Patent · US Expired

Method of communicating asynchronous elements from a mini-port driver

US6378004B1 · kind B1 · utility

17Cited by
11References
45Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 7, 1998
Grant dateApr 23, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 7, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/102
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer system in accordance with the present invention provides a method of communicating asynchronous events from a mini-port driver of a computer system to a software component without polling the mini-port driver. The computer system provides a monolithic driver as a dispatch between a mini-port driver and a software component. Until an asynchronous event is detected, an event thread in the monolithic driver to a software component is blocked. When an asynchronous event is detected by the mini-port driver, the mini-port driver calls the monolithic driver with a monolithic driver entry point which queues the event and unblocks the event thread. The monolithic driver provides the asynchronous event to the software component through the unblocked event thread. The event thread is then re-blocked and remains blocked until another asynchronous event is detected. Asynchronous events are thereby communicated from a mini-port driver to a software component without polling the mini-port driver.

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