Method and apparatus for providing dynamic entry points into a software layer
US5887169A · kind A · utility
22Cited by
2References
18Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 1996 |
| Grant date | Mar 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/4486
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A technique for enhancing a software layer while ensuring backwards compatibility is disclosed. In one implementation, the software layer is a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) that interfaces between hardware and an operating system of a computer system. The HAL can be enhanced with additional functionality without having to worry about crashing the operating system when the particular HAL in use with the computer system lacks the additional functionality. Hence, the inventive technique allows enhancements to the HAL to be made without causing any backwards compatible problems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.