I wonder if our opponents are relying...

"On their own patents, or patents they have previously licensed... Instead of stealing/licensing ours?."

You mean like the logical link issue they report e.Digital relies on in it's patent?

Micron does not have a patent on logically linked data.

Linked data is now a standardized issue where the industry as a whole, including Micron implement in some degree. e.Digital improved upon linked data by eliminating directive structure....eg....virtual file, or FAT, or whatever you want to call supporting infrastructure necessary to keep files stored independently of each other when saved on storage media.

Logically linked data is taught throughout the educational system along with other types of OS infrastructure. I'll bet that the defendants cannot point to one curriculum that teaches what e.Digital does in eliminating supporting infrastructure necessary to keep files independent of each other when saved on storage media. ....

This is e.Digitals prior art problem:

RE: KRUEGER EP application (Microsoft)...... ABSTRACT "The present invention relates to a manager for a computer memory comprising: a block allocation routine, the memory divided into blocks of memory locations, each block having an allocation table and a data region divided into data areas, each allocation table having entries corresponding to region data areas, the block allocation routine for selecting a block in which to store data; a data area allocation routine for selecting a data area within the data region for the selected block in which to store data, for selecting an allocation table entry to correspond to the selected data area, and for setting the
selected allocation table entry to correspond to the selected data area and to an allocated state; and a storage routine for storing data in the selected data area."

The above will involve logically linked data independently organized by the above patented....through a " block allocation routine"

RE: e.Digital ....RE:108 ABSTRACT
"A record/playback device for use with a removable, interchangeable, flash memory recording medium which enables noise dampened recording of voice data and CD quality stereo recording of music data. The device includes a port for receiving a flash memory module which can record data according to industry standard formats to enable the transfer of data to and from personal computers through swapping of flash memory media. Alternative forms of data input and output also include implementation of a barcode reader and an infra-red transceiver for the transfer of data to and from the device." "This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/612,772, filed Mar. 7, 1996, for an operating system including improved file management for use in devices utilizing flash memory as main memory."
"This invention pertains to a system for memory management in a non-volatile, long-term storage medium utilized in audio recording and playback devices. More particularly, this system organizes flash memory such that data storage and retrieval is optimized so as to decrease system overhead and thereby increase data throughput, system stability and fault tolerance, while improving noise reduction, improving the quality of audio data recording and playback, and increasing versatility of data input and output methods."

RE: 445 ABSTRACT
"A method of memory management for a primary memory created from a non-volatile, long-term storage medium, in particular flash memory, which enables direct manipulation of data segments stored therein. The data segments of a single file are typically not stored contiguously in relation to the order in which they are stored and subsequently recalled, yet the method enables recall in the logical order in which the data segments were created. This method is particularly useful for flash memory which has the characteristic of not being able to overwrite data in memory without first erasing previously recorded data. The method comprises the minimum steps of dividing the primary memory into equal size blocks, each block being the smallest amount of data which can be read from or written to memory in a single read or write operation. A cache memory the size of at least one of the read/write blocks is then coupled to the primary memory and provides temporary storage space for data being written to and read from primary memory." "This invention pertains to a system for memory management in a non-volatile, long-term storage medium. More particularly, this system organizes flash memory such that data storage and retrieval is optimized so as to decrease system overhead and thereby increase data throughput,system stability and fault tolerance. "

The above will involve logically linked data independently organized by the above patented....that does not involve... " block allocation routine". This patented process was invented to eliminate " block allocation routine" having "allocation table and a data region".... along with other similar matters that lead "to decrease system overhead and thereby increase data throughput" The above patented process does not preclude the use of eg...Kruger type methods; bit mapping; or similar methods of data organizational management methods in hybrid fashion.

There's a big difference in what e.Digital has contributed to FULLY Logically manage data...as compared to PARTIALLY managing logical data.

FWIW...

doni