Method for improving mouse performance and virtual device driver therefor

• US 6,098,184 A
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AD Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Spotware Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Patterson, John L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BONZO, BRYCE P
• Application Number:
  US09/074,947
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 714/40, 714/44, 714/47, 714/48, 714/49, 710/19, 710/73, 710/64
• US Class Current: 714/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A standalone virtual device driver that is not a mouse driver replacement or a mouse minidriver examines mouse data packets received from the mouse hardware for data packets that are obviously or likely to be faulty. When such a data packet is detected, the virtual device driver also removes the suspected faulty data by returning a null mouse packet to the mouse driver in its place. The virtual device driver may also initiate resynchronization procedures or reset the mouse hardware if necessary.

Claims

1. A method for improving mouse performance comprising the steps of:

defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria; and

replacing each mouse data packet that conforms with at least one of said one or more criteria with a null packet.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said one or more criteria is whether either the X-displacement value or the Y-displacement value is outside of a predetermined range of presumably valid values.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said predetermined range of X- and Y-displacement values comprises the range of X- and Y-displacements possible within one mouse report period.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said one or more criteria is whether a portion of one or more of said data packets contains a prespecified pattern that is correlated with faulty mouse behavior.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said prespecified pattern is correlated with a synchronization error.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said criteria for presuming a mouse packet to be faulty requires said prespecified pattern to be reported over a plurality of consecutive mouse packets.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said mouse is a PS/2 compatible mouse.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said unusual pattern is a binary value of 1000 in the lower four bits of either the X-displacement value or the Y-displacement value reported over three or more consecutive mouse packets.

9. A method for improving mouse performance comprising the steps of:

(a) defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

(b) receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

(c) examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria, wherein said mouse data packets that conform with said criteria are presumed faulty;

(d) logging the time at which a presumed faulty mouse data packet is received;

(e) replacing each mouse data packet that is presumed faulty with a null packet; and

(f) replacing each mouse data packet received with a null packet for a prespecified period of time after the time is logged in step (d).

10. The method of claim 9 wherein one of said one or more criteria is whether either the X-displacement value or the Y-displacement value is outside of a predetermined range of presumably valid values.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said predetermined range of X- and Y-displacement values comprises the range of X- and Y-displacements possible within one mouse report period.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein one of said one or more criteria is whether a portion of one or more of said data packets contains a prespecified pattern that is correlated with faulty mouse behavior.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said prespecified pattern is correlated with a synchronization error between said mouse and said mouse device driver.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said criteria for presuming a mouse packet to be faulty requires said prespecified pattern to be reported over a plurality of consecutive mouse packets.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of resynchronizing the mouse with the mouse device driver.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said mouse is a PS/2 compatible mouse.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said unusual pattern is a binary value of 1000 in the lower four bits of either the X-displacement value or the Y-displacement value reported over three or more consecutive mouse packets.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of resynchronizing the mouse with the mouse device driver.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by polling the mouse.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by polling the mouse twice.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by resetting the mouse.

22. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of resynchronizing the mouse with the mouse device driver.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by polling the mouse.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by polling the mouse twice.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the mouse is resynchronized with the mouse device driver by resetting the mouse.

26. A method for improving mouse performance comprising the steps of:

detecting a false mouse data packet;

resetting the mouse hardware;

recording the current system time;

ignoring any subsequent packets that are received within a predetermined number of milliseconds of the false mouse data packet; and

replacing the false packet with a null packet.

27. In a computer system, a virtual device driver, said virtual device driver comprising:

means for defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, wherein each mouse data packet comprises mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

means for receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

means for examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria; and

means for replacing each mouse data packet that conforms with at least one of said one or more criteria with a null packet.

28. The virtual device driver according to claim 27, comprising:

(a) means for defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

(b) means for receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

(c) means for examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria, wherein said mouse data packets that conform with said criteria are presumed faulty;

(d) means for logging the time at which a presumed faulty mouse data packet is received;

(e) means for replacing each mouse data packet that is presumed faulty with a null packet; and

(f) means for replacing each mouse data packet received with a null packet for a prespecified period of time after the time is logged in step (d).

29. An article of manufacture comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable code means embodied in said medium for improving mouse performance, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture comprising:

computer readable program code means to define one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, wherein each mouse data packet comprises mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

computer readable program code means to receive mouse data packets output by the mouse;

computer readable program code means to examine each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria; and

computer readable program code means to replace each mouse data packet that conforms with at least one of said one or more criteria with a null packet.

30. The article of manufacture according to claim 29, comprising:

(a) computer readable program code means to define one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

(b) computer readable program code means to receive mouse data packets output by the mouse;

(c) computer readable program code means to examine each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria, wherein said mouse data packets that conform with said criteria are presumed faulty;

(d) computer readable program code means to log the time at which a presumed faulty mouse data packet is received;

(e) computer readable program code means to replace each mouse data packet that is presumed faulty with a null packet; and

(f) computer readable program code means to replace each mouse data packet received with a null packet for a prespecified period of time after the time is logged in step (d).

31. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for improving mouse performance by detecting and removing faulty mouse data, said method steps comprising:

defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, wherein each mouse data packet comprises mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or in more criteria; and

replacing each mouse data packet that conforms with at least one of said one or more criteria with a null packet.

32. The program storage device readable by a machine according to claim 31, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for improving mouse performance by detecting and removing faulty mouse data, said method steps comprising:

(a) defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

(b) receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

(c) examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria, wherein said mouse data packets that conform with said criteria are presumed faulty;

(d) logging the time at which a presumed faulty mouse data packet is received;

(e) replacing each mouse data packet that is presumed faulty with a null packet; and

(f) replacing each mouse data packet received with a null packet for a prespecified period of time after the time is logged in step (d).

33. In a computer system, a pointer control system, said pointer control system being of the type capable of providing button state, X-direction displacement, and Y-direction displacement information to said computer system, said pointing device comprising:

means for providing an electrical signal corresponding to button state, X-direction displacement, and Y-direction displacement;

control circuitry connected to said means for providing an electrical signal;

an interface for communicatively coupling said control circuitry to a said computer system for sending X-Y position information to said computer system; and

means for defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, wherein each mouse data packet comprises mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

means for receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

means for examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria; and

means for replacing each mouse data packet that conforms with at least one of said one or more criteria with a null packet.

34. The pointer control system according to claim 33, comprising:

(a) means for defining one or more criteria for determining if mouse data packets communicated from a mouse to a mouse device driver may be presumed to be faulty, each mouse data packet comprising mouse button state information, an X-displacement value, and a Y-displacement value;

(b) means for receiving mouse data packets output by the mouse;

(c) means for examining each received mouse data packet for conformance with said one or more criteria, wherein said mouse data packets that conform with said criteria are presumed faulty;

(d) means for logging the time at which a presumed faulty mouse data packet is received;

(e) means for replacing each mouse data packet that is presumed faulty with a null packet; and

(f) means for replacing each mouse data packet received with a null packet for a prespecified period of time after the time is logged in step (d).