PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONNECTING A REMOTE USB DEVICE AUTOMATICALLY

• US 20110173338A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kcodes Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kcodes Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Yao-Lu, Chiu, Tang-En, Hsiau, Ze-Kai, Wu, Ming-Huei
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A processing system and method for connecting to a remote USB device automatically. The processing system and method provide a user computer to be connected to or disconnected from a USB device via a network system and a USB server connected to the USB device. In the beginning, the user computer finds a USB device for the user computer from the USB server via the network system; when detecting that the user computer issues request messages, the USB server connects the user computer with the USB device, and the USB device executes corresponding services according to the request messages issued by the user computer; in the last, after detecting that the USB device has finished the corresponding services according to the request messages issued by the user computer, the USB server is enabled to disconnect the user computer from the USB device.

Claims

1. A processing system that is connectable to a remote USB device automatically and embedded in a user computer, for detecting request messages that are stored in a queue area of the user computer and are not transmitted yet, allowing the user computer to be connected to or disconnected from a USB device via a USB server, the processing system comprising:

a comparison unit for acquiring device information of the USB device via the USB server and comparing the device information with driver information in the user computer, so as to find out a consistent USB device for the user computer;

a detection unit for detecting a status of the queue area that stores the request messages;

a control unit for generating a connection request according to the request messages issued by the user computer, and generating a disconnection request according to the status detected by the detection unit indicating that the request messages stored in the queue area are clear; and

a transmission unit for transmitting connection requests or disconnection requests generated by the control unit to the USB server, allowing the USB server to connect the user computer with the consistent USB device found by the detection unit according to the connection requests or disconnect the user computer from a USB device according to the disconnection requests.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the USB server includes a user identification module that has at least a user identification account and a password corresponding to the user identification account, the user identification account identifying connection authorization of the user computer to requesting the USB server to connect the user computer with the USB device.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the USB server further has a usage time management module for storing usage time regulation information corresponding to the user identification account, so as to regulate time when the user computer is connected to the USB device.

4. The processing system of claim 3, wherein the usage time regulation information are the time when connection usage is limited or allowed.

5. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the USB server further comprises a record storage module for recording a user identification account that proposes the connection requests or disconnection requests.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the USB server is a network apparatus that has a network protocol for communicating with a network system, a USB port for connecting to the USB device, and firmware for communicating with the processing system.

7. A processing method for connecting a remote USB device automatically, for allowing a user computer to be connected to or disconnected from a USB device via a network system and a USB server connected to the USB device, the processing method comprising the following steps of:

(1) via the user computer finding a USB device usable for the user computer from the USB server via the network system;

(2) when detecting that the user computer issues request messages, having the user computer detect a connection status of the USB device via the USB server according to the request messages, and then having the USB server connect the user computer with the USB device, if a detection result of the connection status indicates an idle status, proceeding to step (3); and

if the detection result of the connection status indicates a busy status, keeping detecting the connection status of the USB device, until the detection result of the connection status indicates the idle status, then proceeding to step (3);

(3) having the USB device execute corresponding services according to the request messages issued by the user computer; and

(4) after detecting that the USB device has finished the corresponding services according to the request messages issued by the user computer, enabling the USB server to disconnect the user computer from the USB device.

8. The processing method of claim 7, wherein in step (1), having the user computer find a USB device usable for the user computer from the USB server via the network system is according to a fact that device information of the USB device connected to the USB server are stored in the USB server, and a consistent USB device is found for the user computer after the device information are compared with the driver information stored in the user computer.

9. The processing method of claim 8, wherein in step (1) the USB device uses the device information to identify each different USB device if there are more than one devices with the same model.

10. The processing method of claim 7, wherein before step (1) is executed, the USB server checks a user identification account of the user computer that finds via the network system the USB device for the user computer.

11. The processing method of claim 7, wherein before having the user computer detect a connection status of a USB device via the USB driver according to the request messages of step (2) is executed, the USB server checks whether time when the user computer issues request messages is consistent with that when a USB device is in use.

12. The processing method of claim 7, wherein before having the USB connect the user computer with the USB device of step (2) is executed, the USB server records time when the user computer is connected to the USB device.

13. The processing method of claim 7, wherein before having the USB server disconnect the user computer from a USB device of step (4) is executed, the USB server records time when the user computer is not connected to the USB device.

14. The processing method of claim 7, wherein in step (4), detecting that all the issued request messages have finished the corresponding services is based on that the a queue area of the user computer is detected to be clear.