Simple and dynamic configuration of network devices
First Claim
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1. A network device interaction system comprising:
- an application component that seeks to utilize a network device; and
a configuration system that automatically configures the network device to operate with the application component.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and method for configuring and managing network devices. The arrival (and departure) of devices on a network can be detected by a monitor. Upon detection, network devices can be simply and dynamically configured with little or no end-user intervention, for instance by automatically loading device drivers and allocating resources for the devices. Furthermore, network devices can be associated with other network devices such as a personal computer to facilitate seamless integration of network devices with a computer operating system.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A network device interaction system comprising:
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an application component that seeks to utilize a network device; and
a configuration system that automatically configures the network device to operate with the application component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A network device configuration system comprising:
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a monitor component that monitors a local area network for the arrival of network devices; and
a configuration component that automatically configures a network device detected by the monitor component to operate in conjunction with a computer system. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A dynamic network device configuration system comprising:
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an association component that specifies an association of the network device with at least one other active network component;
an enumerator component that generates a physical device object (PDO) component that provides information about the device to be configured; and
a PnP system that utilizes the PDO component to produce a functional device object (FDO) component that exposes device functionality to associated network components. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for interacting with network devices comprising:
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detecting the arrival of a device on a local network; and
configuring the device automatically upon detection. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of configuring a network device comprising:
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associating a network device with at least one other installed network device;
locating a driver component associated with the network device;
retrieving the driver component; and
loading the driver component to facilitate installation of the network device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A methodology for dynamic configuration of network devices comprising:
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detecting the arrival of a network device on a network;
creating a physical device object component representing the device;
locating a driver component associated with the device and utilizing the driver component to generate a functional device object that exposes the device functionality to applications. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification