Apparatus and method for controlling device operation in computer
First Claim
1. A computer system, comprising:
- an internal input device configured to receive user commands; and
a controller coupled to the internal input device and communicating with an operating system program that determines when an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) input device is attached to the computer, and wherein the operating system is configured to ignore data from the internal input device and to receive data from the external USB input device when an external USB input device is attached to the computer system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for controlling driving of an auxiliary device in a computer. The computer would include an operating system (OS) having at least one of a keyboard controller driver and a system BIOS that controls the enabled/disabled status of an internal auxiliary device based on the attachment status of an external auxiliary device. The internal auxiliary device may be a keyboard, a touch pad, or a pointing stick. The external auxiliary device may be a USB mouse. A method embodying the invention may include the steps of: periodically checking whether an external auxiliary device has been attached/detached to/from the computer, and disabling or enabling driving of the internal device or the external device depending on the checking results.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A computer system, comprising:
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an internal input device configured to receive user commands; and
a controller coupled to the internal input device and communicating with an operating system program that determines when an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) input device is attached to the computer, and wherein the operating system is configured to ignore data from the internal input device and to receive data from the external USB input device when an external USB input device is attached to the computer system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer system, comprising:
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an internal input device configured to receive user commands; and
a controller coupled to the internal input device and communicating with an operating system program that is configured to receive an enable function key input indicating that an external input device should be enabled, wherein the operating system is configured to ignore data from the internal input device and to receive data from the external input device when the enable function key input is received. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for controlling a computer, comprising:
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determining whether an external USB input device has been attached to the computer, and disabling an internal input device of the computer and enabling the external USB input device when the result of the determining step indicates that an external USB input device has been attached to the computer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer system, comprising:
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means for determining whether an external USB input device has been attached to the computer, and means for disabling an internal input device of the computer and enabling the external USB input device when the result of the determining step indicates that an external USB input device has been attached to the computer.
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21. A computer readable medium that includes software configured to cause a computer to perform the steps of:
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determining whether an external USB input device has been attached to the computer, and disabling an internal input device of the computer and enabling the external USB input device when the result of the determining step indicates that the external USB input device has been attached to the computer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification