Patent ID: 7607936

Claim:
A power supply method for a memory card that has been inserted into an apparatus that can receive a plurality of types of memory cards, comprising: detecting that one type of the memory card out of a plurality of the types of memory cards has been inserted into a card slot; after a predetermined time has passed from detecting that the one type of the memory card has been inserted, judging whether or not there has been detected an insertion of a different type of memory card from the type of the memory card that has already been detected; specifying the type of the memory card that has been inserted, based on a result of the judgment; and supplying electric power to the specified type of memory card; wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of pairs of memory detection terminals, corresponding to the types of the memory cards, that are respectively to be connected by a card-side terminal provided to the memory card that has been inserted; wherein the type of the memory card that has been inserted is detected by a plurality of the pairs of the memory detection terminals being selectively connected by the card-side terminal; wherein in the case where, after the predetermined time has passed, two or more pairs of the memory detection terminals out of a plurality of the pairs of the memory detection terminals are detected as being connected, the type of the memory card corresponding to the pair of the memory detection terminals that is located at an inner side, in an insertion direction of the memory card, out of the pairs of the memory detection terminals that have been detected as being connected, is specified.