Text based markup language resource interface

• US 20070055973A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ovonyx Memory Technology, LLC (Micron Technology, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: James Mckeeth
• Inventors: McKeeth, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A software control method and apparatus for displaying a text based markup language interface. The interface can interact with a computer to provide reference documents, install system drivers and perform various system utilities. The interface can reference optical drivers, hard disk drives or other storage medium and files available over a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) including the Internet. A graphical user interface using a text markup language such as hypertext markup language (HTML) can allow for activation for a user interactive control such as an icon or a hyperlink. Activation of an interactive control can hook onto a hypertext link target associated with the activated user interactive control result in the performance of an initial action responsive to variables including the control, a uniform resource locator associated with the interactive control and the hypertext link target.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a computer to install device drivers, the method comprising:

presenting via a computer a graphical representation of a text markup language document providing control for installation of device drivers for the computer to a user, wherein the graphical representation includes at least one interactive user control for activating a text hyperlink;

receiving an activated hypertext link from the user, wherein the hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document comprising a target and a uniform resource locator;

determining in the computer whether the target is a request to load a device driver;

extracting in the computer a device identification and an operating system when the target is the request to load the device driver;

searching an initialization file for a reference to the device identification and the operating system;

automatically copying device related files into file directories referenced by the operating system; and

merging device related files into the operating system registry.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

identifying a JIMFILE line in the initialization file; and

deleting a file from a folder specified in the JIMFILE line.

3. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising:

identifying a JIM line in the initialization file; and

deleting a hardware registry key specified in the JIM line.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises receiving a user request for a specific device driver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises receiving a user request for a device driver that is dependent on the hardware or software included in the computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a folder to hold the device related files.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to reboot the computer after copying the device related files into file directories referenced by the operating system.

8. An apparatus for interacting with a computer to install device drivers, the apparatus comprising:

means for presenting via a computer a graphical representation of a text markup language document providing control for installation of device drivers for the computer to a user, wherein the graphical representation includes at least one interactive user control for activating a text hyperlink;

means for receiving an activated hypertext link from the user, wherein the hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document comprising a target and a uniform resource locator;

means for determining in the computer whether the target is a request to load a device driver;

means for extracting in the computer a device identification and an operating system when the target is the request to load the device driver;

means for searching an initialization file for a reference to the device identification and the operating system;

means for automatically copying device related files into file directories referenced by the operating system; and

means for merging device related files into the operating system registry.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, additionally comprising:

means for identifying a JIMFILE line in the initialization file; and

means for deleting a file from a folder specified in the JIMFILE line.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, additionally comprising:

means for identifying a JIM line in the initialization file; and

means for deleting a hardware registry key specified in the JIM line.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein receiving an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises receiving a user request for a specific device driver.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for receiving an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises a means for receiving a user request for a device driver that is dependent on the hardware or software included in the computer.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a means for creating a folder to hold the device related files.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a means for prompting the user to reboot the computer after copying the device related files into file directories referenced by the operating system.

15. A computer program residing on computer readable media, the computer program comprising:

computer code configured to present via a computer a graphical representation of a text markup language document providing control for installation of device drivers for the computer to a user, wherein the graphical representation includes at least one interactive user control for activating a text hyperlink;

computer code configured to receive an activated hypertext link from the user, wherein the hypertext link is associated with hypertext link attributes by the text markup language document comprising a target and a uniform resource locator;

computer code configured to determine in the computer whether the target is a request to load a device driver;

computer code configured to extract in the computer a device identification and an operating system when the target is the request to load the device driver;

computer code configured to search an initialization file for a reference to the device identification and the operating system;

computer code configured to automatically copy device related files into file directories referenced by the operating system; and

computer code configured to merge device related files into the operating system registry.

16. The computer program of claim 15, additionally comprising:

computer code configured to identify a JIMFILE line in the initialization file; and

computer code configured to delete a file from a folder specified in the JIMFILE line.

17. The computer program of claim 16, additionally comprising:

computer code configured to identify a JIM line in the initialization file; and

computer code configured to delete a hardware registry key specified in the JIM line.

18. The computer program of claim 15, wherein computer code configured to receive an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises computer code configured to receive a user request for a specific device driver.

19. The computer program of claim 15, wherein computer code configured to receive an activated hyperlink text from the user comprises computer code configured to receive a user request for a device driver that is dependent on the hardware or software included in the computer.

20. The computer program of claim 15, further comprising computer code configured to creating a folder to hold the device related files.