Patexia seeks prior art for US Patent 6,721,207 (US ‘207), which allegedly describes several different read and write operations to allow access to a flash memory system.

The memory system described includes:

• a control device
• a plurality of flash memory devices
• each of the flash memory device including a plurality of memory cells to store data and a plurality of data latches to queue data

This control device can control the memory devices by utilizing three separate command operations:

1. a write command where the control device provides a write address and data, and the memory device in turn stores the data to the data latches, transfers the data from the data latches to the flash memory, and finally verifies whether the write data has been stored at its intended location
2. a first read command where the control device provides a read address, and the memory device in turn reads the data from the flash memory to the data latches, and outputs the data from the data latches to the control device
3. and a second read command where the memory device outputs the data from the data latches to the control device

Figure 1. Block Diagram of the Components of the Memory System

Figure 2. Overview of the Read/Write Commands

Questions

1. Was the reference filed or published before February 16th, 1998? (True/False)
2. Does the reference describe a memory system that includes a control device, a plurality of memory devices with each including a plurality of memory cells and data latches? (20 points)
3. Is the control device able to carry out three different command operations: a write command, a first read command, and a second read command? (20 points)
4. Does the write command operation require a write address and write data, and has the memory device store data to the data latches, then transfer data from the data latches to one of the memory cells, and finally verify whether data has been stored to the memory cell? (20 points)
5. Does the first read command operation require a read address and has the memory device read the data stored in one of the memory cells to the data latches, and then outputs the data latches to the control device? (20 points)
6. Does the second read command operation does not require address or data, and has the memory device output data from the data latches to the control device? (20 points)