System and method employing script-based device drivers

• US 7,100,170 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Changuion, Byron, Sadovsky, Vladimir, Partin, Lyman Cooper, Camara, Franc J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US11/012,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 719321-327, 719/328, 719/331, 719/310, 718/102, 718/100, 717/115, 717/124, 717/114, 714/38, 358/1.13
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881

Abstract

A computer system and method uses script-based device drivers for operating hardware devices. The script-based driver architecture comprises a scripting driver, a script engine, and a driver script for a given hardware device, such as a scanner. The driver script is generally a text file containing a sequence of programming instructions defining the operational behavior of the hardware device. The scripting driver exports a set of objects whose functions can be called by the driver script to communicate with and control the device. When a request to operate the hardware device is received by the scripting driver, the script engine interprets the programming instructions in the driver script corresponding to the request and invokes the functions of the scripting driver objects called by the programming instructions to carry out the requested device operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for controlling a hardware device, the system comprising:

an operating system having a scripting driver, a scripting engine, and a driver script for the hardware device, the driver script containing a plurality of programming instructions defining operational behavior of the hardware device, the programming instructions calling functions of system-provided objects for communicating with and controlling the hardware device,

the scripting driver programmed for receiving a request for a requested operation by the hardware device, and invoking the script engine to execute the driver script, the script engine programmed for interpreting the programming instructions in the driver script and invoking functions of the system-provided objects called by the programming instructions to carry out the requested operation.

2. A computer-implemented system as in claim 1, wherein the hardware device is an image-capturing device.

3. A computer-implemented system as in claim 1, wherein the hardware device is a scanner, and the requested operation is a scan operation.

4. A computer-implemented system as in claim 1, wherein the scripting driver is further programmed to export the system-provided objects called by the programming instructions in the driver script.