BOYLE EVAN R (US)
SARCONE CHRISTOPHER J (US)
ROTBARD BARAK (US)
AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 29 September 2016 (29.09.2016) 1. A storage device, comprising: a non-volatile memory; a volatile memory that supports a normal mode and a self-refresh mode; and a controller, which is configured to: store data for a host in the non-volatile memory while using the volatile memory in the normal mode; in response to receiving a power-down command from the host, deactivate at least part of the storage device and switch the volatile memory from the normal mode to the self -refresh mode; and activate the at least part of the storage device and to switch the volatile memory to the normal mode in response to receiving a wake-up command from the host. 2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the volatile memory comprises a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). 3. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to detecting that a power interruption occurred while the volatile memory was in the self -refresh mode, the controller is configured to recover content of the volatile memory from the non- volatile memory. 4. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to detecting that a power interruption occurred while the volatile memory was in the self -refresh mode, the controller is configured to decide whether or not to recover the content of the volatile memory from the non- volatile memory depending on a duration of the power interruption. 5. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to backup the content of the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory prior to switching to the self-refresh mode, and, in response to the wake-up command, to decide whether or not to recover the content of the volatile memory from the non- volatile memory. 6. The storage device according to any of claim 1 or 2, and comprising a back-up power source configured to provide temporary electrical power to the volatile memory at least while the volatile memory is in the self -refresh mode. 7. The storage device according to any of claim 1 or 2, wherein, in response to the power- down command, the controller is configured to switch the volatile memory to the self-refresh mode and then send an acknowledgement to the host, and to deactivate the at least part of the storage device in response to receiving a deactivation instruction from the host. 8. A method for data storage, comprising: in a storage device that comprises a non-volatile memory (NVM) and a volatile memory that supports a normal mode and a self-refresh mode, storing data for a host in the non- volatile memory while using the volatile memory in the normal mode; in response to receiving a power-down command from the host, deactivating at least part of the storage device and switching the volatile memory from the normal mode to the self- refresh mode; and activating the at least part of the storage device and switching the DRAM to the normal mode in response to receiving a wake-up command from the host. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the volatile memory comprises a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein activating the part of the storage device comprises, in response to detecting that a power interruption occurred while the volatile memory was in the self-refresh mode, recovering content of the volatile memory from the nonvolatile memory. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein recovering the content comprises, in response to detecting that a power interruption occurred while the volatile memory was in the self -refresh mode, deciding whether or not to recover the content of the volatile memory from the non- volatile memory depending on a duration of the power interruption. 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein switching to the self-refresh mode comprises backing-up the content of the volatile memory to the non- volatile memory prior to switching to the self-refresh mode, and wherein recovering the content comprises, in response to the wake-up command, deciding whether or not to recover the content of the volatile memory from the non-volatile memory. 13. The method according to any of claim 8 or 9, and comprising providing temporary electrical power to the volatile memory using a back-up power source, at least while the volatile memory is in the self-refresh mode. 14. The method according to any of claim 8 or 9, wherein switching to the self-refresh mode comprises sending an acknowledgement to the host after switching the volatile memory to the self-refresh mode, and wherein deactivating the at least part of the storage device comprises disabling the at least part of the storage device in response to receiving a deactivation instruction from the host. 15. A system, comprising: a host; and a storage device, comprising: a non- volatile memory; a volatile memory that supports a normal mode and a self -refresh mode; and a controller, which is configured to: store data for the host in the non-volatile memory while using the volatile memory in the normal mode; in response to receiving a power-down command from the host, to deactivate at least part of the storage device, including a primary interface between the storage device and the host, and to switch the volatile memory from the normal mode to the self -refresh mode; and receive from the host a wake-up command over a wake-up interface that is separate from the primary interface. 16. A storage device, comprising: a non- volatile memory; a volatile memory that supports a normal mode and a self -refresh mode; and a controller, which is configured to: store data for a host in the non-volatile memory while using the volatile memory in the normal mode; deactivate at least part of the storage device and switch the volatile memory from the normal mode to the self -refresh mode in response to receiving a power-down command from the host; and deactivate a primary interface between the storage device and the host in response to receiving the power-down command, and receive from the host a wake-up command over a wake-up interface that is separate from the primary interface. 17. A method for data storage, comprising: in a storage device that comprises a non-volatile memory (NVM) and a volatile memory that supports a normal mode and a self-refresh mode, storing data for a host in the non- volatile memory while using the volatile memory in the normal mode; and in response to receiving a power-down command from the host, deactivating at least part of the storage device, including a primary interface between the storage device and the host, and switching the volatile memory from the normal mode to the self -refresh mode; and receiving from the host a wake-up command over a wake-up interface that is separate from the primary interface. |