Patent ID: 7299305

Claim:
An apparatus for indicating a connection state of an input/output cable, comprising: an indicator that is a communication device between an AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive and a host interconnected via the input/output cable and that indicates in response to a control signal whether the AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive is connected to or disconnected from the host via the input/output cable; a timer that counts a time required for receiving the command from the host; and a controller that sets a flag to check the connection state of the input/output cable, when power is applied to the AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive, and outputs a signal to the timer to increase a time counter, when a command is not received from the host for a predetermined period of time after determining the flag is set, and outputs the control signal to the indicator to indicate that the input/output cable is not connected to the host when the increased time exceeds a reference time, wherein the indicator is a light emitting diode that turns on in response to the control signal output from the controller, when the host is connected to the AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive via the input/output cable, and turns off when the host is not connected to the AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive via the input/output cable, and the controller clears the set flag when the command is received from the host for the predetermined period of time.