As is generally the case with many tech inventions , particularly of PC devices, the origination of flash drives and NAND memory chips is very conflicting. Disputes have arisen as to who should hold the patent for this useful and increasingly popular gadget. Especially used as promotional products they offer a great branding opportunity.
Flash Drives are a portable unit capable of storing various forms of data from a computer’s USB port. Although they have less storing capacity than a computer’s hard drive, they are convenient because they fit in a pocket or on a key-chain.
Flash drives are especially popular with academic institutions because they are a convenient way to transfer data from one PC to the next, eliminating the need to save a document to a particular computer.
The first predecessors of USB drives were CMOS, or Complimentary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, and were in almost every standard electronic device.
These were first designed in 1963 and then produced in 1968. The problem with the CMOS chips was that they were capable of static discharges and were fragile because they required a constant power source. The next step in memory flash drives was EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.)
The EEPROM chips were an improvement because they were not in need of a power source. The original EERPOM chips held up to 64k or 65,536 bytes of memory, but their flaw was that their write cycles would wear out quickly.
After EEPROM chips were invented, flash drive memory was introduced to the market. One online source claims that Dr. Fujio Masuoka was the first to invent NOR and NAND technology while working for Toshiba. Intel in 1988 introduced flash drives as well as Toshiba and Samsung in 1989. The chips were imbedded in electronic devices for data storage. M-systems (now SanDisk) is currently leading the industry in flash disk technology and in 1995 introduced flash or NAND-type memory in retail products.
Without securing a patent, IBM contracted M-systems (SanDisk) to construct and develop the technology. Without patenting their new technology, IBM contracted M-systems (SanDisk) to manufacture and develop the flash technology. M-systems took the opportunity to patent their new invention, calling it Disgo. It first came out with 8, 16, 32, 64 MB of memory capability. Asian manufactures soon followed suit in developing their own versions of this new and improved memory technology.
IBM and Trek Technology , in 2000, brought out their 8MB flash drives which performed five times better than floppy disks. A few years later, Trek Technology filed a lawsuit against distributors of the flash drives, claiming to be the first to develop it. A Singapore court ruled in favor of Trek Technology, while a U.K. court revoked the Trek Technology patent.
Even though the history of flash drives and NAND memory chips this new wave of technology is perplexing and riddled with dispute, the technology itself is thriving as an international solution to an international technological issue.
It is guessed that there are over 90million printed flash drives imported into the UK on an annual basis. They have been one of the best sellers in the promotional items industry for the past few years.
Affordable and easy to use, flash drives are the most convenient way to store, rewrite, reprogram, and transfer data in today’s highly dependent electronic culture. A new introduction to Memory Sticks is the branded and printed flash drives. Companies can now purchase in bulk USB drives with their custom logo printed on them. This new addition to a new trend is a great way to promote and encourage new business around the world.
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