Patent · US Expired

System and method for multiple device drivers to arbitrate for a single device

US6216196A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
4References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 14, 1999
Grant dateApr 10, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 14, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/362
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer system for controlling the operation of a multifunction device, including a central processing unit, a memory device connected to the central processing unit, a plurality of device drivers, wherein each of the plurality of device drivers issues commands to control the multifunction device and an arbitration mechanism connected to the plurality of device drivers and further connected to the multifunction device, wherein commands issued by the plurality of device drivers are received by the arbitration mechanism, and wherein the arbitration mechanism determines a sequence for the commands to be issued to the multifunction device.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.