Patent ID: 7046519

Claim:
A small card adaptor into which a small card is inserted so as to be connected to a host apparatus, comprising: a small card identifying portion for identifying a kind of the inserted small card; and a controller, including a plurality of registers configured so as to comply with a PC card ATA standards interface, and for setting a command code and a parameter, and including a Status Register provided with a DRDYbit, and a small card interface control portion for transferring the command code and the parameter set in the plurality of registers to the small card, wherein the controller is configured for receiving an instruction, including the command code and the parameter for giving an instruction to the small card, issued by the host apparatus based on the kind of the small card identified by the small card identifying portion, transferring the received instruction to the small card, and giving a result of processing performed by the small card, based on the instruction transferred from the controller, to the host apparatus, wherein the small card is selected from a communication card for communication of the host apparatus through an electric communication line or a memory card for storing image data, the host apparatus sets the DRDYbit provided in the Status Register in accordance with the result of identification of the kind of the small card by the small card identifying portion, when the kind of the small card identified by the small card identifying portion is the communication card, the host apparatus sets a DRDYbit provided in a Status Register to be zero, and when the kind of the small card identified by the small card identifying portion is the memory card, the host apparatus sets the DRDYbit provided in the Status Register to be 1, the small card adaptor is inserted into an adaptor slot provided in the host apparatus, the small card is inserted into a card slot provided in the small card adaptor, the controller is provided with a CIS (Card Information Structure) information storing region in which CIS information is stored in accordance with the kind of the small card, and the host apparatus reads the CIS information stored in the CIS information storing region, and issues the instruction based on the read CIS information.