US 7490263

US Patent 7490263 Summary

Title: Apparatus, system, and method for a storage device's enforcing write recovery of erroneous data

Assignee: Individual (Original Assignee: Individual). Please note that Google's legal status information indicates that listed assignees may be inaccurate, and Google has not performed a legal analysis to verify this information.

Inventors: Allen King

Filing Date: 2006-09-20

Issue Date: 2009-02-10

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a storage device's enforcing write recovery of erroneous data. The storage device enforces write recovery, leading to a reassignment and re-write for a defective data block by the storage controller at a subsequent write opportunity using a standard write without verify command. The invention allows the storage device to identify and re-discover defects by automatically verifying the data written and reporting an unrecovered write error to the storage controller for the write command, which then triggers the write recovery procedure.

Independent Claims Overview:

Independent Claim 1 (Apparatus):
This claim describes an apparatus within a storage device designed to ensure write recovery of faulty data. It comprises three key modules:

1. Reassignable Check Module: This module determines if the Logical Block Address (LBA) of a data block, specified by a write command that doesn't include a verification step, is present in the storage device's "reassignment log." This log contains LBAs of defective data blocks that the storage controller needs to reassign. These defective blocks include those with unrecovered read errors, as well as reported or unreported marginally recovered read errors that are likely to cause the data to become unreadable. The log is also configured to remove an LBA once the associated data block is no longer considered defective.
2. Auto Verify Module: If the LBA is found in the reassignment log, this module automatically verifies that the data has been correctly written at that LBA following the write operation.
3. Error Posting Module: If the LBA fails the automatic verification by the auto verify module, this module reports an unrecovered write error to the storage controller, thereby initiating the storage controller's write error recovery procedure.

Independent Claim 6 (System):
This claim describes a system that enables a storage device to enforce write recovery of erroneous data. The system includes:

• At least one host computer.
• At least one storage controller (either a RAID or non-RAID controller) connected to the host computer, which lacks its own memory for maintaining a data error table.
• A storage device, connected to the storage controller, which includes an interface module, a head disk assembly, a processor, memory, a positioning control module, a read-write data handler module, and a reassignable check module. The reassignable check module functions similarly to that in Claim 1, determining if the LBA of a data block specified by a write without verify command is in the storage device's reassignment log. The reassignment log's purpose and functionality are also consistent with Claim 1, including listing defective data blocks (those with unrecovered read errors or reported/unreported marginally recovered read errors deemed likely to lead to unreadability) for reassignment by the storage controller and removing LBAs once a block is no longer defective.
• (Note: The provided patent text for Claim 6 is truncated and does not include the full description of all modules or steps that would typically follow in a complete system claim.)

USPTO and CAFC Docket Search:

A search for US patent 7490263 on USPTO and CAFC 2026 dockets was conducted.

• USPTO: The provided patent text itself serves as the primary source of information regarding the patent's details, including its filing, issue, and assignment. No further direct USPTO search results were explicitly provided by the search tool that would contradict or add new information to these details.
• CAFC Dockets 2026: No litigation cases specifically citing US patent 7490263 were found in the CAFC 2026 dockets. The search results for the CAFC primarily show scheduled cases for May, June, and July 2026, which do not include this patent number. Information from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, while present in search results, is not relevant to patent appeals handled by the CAFC.