First and second virtual serial ports utilized to perform virtual transmissions through parallel port via first and second transmission/reception buffer region

• US 6,263,384 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yanase, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US09/181,808
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 710/1, 710/52, 710/53, 709/1, 709/305, 709/320, 375/222
• US Class Current: 710/53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A virtual transmission system comprises a first and second virtual serial ports; a first transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a write port and the second virtual serial port as a read out port; a second transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a read out port and the second virtual serial port as a write port; and a control portion for writing data outputted from the first virtual serial port into the first transmission/reception buffer region, for outputting data written in the first transmission/reception buffer region to the second virtual serial port, for writing data outputted from the second virtual serial port into the second transmission/reception buffer region, and for outputting data written in the second virtual serial port to the first transmission/reception buffer region.

Claims

1. A virtual transmission system comprising:

first and second virtual serial ports provided virtually within a single data processing device, separately from physical parallel ports;

a first transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a write port and the second virtual serial port as a read out port;

a second transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a read out port and the second virtual serial port as a write port; and

a control portion for writing data outputted from the first virtual serial port into the first transmission/reception buffer region, for outputting data written in the first transmission/reception buffer region to the second virtual serial port, for writing data outputted from the second virtual serial port into the second transmission/reception buffer region, and for outputting data written in the second virtual serial port to the first transmission/reception buffer region.

2. A virtual transmission system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory storing:

first transmission application software for performing transmission and reception using a serial port and set with one of the first and second virtual serial ports as the serial port, and

second transmission application software for performing transmission and reception of data with the first transmission application software and set to output data to and input data from the other of the first and second virtual serial ports.

3. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 1, further comprising a memory storing a kernel mode program for controlling operations of the control portion.

4. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 2, wherein the second transmission application software is for processing data outputted during operation of the first transmission application software.

5. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 4, further comprising a physical port for connecting with an external device, wherein the second transmission application software is for processing data from the first transmission application software and, based on the processed data, performing transmission and reception with the external device through the physical port.

6. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 5, wherein the second transmission application software performs packet transmission with the external device.

7. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 2, wherein the second transmission application software is adapted to perform reception and transmission with an external device through both an actual serial port and through an actual parallel port;

and further comprising a switching unit for switching the second application software between performing reception and transmission through the actual serial port and through the actual parallel port.

8. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 5, wherein the external device is a facsimile machine and the second application software performs at least one of addition and deletion of header information that indicates that data outputted from the first transmission application software is facsimile data.

9. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 2, wherein the first transmission application software is software under development and the second application software is for performing transmission and reception with the first transmission application software to check operation of the first transmission application software.

10. A virtual transmission system as claim in claim 2, wherein second application software is for storing data outputted from the first transmission application software into files.

17. The virtual transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second virtual serial ports are for transmission and reception exclusively within the single data processing device.

11. A method of performing transmission and reception of data comprising the steps of:

providing first and second virtual parallel ports, which are different from physical serial ports;

outputting transmission data from a first transmission application software through a first virtual serial port;

storing the transmission data in the first transmission transmission/reception buffer region; and

retrieving the transmission data from the first transmission/reception buffer region and passing the transmission data through the second virtual serial port to a second application software.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

outputting reception data from the second application software over the second virtual serial port;

storing the reception data in the second transmission/reception buffer region; and

retrieving the reception data from the second transmission/reception buffer region and passing the reception data through the first virtual serial port to the first transmission application software.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a step of outputting transmission data from the second application software through an physical port to an external device.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

receiving reception data from the external device through the physical port and passing the reception data to the second application software;

outputting the reception data from the second application software through the second virtual serial port;

storing the reception data in the second transmission/reception buffer region; and

retrieving the reception data from the second transmission/reception buffer region through the first virtual serial port and passing the reception data to the first transmission software application.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first and second virtual serial ports are for transmission and reception exclusively within a single data processing device.

15. A memory medium storing:

a program for adding first and second virtual serial ports, which are different from physical parallel ports, within a single computer;

a program for securing, within the single computer, a first transmission/reception buffer region that receives data from the first virtual serial port and passes the data to the second virtual serial port; and

a program for securing, within the single computer, a second transmission/reception buffer region that receives data from the second virtual serial port and passes the data to the first virtual serial port.

16. A memory medium as claims in claim 15, further comprising:

a program for setting relationship between the first virtual serial port, the second virtual serial port, the first transmission/reception buffer region, and the second transmission/reception buffer region; and

a program for performing virtual transmission using the first virtual serial port, the second virtual serial port, the first transmission/reception buffer region, and the second transmission/reception buffer region.

19. The memory medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and second virtual serial ports are for transmission and reception exclusively within a single data processing device.

20. A transmission system comprising:

a data transmission device capable of transmission with a remote transmission device; and

a data processing device connected to the data transmission device, including;

a physical port connected physically with the data transmission device;

first and second virtual serial ports provided virtually within the data processing device, separately from physical serial ports;

a first transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a write port and the second virtual serial port as a read out port;

a second transmission/reception buffer region set with the first virtual serial port as a read out port and the second virtual serial port as a write port;

a control portion for writing data outputted from the first virtual serial port into the first transmission/reception buffer region, for outputting data written in the first transmission/reception buffer region to the second virtual serial port, for writing data outputted from the second virtual serial port into the second transmission/reception buffer region, and for outputting data written in the second virtual serial port to the first transmission/reception buffer region; and

a transmission application software that performs transmission and reception with the second virtual serial port, and that performs transmission and reception with the data transmission device over the physical port.

21. The transmission system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the physical port connected physically with the data transmission device is a parallel port.

22. The transmission system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first and second virtual serial ports are for transmission and reception exclusively within the data processing device.