Method and apparatus for storing multimedia data in nonvolatile storage device in units of blocks

• US 20060129750A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Hyok-sung, Lee, Tae-hun
• Application Number:
  US11/300,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for storing multimedia data in a nonvolatile storage device in units of blocks, in which the time required for storing the multimedia data in the nonvolatile storage device can be reduced. The method includes receiving the multimedia data, sequentially storing the received multimedia data in a block in which all pages are empty among blocks included in a nonvolatile memory, and searching in the nonvolatile memory for a fragmented block in which some pages are occupied by data and moving the pages of the fragmented block that are occupied by data to another block.

Claims

1. A method for storing multimedia data in a nonvolatile storage device in units of blocks, the method comprising:

receiving the multimedia data;

sequentially storing the received multimedia data in a block in which all pages are empty among blocks included in a nonvolatile memory; and

searching in the nonvolatile memory for a fragmented block in which some pages are occupied by data and moving the pages of the fragmented block that are occupied by data to another block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the block is a region of the nonvolatile memory in which data can be erased in one operation and includes at least two pages, and a page is a region of the nonvolatile memory in which data can be stored in one operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the block in which all pages are empty does not include a page in which garbage that is invalid data is stored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sequentially storing the received multimedia data comprises storing a first portion of the multimedia data in all pages of a predetermined block and storing a second portion of the multimedia data in some of the pages of another block, if the size of the multimedia data is larger than the block size.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the block in which the second portion of the multimedia data is stored is logically or physically adjacent to the predetermined block in which the first portion of the multimedia data is stored.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory is one of a flash memory, a parameter random access memory (PRAM), and a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising erasing garbage from a block of the nonvolatile memory having a page in which garbage is stored.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily storing the multimedia data in a volatile memory after receiving the multimedia data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving non-multimedia data;

storing the received non-multimedia data in a block in which some pages are empty among blocks included in a nonvolatile memory; and

searching in the nonvolatile memory for a fragmented block in which some pages are occupied by data and moving the pages of the fragmented block that are occupied by data to another block.

10. An apparatus for storing multimedia data in a nonvolatile storage device in units of blocks, the apparatus comprising:

a data receiving unit which receives the multimedia data;

a storage unit which sequentially stores the received multimedia data in a block in which all pages are empty among blocks included in a nonvolatile memory; and

a control unit which searches in the nonvolatile memory for a fragmented block in which some pages are occupied by data and moves the pages of the fragmented block that are occupied by data to another block.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the block is a region of the nonvolatile memory in which data can be erased in one operation and includes at least two pages, and a page is a region of the nonvolatile memory in which data can be stored in one operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the block in which all pages are empty does not include a page in which garbage that is invalid data is stored.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the storing unit stores a first portion of the multimedia data in all pages of a predetermined block and stores a second portion of the multimedia data in some pages of another block, if the size of the multimedia data is larger than the block size.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the block in which the second portion of the multimedia data is stored is logically or physically adjacent to the predetermined block in which the first portion of the multimedia data is stored.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the storage unit includes one of a flash memory, a parameter random access memory (PRAM), and a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM).

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the storing unit erases garbage from a block of the nonvolatile memory having a page in which garbage is stored.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a temporary storage unit which temporarily stores the multimedia data in a volatile memory after receiving the multimedia data.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data receiving unit receives non-multimedia data, the storage unit stores the received non-multimedia data in a block in which some pages are empty among blocks included in a nonvolatile memory, and the control unit searches in the nonvolatile memory for a fragmented block in which some pages are occupied by data and moves the pages of the fragmented block that are occupied by data to another block.