Method and system for interfacing with a computer output device
US5604843A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 23, 1992 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/1296
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer method and system for configuring device driver is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a device driver comprises a minidriver associated with each output device and a universal driver. Each minidriver implements a plurality of minidriver functions for controlling the outputting of data to the output device by invoking functions of the universal driver. During execution of a program, the program selects an output device and invokes the minidriver functions of the minidriver associated with the selected output device. An initialization function of each minidriver invokes an initialization function of the universal driver passing an indication of and attributes of the selected output device. Other minidriver functions invoke an analogous function of the universal driver passing an indication of the selected output device. The initialization function of the universal driver processes the passed attributes and stores the indication and the processed attributes. Each analogous function accesses the stored attributes and performs the behavior of the analogous function to effect the controlling of the output device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.