diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
index 8cc0489e69d1b..c775e4f2c5a5e 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 /*
+
  * drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.c
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2011 Google, Inc.
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ struct ion_device {
  * @dev:		backpointer to ion device
  * @handles:		an rb tree of all the handles in this client
  * @lock:		lock protecting the tree of handles
- * @heap_mask:		mask of all supported heaps
+ * @heap_type_mask:	mask of all supported heap types
  * @name:		used for debugging
  * @task:		used for debugging
  *
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ struct ion_client {
 	struct ion_device *dev;
 	struct rb_root handles;
 	struct mutex lock;
-	unsigned int heap_mask;
+	unsigned int heap_type_mask;
 	const char *name;
 	struct task_struct *task;
 	pid_t pid;
@@ -386,7 +387,7 @@ static void ion_handle_add(struct ion_client *client, struct ion_handle *handle)
 }
 
 struct ion_handle *ion_alloc(struct ion_client *client, size_t len,
-			     size_t align, unsigned int heap_mask,
+			     size_t align, unsigned int heap_id_mask,
 			     unsigned int flags)
 {
 	struct ion_handle *handle;
@@ -394,8 +395,8 @@ struct ion_handle *ion_alloc(struct ion_client *client, size_t len,
 	struct ion_buffer *buffer = NULL;
 	struct ion_heap *heap;
 
-	pr_debug("%s: len %d align %d heap_mask %u flags %x\n", __func__, len,
-		 align, heap_mask, flags);
+	pr_debug("%s: len %d align %d heap_id_mask %u flags %x\n", __func__,
+		 len, align, heap_id_mask, flags);
 	/*
 	 * traverse the list of heaps available in this system in priority
 	 * order.  If the heap type is supported by the client, and matches the
@@ -410,10 +411,10 @@ struct ion_handle *ion_alloc(struct ion_client *client, size_t len,
 	down_read(&dev->lock);
 	plist_for_each_entry(heap, &dev->heaps, node) {
 		/* if the client doesn't support this heap type */
-		if (!((1 << heap->type) & client->heap_mask))
+		if (!((1 << heap->type) & client->heap_type_mask))
 			continue;
-		/* if the caller didn't specify this heap type */
-		if (!((1 << heap->id) & heap_mask))
+		/* if the caller didn't specify this heap id */
+		if (!((1 << heap->id) & heap_id_mask))
 			continue;
 		buffer = ion_buffer_create(heap, dev, len, align, flags);
 		if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(buffer))
@@ -588,24 +589,24 @@ static int ion_debug_client_show(struct seq_file *s, void *unused)
 {
 	struct ion_client *client = s->private;
 	struct rb_node *n;
-	size_t sizes[ION_NUM_HEAPS] = {0};
-	const char *names[ION_NUM_HEAPS] = {0};
+	size_t sizes[ION_NUM_HEAP_IDS] = {0};
+	const char *names[ION_NUM_HEAP_IDS] = {0};
 	int i;
 
 	mutex_lock(&client->lock);
 	for (n = rb_first(&client->handles); n; n = rb_next(n)) {
 		struct ion_handle *handle = rb_entry(n, struct ion_handle,
 						     node);
-		enum ion_heap_type type = handle->buffer->heap->type;
+		unsigned int id = handle->buffer->heap->id;
 
-		if (!names[type])
-			names[type] = handle->buffer->heap->name;
-		sizes[type] += handle->buffer->size;
+		if (!names[id])
+			names[id] = handle->buffer->heap->name;
+		sizes[id] += handle->buffer->size;
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
 
 	seq_printf(s, "%16.16s: %16.16s\n", "heap_name", "size_in_bytes");
-	for (i = 0; i < ION_NUM_HEAPS; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < ION_NUM_HEAP_IDS; i++) {
 		if (!names[i])
 			continue;
 		seq_printf(s, "%16.16s: %16u\n", names[i], sizes[i]);
@@ -626,7 +627,7 @@ static const struct file_operations debug_client_fops = {
 };
 
 struct ion_client *ion_client_create(struct ion_device *dev,
-				     unsigned int heap_mask,
+				     unsigned int heap_type_mask,
 				     const char *name)
 {
 	struct ion_client *client;
@@ -661,7 +662,7 @@ struct ion_client *ion_client_create(struct ion_device *dev,
 	client->handles = RB_ROOT;
 	mutex_init(&client->lock);
 	client->name = name;
-	client->heap_mask = heap_mask;
+	client->heap_type_mask = heap_type_mask;
 	client->task = task;
 	client->pid = pid;
 
@@ -1057,7 +1058,7 @@ static long ion_ioctl(struct file *filp, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 		if (copy_from_user(&data, (void __user *)arg, sizeof(data)))
 			return -EFAULT;
 		data.handle = ion_alloc(client, data.len, data.align,
-					     data.heap_mask, data.flags);
+					     data.heap_id_mask, data.flags);
 
 		if (IS_ERR(data.handle))
 			return PTR_ERR(data.handle);
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.h b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.h
index e5f679f1b9896..a315858f96a43 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion.h
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ enum ion_heap_type {
 #define ION_HEAP_SYSTEM_CONTIG_MASK	(1 << ION_HEAP_TYPE_SYSTEM_CONTIG)
 #define ION_HEAP_CARVEOUT_MASK		(1 << ION_HEAP_TYPE_CARVEOUT)
 
+#define ION_NUM_HEAP_IDS		sizeof(unsigned int) * 8
+
 /**
  * heap flags - the lower 16 bits are used by core ion, the upper 16
  * bits are reserved for use by the heaps themselves.
@@ -71,8 +73,9 @@ struct ion_buffer;
 /**
  * struct ion_platform_heap - defines a heap in the given platform
  * @type:	type of the heap from ion_heap_type enum
- * @id:		unique identifier for heap.  When allocating (lower numbers 
- * 		will be allocated from first)
+ * @id:		unique identifier for heap.  When allocating higher numbers
+ * 		will be allocated from first.  At allocation these are passed
+ *		as a bit mask and therefore can not exceed ION_NUM_HEAP_IDS.
  * @name:	used for debug purposes
  * @base:	base address of heap in physical memory if applicable
  * @size:	size of the heap in bytes if applicable
@@ -116,12 +119,13 @@ void ion_reserve(struct ion_platform_data *data);
 
 /**
  * ion_client_create() -  allocate a client and returns it
- * @dev:	the global ion device
- * @heap_mask:	mask of heaps this client can allocate from
- * @name:	used for debugging
+ * @dev:		the global ion device
+ * @heap_type_mask:	mask of heaps this client can allocate from
+ * @name:		used for debugging
  */
 struct ion_client *ion_client_create(struct ion_device *dev,
-				     unsigned int heap_mask, const char *name);
+				     unsigned int heap_type_mask,
+				     const char *name);
 
 /**
  * ion_client_destroy() -  free's a client and all it's handles
@@ -134,21 +138,22 @@ void ion_client_destroy(struct ion_client *client);
 
 /**
  * ion_alloc - allocate ion memory
- * @client:	the client
- * @len:	size of the allocation
- * @align:	requested allocation alignment, lots of hardware blocks have
- *		alignment requirements of some kind
- * @heap_mask:	mask of heaps to allocate from, if multiple bits are set
- *		heaps will be tried in order from lowest to highest order bit
- * @flags:	heap flags, the low 16 bits are consumed by ion, the high 16
- *		bits are passed on to the respective heap and can be heap
- * 		custom
+ * @client:		the client
+ * @len:		size of the allocation
+ * @align:		requested allocation alignment, lots of hardware blocks
+ *			have alignment requirements of some kind
+ * @heap_id_mask:	mask of heaps to allocate from, if multiple bits are set
+ *			heaps will be tried in order from highest to lowest
+ *			id
+ * @flags:		heap flags, the low 16 bits are consumed by ion, the
+ *			high 16 bits are passed on to the respective heap and
+ *			can be heap custom
  *
  * Allocate memory in one of the heaps provided in heap mask and return
  * an opaque handle to it.
  */
 struct ion_handle *ion_alloc(struct ion_client *client, size_t len,
-			     size_t align, unsigned int heap_mask,
+			     size_t align, unsigned int heap_id_mask,
 			     unsigned int flags);
 
 /**
@@ -237,19 +242,19 @@ struct ion_handle *ion_import_dma_buf(struct ion_client *client, int fd);
 
 /**
  * struct ion_allocation_data - metadata passed from userspace for allocations
- * @len:	size of the allocation
- * @align:	required alignment of the allocation
- * @heap_mask:	mask of heaps to allocate from
- * @flags:	flags passed to heap
- * @handle:	pointer that will be populated with a cookie to use to refer
- *		to this allocation
+ * @len:		size of the allocation
+ * @align:		required alignment of the allocation
+ * @heap_id_mask:	mask of heap ids to allocate from
+ * @flags:		flags passed to heap
+ * @handle:		pointer that will be populated with a cookie to use to 
+ *			refer to this allocation
  *
  * Provided by userspace as an argument to the ioctl
  */
 struct ion_allocation_data {
 	size_t len;
 	size_t align;
-	unsigned int heap_mask;
+	unsigned int heap_id_mask;
 	unsigned int flags;
 	struct ion_handle *handle;
 };