Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral configuration
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-19
2001-01-23
Lee, Thomas C. (Department: 2782)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral configuration
C710S010000, C710S015000, C710S017000, C710S104000, C717S152000, C709S221000, C709S241000, C709S222000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178468
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the installation of devices on computers via “plug and play” functionality in operating systems, and more specifically to enabling a user to use “plug and play” functionality to obtain device installation resources from a remote location at the time a device is installed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditional “plug and play” techniques are well known in the art. Generally, an operating system (such as Microsoft Windows) comes already loaded with installation files for many of the devices the user is likely to want to attach to the computer. Then, when a user physically connects a new device to the computer, the device signals the operating system and identifies itself. The operating system then searches its file structure for the corresponding installation file and, if it finds one, runs the installation file so as to install the device automatically with minimal user interaction. If, on the other hand, the operating system cannot find an installation file corresponding to the new device, the operating system typically opens a dialog box with the user, inviting the user to supply an installation file from an external source such as a floppy disk or a CD.
While “plug and play” functionality is an extremely useful and convenient feature, the current state of the art leaves room for improvement in several areas. A first problem is a functional timing problem. Device manufacturers release new devices all the time. Operating system releases tend to be relatively infrequent, however. Thus, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for device manufacturers to anticipate their new product development implementation programs in order to include installation files for those new products in significantly earlier operating system releases.
A further business problem attends the functional timing problem just described. Even if a device manufacturer is physically able to anticipate the release of a new product so as to include an installation file on an earlier operating system release, the device manufacturer may not want to do this. The launch of a new product is often made according to a well-orchestrated pre-launch marketing schedule. The success of the launch is often related to the effectiveness of the pre-launch marketing schedule. It therefore may not be optimal, from a business standpoint, for a device manufacturer to “pre-announce” a new product prematurely by creating an installation file for the new product, just so that an operating system manufacturer can include that installation file in a significantly earlier release of the operating system software.
A further problem with the state of the current art in “plug and play” technology is that it is not flexible to allow device manufacturers to fix bugs or upgrade the firmware in devices after release of the corresponding installation file to the operating system manufacturer. This problem applies whether the device is to be newly released or has been in circulation for some time. The installation file released with the operating system relates to operation of the device at the time that the installation file was given to the operating system manufacturer. It is reasonable to expect that the device manufacturer will fix bugs, enhance, or upgrade the device over time. If the characteristics of the device change over time such that the original installation file given to operating system manufacturers becomes inoperable or obsolete, the advantages of “plug and play” are lost, since the device manufacturer must now ship updated installation files with the corrected, enhanced or updated product.
There is therefore a need in the art to enable device manufacturers to supply installation files to operating systems on more of a real time basis, advantageously according to the needs and conveniences of the device manufacturer, while still taking advantage of existing “plug and play” functionality in operating systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by an inventive real time plug and play installation mechanism which, instead of signaling the operating system to activate a pre-existing installation file previously shipped with the operating system file structure, energizes the operating system to retrieve the installation from a remote source. Examples of locations from which the installation resources may be retrieved include (1) an internet universal resource location (URL), (2) a dial-up bulletin board service (BBS), (3) a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) in which any required access protocols are supplied with the new device being installed, or (4) non-volatile storage (e.g. firmware) physically located on the new device being installed.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing sources are exemplary only, and that the invention is broader in concept in that installation resources may be supplied in accordance with the invention from any remote source accessible to the computer on which the new device is being installed.
The invention becomes enabled by using “plug and play” technology existing in the operating system. Instead of pre-supplying the actual installation resources to the manufacturer of the operating system, the device manufacturer supplies information with which the computer may obtain the corresponding installation resources from a remote source. With reference to the examples described above, such sources may be an internet URL or a BBS location. Alternatively, one of such sources may be non-volatile storage in the new device itself.
To leverage off the “plug and play” functionality in the operating system, the device manufacturer gives the operating system manufacturer a special installation file at the time that the operating system manufacturer distributes a new release. While appearing to the operating system to be a conventional installation file, the special file in fact either contains data identifying a selected remote source, or instructions to retrieve the remote source's identity from “handshaking” signals emitted by the new device being installed. This means that in the Windows 95 operating system, for example, the inventive mechanism would involve pre-supplying Microsoft with special “inf” files. Then, when a new device is installed, the device identifies itself to Windows, which retrieves the corresponding “inf” file. Instead of receiving installation instructions in the file, however, the operating system receives instructions to retrieve the installation resources from the selected remote location.
It is therefore a technical advantage of the present invention to allow device manufacturers to utilize the conveniences of “plug and play” technology, while still making the most recent and up-to-date installation resources available to prospective users. Since according to the invention, the operating system now only requires “directions” to a remote location maintained by the device manufacturer, the device manufacturer now has control of the release and upkeep of installation resources for the device manufacturer's products.
It is a further technical advantage of the present invention not to compel device manufacturers to “pre-announce” forthcoming products by having to place installation resources prematurely in operating systems. Instead, according to the invention, device manufacturers supply operating systems with executable files enabling retrieval of installation resources at a specified remote location preselected by the device manufacturer. The device manufacturer may then release installation resources via the preselected remote location according to the device manufacturer's own priorities and schedule.
A still further technical advantage of the present invention is that the device manufacturer is now also able to make upgrades and other improvements available to existing customers via the inventive mechanism. If a customer with currently-installed device learns of, for example, a firmware upgrade, she may retrieve the upgrade
Culp Jerlyn R.
Rudd Michael L
Hewlett--Packard Company
Lee Thomas C.
Schuster Katharina
LandOfFree
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