Adding function to device driver
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorKAZUHIRO KURABAYASHI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An information processing apparatus includes a detecting unit configured to detect an additional function data file including a description of an added function that is provided in addition to an already-installed device driver, a storing unit configured to store the detected additional function data file in an information storage area recognized as a logical device by an operating system, and a driver control unit configured to incorporate contents of the additional function data file into the already-installed device driver in response to the additional function data file stored in the information storage area.
Claims6
An information processing apparatus, comprising:
- a detecting unit configured to detect an additional function data file including a description of an added function that is provided in addition to an already-installed device driver;
- a storing unit configured to store the detected additional function data file in an information storage area recognized as a logical device by an operating system;
- and
- a driver control unit configured to incorporate contents of the additional function data file into the already-installed device driver in response to the additional function data file stored in the information storage area.
A machine-readable recording medium having a program embodied therein for causing a computer to add a function to an already-installed device driver, said program comprising:
- a detecting program-code unit configured to detect an additional function data file including a description of an added function that is provided in addition to an already-installed device driver;
- a storing program-code unit configured to store the detected additional function data file in an information storage area recognized as a logical device by an operating system;
- and
- a driver control program-code unit configured to incorporate contents of the additional function data file into the already-installed device driver in response to the additional function data file stored in the information storage area.
A method of adding a function to an already-installed device driver in a computer, comprising:
- detecting an additional function data file including a description of an added function that is provided in addition to an already-installed device driver;
- storing the detected additional function data file in an information storage area recognized as a logical device by an operating system;
- and
- incorporating contents of the additional function data file into the already-installed device driver in response to the additional function data file stored in the information storage area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.