Patent · US Expired

System and method for automatically loading a device driver

US6668376B1 · kind B1 · utility

36Cited by
5References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 7, 2000
Grant dateDec 23, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 7, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4415
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method in which device driver software for a peripheral device to be attached to a computer is automatically downloaded from a designated world wide web (WWW) site of the manufacturer of the peripheral device. The device driver is automatically installed in a computer, the device driver driving a peripheral device connected to the computer. As a first operation, the peripheral device provides unique identification data to the computer. The computer then obtains a URL address, which the manufacturer of the peripheral device previously set up to contain the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device, based on the obtained identification data from the peripheral device. Then, the obtained URL address containing the device driver for the peripheral device is accessed. The device driver is then downloaded from the accessed URL address and installed in the computer. With such an operation, the computer automatically installs the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device by accessing the previously established URL address containing the device driver for the peripheral device.

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