Software device for supporting a new class of PC peripherals
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorJay Connelly
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for associating and selecting a set of I/O components as a source or destination of I/O data directed to or from an application. A set of I/O components are modeled as a component object model which becomes a generic access device (GAD) for those components. Relevant interfaces to the components are instantiated within the GAD. The GAD then hands out the interfaces to applications wishing to access the I/O devices modeled by the GAD. The application is thereby enabled to carry out meaningful communication with the I/O devices to which the GAD provided interfaces.
Claims14
A method of supporting a plurality of I/O devices remove from a host computer, the method comprising:
- associating interfaces to the plurality of I/O devices together to form a generic access device (GAD);
- identifying the GAD as a source of interfaces to the plurality of I/O devices;
- obtaining from the GAD an interface to at least one remote I/O device;
- and
- communicating between the host computer and at least one I/O device using the interface provide by the GAD.
A method of communicating with a plurality of associated I/O devices remote from a personal computer comprising:
- associating a plurality of component object model (COM) interfaces to the plurality of I/O devices as a generic access device (GAD);
- and
- requesting from the GAD by an application program a COM interface which supports a desired type of interaction specified by the application program.
A computer system that allows computer resources to be used at a location remote from a host processor, the system comprising:
- the host processor having the plurality of local I/O devices associated therewith;
- a plurality of remote I/O devices associated as a unit for purposes of communication with the processor;
- and
- a generic access device (GAD) storing an association between the remote I/O devices and a plurality of interfaces thereto, the GAD residing local to the host processor.
A method of supporting a plurality of I/O devices remote from a host computer, the method comprising:
- associated interfaces to the plurality of I/O devices to form generic access devices (GADs) according to a specified scheme;
- identifying at least one GAD as a source of at least one interface providing functionality requested by an application program on the host computer;
- obtaining from an identified GAD at least one interface to at least one I/O device;
- communicating between an application program on the host computer and at least one I/O device through an interface obtained from the identified GAD.
A method of communicating with a plurality of I/O devices remote from a personal computer comprising:
- associating a plurality of COM interfaces to the plurality of I/O devices into multiple GADs according to a specified scheme;
- grouping the GADs into a GAD layer;
- and
- requesting from the GAD layer by an application program a GAD which provides at least one COM interface which supports functionality specified by the application program.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.