said controller including: windowing means for mapping external addresses of the associated computer system to addresses in a selected portion of said flash memory device, to thereby establish a window to said selected portion of said flash memory device, and means connected to said windowing means responsive to memory accesses by the computer system for switching the selected portion of said flash memory device between said first and second portions, wherein said second portion of the flash memory device includes a first block of memory which stores a flash file management system, and at least one other block of memory which is adapted to store user-designated data.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 103 words

The memory system of claim 17, wherein said switching means is responsive to a command to reset the computer system to cause said windowing means to first establish a window to said first portion of said flash memory device to enable said low-level service routines to be booted therefrom, and wherein said controller includes means for causing said switching means to switch the selected portion to said first block in said second portion of the memory device at a predetermined point in the booting of said low-level service routines, to enable said flash file management system to be accessed during a reset procedure.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 59 words

The memory system of claim 17, wherein said switching means is responsive to an access to a predetermined address by the computer system to switch the selected portion to said first portion, and is responsive to consecutive accesses to a predetermined sequence of plural addresses to switch the selected portion to said second portion of the flash memory device.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1999-07-09	2000-01-08	2000-07-09	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2003-07-09	2004-01-08	2004-07-09	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2007-07-09	2008-01-08	2008-07-09	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Flash memory system providing both BIOS and user storage capability

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