Interface for providing access to external data sources/sinks
US5475836A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 1993 |
| Grant date | Dec 12, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 20, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99931
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An interface for enabling an application program to connect to a selected one or more of a plurality of external data sources/sinks, the application program running on a computer having active memory, the interface including a plurality of driver means, each of said drivers corresponding to a different subgroup of the plurality of external data sources/sinks; a name manager for identifying the drivers to the application; a selector for selecting one of the identified external data sources/sinks; a loader for loading the drivers corresponding to the selected external data source/sink into active memory; and an identifier for identifying a first plurality of entry points to a first plurality of function calls that said application can make to the loaded drivers, the plurality of function calls including function calls for establishing and/or terminating connectivity to the loaded drivers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.