Importance

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Abstract

A digital system is disclosed for use with a host, the digital system including a controller and a nonvolatile memory unit having memory locations organized in blocks with each block having a plurality of sectors for storing information provided by the host in the form of non-user data files and user data files, the controller for controlling reading, writing and erasing operations performed on the nonvolatile memory, the host providing to the controller an address, identifying the starting location of the user file to the controller, and a user file identified by a starting sector address for storage within the nonvolatile memory unit. The controller finds a free block within the nonvolatile memory unit that is available for storage of information, and aligns the user file starting address with the beginning of the free block, and stores the user file within the free block starting with the beginning of the free block. If the user file extends beyond the size of the free block, the remainder of the user file is stored within blocks subsequent to the free block, wherein each time a user data file is stored in the nonvolatile memory unit, the beginning of the user data file is aligned with the beginning of the block thereby increasing performance in writing user files, and decreasing the number of erase and write operations performed on the nonvolatile memory unit.

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First Claim