Method and apparatus for arbitrating access to selected computer system devices
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for arbitrating access to a selected device in a computer system, comprising:
- a routine for registering connection rules for accessing said selected device;
a plurality of competing system clients each requesting a connection to said selected device; and
an arbitrator for granting said connection to selected ones of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rule, said arbitrator being configured to distinguish between and among a plurality of connection options specified by said plurality of competing system clients and to grant said connection in accordance with the specified connection options.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for arbitrating access to a selected device in a computer system comprises a routine for registering access rules for accessing the selected system device, a plurality of competing clients which may each request a connection to the selected device, and an arbitrator which uses the registered access rules to negotiate access to the requested connection on behalf of the competing clients.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for arbitrating access to a selected device in a computer system, comprising:
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a routine for registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; a plurality of competing system clients each requesting a connection to said selected device; and an arbitrator for granting said connection to selected ones of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rule, said arbitrator being configured to distinguish between and among a plurality of connection options specified by said plurality of competing system clients and to grant said connection in accordance with the specified connection options. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for arbitrating access to a selected system device in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules, wherein said granting step includes distinguishing between and among a plurality of specified connection options and granting said connection in accordance therewith. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which cause a computer system to arbitrate access to a selected device by performing the steps of:
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registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules, wherein said granting step includes distinguishing between and among a plurality of specified connection options and granting said connection in accordance therewith. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for arbitrating access to selected computer system devices, comprising:
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means for registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; means for requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and
; andmeans for granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules, said means for granting said connection being configured to distinguish between and among a plurality of connection options specified by said plurality of competing system clients and to grant said connection in accordance with the specified connection options. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for arbitrating access to a selected device in a computer system, comprising:
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a routine for registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; a plurality of competing system clients each requesting a connection to said selected device; and an arbitrator for granting said connection to selected ones of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules; wherein said routine includes a discrete access point which is registered to connect said selected ones of said plurality of said competing system clients with said selected device.
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18. A method for arbitrating access to a selected system device in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules; wherein said step of registering is performed by a routine which also registers an ownership relationship between said routine and said selected device.
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19. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which cause a computer system to arbitrate access to a selected device by performing the steps of:
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registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules; wherein said step of registering is performed by a routine which also registers an ownership relationship between said routine and said selected device.
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20. An apparatus for arbitrating access to selected computer system devices, comprising:
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means for registering connection rules for accessing said selected device; means for requesting a connection to said selected device for a plurality of competing system clients; and means for granting said connection to one or more of said plurality of competing system clients based upon said registered connection rules; wherein said means for registering includes a discrete access point which is registered to connect said selected ones of said plurality of said competing system clients with said selected device.
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Specification