# US 8,751,730 B2 · Serial interface flash memory apparatus and writing method for status register thereof

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- Number: US 8,751,730 B2
- Document ID: US8751730B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/559,600
- Filed: 2012-07-27
- Published: 2014-01-30
- Granted: 2014-06-10
- Earliest claimed: 2012-07-27
- Assignees: Winbond Electronics Corp.
- Applicants: Yung-Chen Lin; Ya-Chun Chang
- Inventors: Yung-Chen Lin; Ya-Chun Chang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751730B2

## CPC

- G06F 12/0246: {in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory}
- G06F 12/1425: {the protection being physical, e.g. cell, word, block}
- G06F 11/1068: {in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk (G06F11/1072 takes precedence)}
- G11C 7/20: Memory cell initialisation circuits, e.g. when powering up or down, memory clear, latent image memory
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

A serial interface flash memory apparatus and a writing method for a status register thereof are disclosed. The writing method for the status register mentioned above includes: receiving a write command with an updated data for the status register; writing the updated data to a volatile latch and set an update flag according to whether or not a write-protected data in the status register is updated by the write command; and writing the data from the volatile latch to the status register according to the update flag when a power down process of the serial interface flash memory apparatus is processed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A writing method for a status register used for a serial interface flash memory apparatus, the method comprising:
receiving a write command for an update data of a status register;
determining whether or not a write-protected data of the status register is updated according to the update data, writing an update write-protected data of the update data to a latch which is volatile type and setting an update flag according to a result by the determination; and
when the serial interface flash memory apparatus enters a power down process, writing the data from the latch to the status register according to the update flag,
wherein, the status register is composed of a plurality of non-volatile memory cells.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The writing method for the status register according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether or not the write-protected data of the status register is updated according to the update data comprises:
when at least one part of the write-protected data of the status register is updated, the write-protected data is written to the latch, and the update flag is set.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The writing method for the status register according to claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether or not the write-protected data of the status register is updated according the update data further comprises:
updating a part of the non-write-protected data of the update data into the status register.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The writing method of the status register according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether or not the write-protected data of the status register is updated according the update data comprises:
when the write-protected data of the status register is not been updated, the update data is updated to the status register.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The writing method of the status register according to claim 1, wherein further comprises:
detecting an operating voltage dropping status received by the serial interface flash memory apparatus, in order to determine whether the serial interface memory apparatus is in the power down process or not.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The writing method of the status register according to claim 5, wherein if the operating voltage is less than a preset threshold, the serial interface flash memory apparatus is determined to be in the power down process.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The writing method of the status register according to claim 6, wherein, while the serial interface flash memory apparatus is in the power down process, the step of writing the data from the latch to the status register according to the update flag comprises:
when the update flag is set, the data in the latch is written to the status register.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The writing method of the status register according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the write-protected data of the status register is updated according to the update data, writing at least one part of the update data into the volatile type latch, and the step of setting update flag comprises:
when the update flag is set, erasing the data in the status register.

### Claim 9

A serial interface flash memory apparatus, comprising:
a status register, composed of a plurality of non-volatile memory cells, the status register stores at least a write-protected data;
a latch, composed of a volatile memory component;
a command controller, coupled to the status register and the latch, receiving an write command of an update data of the status register, the command controller determining whether or not the write-protected data of the status register is updated according to the update data, the command controller writing an updated write-protected data of the update data to the latch, and setting an update flag; and
a write control circuit, coupled to the status register and the command controller, when the write control circuit in the serial interface flash memory apparatus is in a power down process, the write control circuit writing the data from the latch to the status register according to the update flag.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 9, wherein when at least a part of the write-protected data of the status register is updated, the command controller writes the write-protected data into the latch and sets the update flag.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 10, wherein the write control circuit further writes the non-write-protected data part of the update data to the status register.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 9, if the write-protected data of the status register is not updated, the command controller updates the update data into the status register.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 9, further comprising:
a voltage detector is coupled to the command controller, and the voltage detector receives an operating voltage of the serial interface flash memory apparatus, the voltage detector determines whether or not the serial interface flash memory apparatus is in the power down process by detecting a voltage dropping status of the operating voltage.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 13, wherein when the operating voltage detected by the voltage detector is less than a preset threshold, the serial interface flash memory apparatus is in the power down process.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 14, wherein, when the serial interface flash memory apparatus is in the power down process and the update flag is set, the write control circuit writes the data from the latch to the status register.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The serial interface flash memory apparatus of the status register according to claim 9, when the update flag is set, the command controller erases the data in the status register.