Method and system for providing state change notifications in device drivers

• US 20030041179A1
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Snead, Robert R., Ramasubramanian, Narasimhan
• Granted Patent: US 7,171,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method and system are provided for asynchronously providing interested applications of state changes in removable devices. A device driver polls the device associated with the driver for state changes. The state changes result in a change notification being generated. The driver provides the change notifications to the interested applications. The present invention also provides a change notification by a device driver to interested applications when a client application initiates a change in the device.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for asynchronously notifying at least one application of state changes in a device, comprising:

using a device driver, independently polling a device associated with the device driver for one or more events corresponding to one or more of the state changes, wherein each event has a change notification; and

sending, by the device driver, the change notification to the at least one application.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is a library manager.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising registering, by the at least one application, for one or more change notifications desired to be received by the application.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the change notifications include a globally unique identifier.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

6. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 1.

7. A method in a computer system for asynchronously notifying at least one interested application of state changes in a device, comprising:

initiating a task by a client application to be performed on a device, said task resulting in a state change;

using a device driver associated with the device, creating a change notification corresponding to the initiated task; and

notifying, by the device driver, the interested application of the change notification.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the interested application is a library manager.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising registering for one or more change notifications desired by the interested application.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the initiated task alters the identification of the device.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the change notification includes a globally unique identifier.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 7.

13. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 7.

14. A computer system for notifying applications of state changes in removable devices, the system comprising:

a device driver that polls an associated device for state changes and provides change notifications corresponding to the state changes; and

one or more applications that receive the change notifications from the device driver.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more applications register for the change notifications that the one or more applications desire to receive from the device driver.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 14, wherein the change notifications include a globally unique identifier.

17. A computer system for notifying interested applications of state changes in a device, the system comprising:

an application that initiates a task to be performed on the device, the task resulting in a state change; and

a device driver that provides a change notification to the interested applications based upon the task.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein the interested application registers for the change notification.