Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral configuration
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-23
2001-08-14
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2782)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral configuration
C710S015000, C710S019000, C709S223000, C370S902000, C370S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06275874
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to universal communication with peripheral devices, and more particularly to communication with a plurality of peripheral devices using a common communications protocol on a common communications channel.
2. Description of Related Art
There are various manufacturers of peripheral devices including printers, bar code readers, and scanners, for example. Each manufacturer and peripheral employs its own communications protocol to enable a control device such as a computer to communicate with the peripheral.
In a computer system, the problem of different communications protocols for different peripheral devices is solved by employing drivers specifically designed to interface a computer bus to a peripheral device to enable communication therebetween. However, this problem is compounded with the proliferation of distributed systems in which printers, for example, may be controlled by one or more widely distributed computers on a local area network. In such distributed systems, for each computer to have access to each printer, each computer must have the required drivers for each printer.
Printers are usually connected to a local area network by an adapter card which resides in a computer. The adapter card communicates with a parallel port of the computer to control the printer with codes specific to that printer. Such codes are sent over the network from an originating computer, which may be any computer configured with a suitable driver to produce the necessary control codes to control the printer. Thus, the originating computer produces the codes required by the printer to control the printer and sends such codes over the network to the adapter card. Consequently, each originating computer must have an appropriate driver to produce the necessary codes to control the printer. This requires that each originating computer have knowledge of each available printer. This can be daunting to maintain. What would be desirable therefore, is a universal system for communication with peripheral devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above problems by providing a universal system and method for communication with peripheral devices which allows for a common communications protocol or language to be used to communicate with any peripheral device and which provides for translation of communications from the common communications protocol to the specific protocol required by the peripheral device. Furthermore, it provides the ability to employ a common communications medium on which a plurality of computers and peripherals can communicate to achieve distributed processing without installing peripheral specific drivers in each computer to enable each computer to communicate with each peripheral device. In one embodiment, this common communications medium includes a network employing the TCP/IP protocol and thus the invention effectively provides a way of permitting peripherals to communicate on an internet or intranet, thereby allowing users of the world wide web to access input/output resources at any location thereon.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus including a communications port, a translator in communication with the communications port, and a peripheral port in communication with the translator. The communications port receives communication signals and produces communication codes in response thereto. The translator translates the communication codes into peripheral codes. The peripheral port produces signals for communicating with a peripheral in response to the peripheral codes. Preferably, the peripheral port also receives signals from the peripheral and produces peripheral codes in response thereto, the translator also translates the peripheral codes into communication codes, and the communications port also produces communication signals in response to the communication codes.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system including the apparatus described above and further including a peripheral adjunct management client for receiving at least one configuration table and for communicating an augmented configuration table to the apparatus. Preferably, the peripheral adjunct management client includes a transmitter for transmitting a notice of availability of at least one of a plurality of peripherals to devices in communication with the apparatus, which may desire to communicate with one of the peripherals.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for carrying out the above functions.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for establishing communications with at least one peripheral. The method includes receiving at least one parameter associated with the peripheral, and transmitting a notice of availability of the peripheral to at least one device desirous of communicating with the peripheral, in response to receipt of the at least one parameter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5832298 (1998-11-01), Sanchez et al.
patent: 5862404 (1999-01-01), Onaga
patent: 5878278 (1999-03-01), Carreiro et al.
patent: 5949979 (1999-09-01), Snow et al.
patent: 6067558 (2000-05-01), Wendt et al.
Lee Thomas
Nortel Networks Limited
Perveen Rehana
LandOfFree
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