Patent ID: 7565476

Claim:
A memory device that receives from outside a command about reading, writing, or erasing of specified data, and that sends a ready signal to the outside when said specified data has become ready for reading on the basis of said command, or when an operation of writing or erasing said specified data has ended on the basis of said command, said memory device comprising: a memory portion that is capable of any of reading, writing, and erasing of said specified data; and a ready signal sending portion that sends said ready signal to the outside when a first condition and a second condition are both satisfied, where said first condition is satisfied when a state in which said specified data is ready for reading from said memory portion is detected, or when an end of the operation of writing or erasing said specified data to or from said memory portion is detected, and said second condition is satisfied when a preset ready generating timing is satisfied, and said ready signal sending portion monitors said memory portion to detect the state in which said specified data is ready for reading from said memory portion, or to detect the end of the operation of writing or erasing said specified data to or from said memory portion, and said ready signal sending portion generates a first ready signal that changes from a busy state to a ready state after the detection, and an enabling signal that changes from a disable state to an enable state on the basis of a preset value of the ready generating timing, and said ready signal sending portion sends a second ready signal in a ready state to the outside when said first ready signal is in the ready state and said enabling signal is in the enable state.