Object interface control system
US6304918A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 16, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/465
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An object interface control system that provides a mechanism for identifying the functionality available at an interface separately from the interface itself. A COM implementation provides a new function call named QueryService which is similar to the existing QueryInterface function call. Services are defined which include a set of functionality. The set of functionality for a service is expressed through a family of interfaces. When requesting a pointer to a function using the QueryService call, one specifies the service name and the interface name. Different services may utilize the same interface. Different services may utilize the same interface through which each service provides different functionality. A QueryService function call may return a pointer to an interface on the same object to which the call was placed or it may return a pointer to an interface on a different object. Object identity is not assumed with the QueryService function call and hence queries for services can be easily delegated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.