Adaptive Logical Group Sorting to Prevent Drive Fragmentation

A storage device comprising:

• a non-volatile memory;
• and
• a controller in communication with the non-volatile memory, the controller configured to:
• receive data for storage in the non-volatile memory;
• determine if a threshold amount of data has been received;
• and
• if the threshold amount of data has been received:
• scan the non-volatile memory for sequentially numbered logical groups of data previously written in noncontiguous locations in the non-volatile memory;
• and
• if a threshold amount of sequentially numbered logical groups previously written in noncontiguous locations are present, re-write at least the threshold amount of sequentially numbered logical groups of data contiguously into a new block in the non-volatile memory.

A method of controlling storage of content on a storage device, the method comprising:

• in a storage device having a non-volatile memory and a controller in communication with the non-volatile memory, the controller:
• receiving data comprising data to be written to the non-volatile memory;
• incrementing a data write counter an amount corresponding to an amount of the data to be written;
• scanning the non-volatile memory for sequentially numbered, but discontiguously located, logical groups when the data write counter reaches or exceeds a scan threshold amount;
• if a number of sequentially numbered, but discontiguously located, logical groups stored in the non-volatile memory identified by scanning the non-volatile memory is at least equal to a contiguous write threshold, copying the sequentially numbered logical groups contiguously into a new block in the non-volatile memory;
• and
• after copying the sequentially numbered logical groups contiguously into the new block, invalidating the sequentially numbered logical groups in their respective original blocks.