Automatically selecting and downloading device drivers from a server system to a client system that includes one or more devices

• US 6,023,585 A
• Filed: 05/02/1997
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G., Bucher, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/850,846
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 395/681, 395/680, 395/712, 395/652, 395/685, 395/828, 395/653, 395/830
• US Class Current: 717/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4415 Self describing peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A method is provided of installing device drivers in a host processing system coupled to a number of peripheral devices. At system initialization, the host processing system requests the peripheral devices to which it is coupled to each provide a device code for identifying the type of the peripheral device. The host processing system receives the device codes from the peripheral devices and transmits the device codes to a remote server over a network, such as the Internet. The remote server selects an appropriate device driver for each peripheral device from a plurality of stored device drivers based on the device codes received from the host processing system and then transmits the device drivers to the host processing system over the network. This driver download process is carried out with no intervention from the user.

Claims

1. In a client system coupled to a peripheral device, a method of retrieving a device driver from a remote server and installing the device driver to the client system, the method comprising the steps of:

storing on the remote server device drivers for peripheral devices compatible with the client system and a device code associated with each compatible peripheral device and its device driver;

receiving, at the client system, the device code from the peripheral device;

transmitting the device code from the client system to the remote server, the device code being received at the client system and transmitted to the remote server without a user of the client system providing input that further identifies the peripheral device; and

receiving, at the client system, the device driver from the remote server, the device driver having been selected to be appropriate for the peripheral device in response to the device code transmitted to the remote server,

wherein the steps of receiving the device code, transmitting the device code and receiving the device driver are performed automatically upon powering-up the client system without further input from the user of the client system.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device code identifies to the server a device type of the peripheral device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the device code to the remote server comprises the step of transmitting the device code to the remote server over a network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the client system is coupled to a plurality of peripheral devices that are connected to the client system and one to another in a daisy chain configuration, and wherein the step of receiving the device code from the peripheral device comprises the steps of:

receiving, at the client system, a first device code associated with a most senior peripheral device in the daisy chain, the first device code being received directly from the most senior peripheral device; and

receiving, at the client system, a second device code associated with a more junior peripheral device in the daisy chain, the second device code being received after passing from the more junior peripheral device through the most senior peripheral device.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device does not store a copy of the device driver.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of storing the device driver at the client system, such that the client system does not store any device driver other than the device driver received from the remote server and any other device driver received from the remote server.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the step of storing the device driver at the client system is conducted without a user of the client system manually installing the device driver.

9. In a client system coupled to one or more peripheral devices, a method of retrieving a device driver from a remote server for each of the one or more peripheral devices and installing the device drivers to the client system, the method comprising the steps of:

storing on the remote server device drivers for all peripheral devices compatible with the client system and a device code associated with each compatible peripheral device and its device driver;

in response to an initialization of the client system, requesting, by the client system, the device code associated with each of the one or more peripheral devices, each device code being requested from the associated peripheral device;

receiving, at the client system, the device code associated with each of the one or more peripheral devices;

transmitting each received device code to the remote server via a network, each received device code being received at the client system and transmitted to the remote server without a user of the client system providing input that further identifies the associated peripheral device;

receiving, by the client system, one or more device drivers from the remote server, each of the one or more device drivers having been selected to be appropriate for one of the one or more peripheral devices in response to an associated device code having been transmitted to the server system; and

storing the one or more device drivers at the client system, such that the client system does not store any device driver other than the one or more device drivers,

wherein the steps of receiving the device code, transmitting the device code, receiving the device driver and storing the device driver are performed automatically upon powering-up the client system without further intervention by the user of the client system.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein:

none of the one or more peripheral devices stores a copy of the appropriate device driver; and

the step of storing the one or more device drivers at the client system is conducted without a user of the client system manually installing any of the one or more device drivers.

11. In a server system capable of communicating via a network with a remote client system, a method of selecting a device driver for a peripheral device coupled to the remote client system and transmitting the device driver to the remote client system, the method comprising the steps of:

storing on the remote server device drivers for all peripheral devices compatible with the client system and a device code associated with each compatible peripheral device and its device driver;

receiving, by the server system, the device code associated with the peripheral device from the remote client system, the device code being received by the server system without a user of the remote client system providing input that further identifies the peripheral device;

automatically selecting an appropriate device driver for the peripheral device based on the device code received by the server system; and

transmitting the appropriate device driver from the server system to the remote client system,

wherein the steps of receiving the device code, selecting the appropriate device driver and transmitting the appropriate device driver are performed automatically upon powering-up the remote client system without further input from or intervention by the user of the remote client system.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the device code received by the server system originates from, and is stored in, the peripheral device, wherein the device code indicates to the server system a device type of the peripheral device.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of receiving the device code comprises the step of receiving the device code over a network.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of automatically selecting an appropriate device driver comprises the steps of:

comparing, by the server system, the device code with data entries of a database that contains a compilation of device codes and a corresponding compilation of device drivers that support particular peripheral devices;

automatically identifying, from the data entries of the database, the appropriate device driver based on the device code received by the server system.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of causing the appropriate device driver to be transmitted comprises the step of causing the appropriate device driver to be transmitted over a network.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

19. In a server system capable of communicating via a network with a remote client system, a method of selecting one or more device drivers for one or more peripheral devices coupled to the remote client system and transmitting the one or more device drivers to the remote client system, the method comprising the steps of:

storing on the remote server device drivers for all peripheral devices compatible with the client system and a device code associated with each compatible peripheral device and its device driver;

receiving, by the server system, one or more device codes associated with one or more peripheral devices, each received device code having been transmitted from the remote client system via a network without a user of the remote client system providing input that identifies the peripheral device;

selecting, based on the received one or more device codes, one or more device drivers, each being appropriate for one of the one or more peripheral devices;

retrieving each of the one or more device drivers from a storage device; and

transmitting each of the one or more device drivers from the server system to the remote client system via the network,

wherein the steps of receiving the one or more device codes, selecting the one or more device drivers, retrieving the one or more device drivers, and transmitting the one or more device drivers are performed automatically upon powering-up the remote client system without further input from or intervention by the user of the client system.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the step of automatically causing each of the one or more device drivers to be transmitted from the server system to the remote client system enables the remote client system to avoid storing any device driver other than the one or more device drivers.

21. A system comprising:

a remote server having stored thereon all peripheral devices compatible with the client processing system and a device code associated with each compatible peripheral device and its device driver; and

a client processing system coupled to a peripheral device comprising

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the client processing system to perform the steps of;

requesting a device code from the peripheral device, the device code being associated with the peripheral device and indicating a device type of the peripheral device;

receiving the device code from the peripheral device;

transmitting the device code to the remote server, the device code being received by the client processing system and transmitted to the remote server without a user of the client processing system providing input that further identifies the peripheral device; and

receiving a device driver from the remote server, the device driver having been selected to be appropriate for the peripheral device in response to the device code transmitted to the remote server,

wherein the steps of requesting the device code, receiving the device code, transmitting the device code and receiving the device driver are performed automatically upon powering-up the client processing system without further input from or intervention by the user of the client processing system.

22. A client processing system according to claim 21, wherein the step of transmitting the device code to the remote server, comprises the step of transmitting the device code to the remote server over a network.

23. A client processing system according to claim 22, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

24. A client processing system according to claim 22, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

25. A client processing system according to claim 22, wherein the step of receiving the device driver from the remote server, comprises the step of receiving the device driver from the remote server over the network.

26. A client processing system according to claim 25, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

27. A client processing system according to claim 25, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

28. A server processing system in communication with a remote client system, the remote client system being coupled to a peripheral device, the server processing system comprising:

means for storing device drivers for peripherals compatible with the remote client system;

means for receiving from the client system, via a network, a device code of the peripheral device without a user of the client system providing input that identifies the peripheral device;

means for selecting one of the plurality of selectable device drivers as an appropriate device driver for the peripheral device based on the device code; and

means for transmitting the appropriate device driver to the remote client system via the network,

wherein the receiving means, the selecting means, and the transmitting means perform their respective functions automatically upon powering-up the client system without further input from or intervention by the user of the client system.

29. A server processing system according to claim 28, wherein the device code indicates a device type of the peripheral device.

30. A server processing system according to claim 29, wherein the device code is received from the remote client system after the remote client system receives the device code from the peripheral device.

31. A server processing system according to claim 28, wherein the network comprises a wide area network.

32. A server processing system according to claim 28, wherein the network comprises the Internet.