Selective user input notification for multiple applications

• US 20040216135A1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Reid D. Heimbeck
• Original Assignee: Reid D. Heimbeck
• Inventors: Heimbeck, Reid D.
• Application Number:
  US10/422,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20040216135A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method and device for sending an event from a device driver to multiple running applications. When used in conjunction with an operating system that has a broadcasting function, the method entails using the message broadcasting function that is native to the operating system (e.g., Windows CE) to channel an event (e.g., a user input) from the device driver level directly to multiple active applications. Upon creating the event to be broadcast, a data table that includes search values and broadcast data values may be used to translate the event into a broadcast value that is understood by the applications. The message to be broadcast may include an identifier that indicates to the application how the message should be processed. Optionally, the data table may include a filter value indicating whether each event should be forwarded to the operating system.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding an event to multiple applications running on a computer system that includes a device driver interfacing with a device, the method comprising:

detecting an event at the device driver; and

broadcasting from the device driver data about the event to the multiple applications running on the computer system so each application receives the event data, wherein the event data includes a unique message identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device driver interfaces between a user input device and Windows CE operating system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the device driver is an input device driver and the event is a user input received through an input device associated with the input device driver.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein device driver initialization further comprises building a data table, wherein the data table includes one or more search values and a broadcast data value for each search value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the initialization further comprises retrieving data from a nonvolatile storage to build the data table.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the data table further comprises a filter value corresponding to each search value, the filter value indicating whether the event that matches a search value is forwarded to an operating system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein broadcasting further comprises:

matching a search value in the data table with the detected event;

determining a broadcast data value that corresponds to the matched search value; and

broadcasting the broadcast data value.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising blocking the broadcasting of the event if no search value matches the detected event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting further comprises calling a “

PostMessage”

routine and setting a first parameter of the “

PostMessage”

routine to HWND_BROADCAST.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding an identifier to the event data indicating, to the application receiving the event data, information about whether and how to process the event upon receipt.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising calling a “

PostMessage”

routine and inserting the event identifier into a second parameter of the “

PostMessage”

call.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the initialization further comprises reserving a unique message identifier by calling “

RegisterWindowMessage”

.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the reservation further comprises submitting a parameter to receive the unique message identifier, wherein the parameter is stored in a common header file that is accessible to the device driver and the applications.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the unique message identifier indicates, to an application, that the event is different from a message that is directed to one specific application.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein device driver initialization further comprises performing a numerical operation on the event data to generate the unique message identifier.

16. An input device driver for a computer system having multiple applications, the device driver comprising:

computer instructions to detect an event; and

computer instructions to broadcast the event and a unique identifier indicating that the event is part of a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message is sent from the device driver to multiple applications.

17. The input device driver of claim 16, wherein the device driver interfaces between a user input device and Windows CE operating system.

18. The input device driver of claim 16 wherein the event is a user input.

19. The input device driver of claim 16, wherein device driver initialization comprises building a data table, wherein the data table includes a set of search values and a broadcast data value for each of the search values.

20. The input device driver of claim 19, wherein the set of search values are retrieved from a nonvolatile storage.

21. The input device driver of claim 19 wherein the data table further comprises a filter value corresponding to each of the search values, the filter value indicating whether the event that matches each of the search values is meant to be delivered to an operating system.

22. The input device driver of claim 19 wherein the computer instructions for broadcasting comprise:

computer instructions to look for a search value that matches the detected event; and

computer instructions to determine a broadcast data value that corresponds to the search value based on the data table.

23. The input device driver of claim 22 further comprising computer instructions to refrain from broadcasting the event if there is no search value that matches the detected event.

24. The input device driver of claim 16, wherein the computer instructions for broadcasting comprise computer instructions to call “

PostMessage” and

set a first parameter of “

PostMessage”

to HWND_BROADCAST.

25. The input device driver of claim 16 further comprising computer instructions to add an identifier to the event indicating to a recipient application whether and how to process the event upon receipt.

26. The input device driver of claim 25 further comprising computer instructions to call “

PostMessage” and

make the identifier a second parameter of the “

PostMessage”

call.

27. The input device driver of claim 16 further comprising computer instructions to reserve a unique message identifier by calling “

RegisterWindowMessage”

.

28. The input device driver of claim 27 further comprising computer instructions to submit a parameter to receive the unique message identifier, wherein the parameter is stored in a common header file that is accessible to the device driver and the applications.

29. The input device driver of claim 27 wherein the unique message identifier indicates to the applications receiving the event that that the event is different from a message that is directed to one specific application.

30. The input device driver of claim 16 further comprising computer instructions to perform a numerical operation on the event data to generate the unique message identifier.