Peripheral driver forward compatibility

• US 7,178,151 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Danilo, Alexander Vincent, Ecob, Stephen Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong; LeChi
• Application Number:
  US09/988,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 719/322, 719/310, 719/319, 719/321, 719/327
• US Class Current: 719/327
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

A method (200) for generating a device driver in an information processing apparatus (101) for a device connected thereto, such as a printer (115), is disclosed. The method (100) obtains a Printer Characterization File (PCF) which contains a characterization of the device (115) or a group of devices. The device driver is then generated by using the PCF to configure a Device Model Independent Printer Driver (DMIPD) stored with an application on an unchangeable memory, such as a CD-ROM.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating a device driver for an output device by an information processing apparatus, wherein said output device is connected to said information processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

loading an application from a read-only memory, said application including a device model independent device driver;

determining a model of said output device to which said application is intending to issue output commands;

determining whether a device model dependent configuration data in a memory device matches said model of said output device, said memory device being a memory card connected to said information processing apparatus;

upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory device matches said model of said output device, reading said device model dependent configuration data from said memory device; and

generating said device driver for said output device by configuring said device model independent device driver with said device model dependent configuration data.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device model dependent configuration data is color conversion data to convert RGB color-space to a native color-space of said output device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said application in said read-only memory is an unchangeable application.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information processing apparatus is a game console.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said application is a game application executed on a game console.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said model of said output device is determined through reading an identification string from said output device.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein, upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory device does not match said model of said output device, said determining step further determines whether further configuration data in a further memory device matches said model of said output device, and upon determining that said further configuration data in said further memory device matches said model of said output device, loading said further configuration data from said further memory device as said device model dependent configuration data.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said read-only memory is an optical storage disc for a game.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device is connected to said information processing apparatus by means of a USB connection.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said output device is a printer, and said reading step is executed in the information processing apparatus when said application is controlled to perform a printing operation.

11. An information processing apparatus for executing an application and for generating a device driver for an output device connected to said information processing apparatus, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a read-only memory for storing an application, said application including a device model independent device driver;

a memory device for storing device model dependent configuration data, said memory device being a memory card connected to said information processing apparatus; and

a processor for determining a model of said output device to which said application intends to issue output commands, determining whether said device model dependent configuration data matches said model of said output device, upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory device matches said model of said output device, reading said device model dependent configuration data from said memory device and generating said device driver for said device by configuring said device model independent device driver with said device model dependent configuration data.

12. A computer program to be executed in an information processing apparatus for executing an application and for generating a device driver for an output device connected to said information processing apparatus, said computer program being stored on a read-only memory and comprising:

a device model independent device driver;

code for determining a model of an output device to which said application intends to issue output commands;

code for determining whether device model dependent configuration data in a memory device matches said model of said output device, said memory device being a memory card connected to said information processing apparatus;

upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory device matches said model, code for reading said device model dependent configuration data from said memory device; and

code for generating said device driver for said output device by configuring said device model independent device driver with said device model dependent configuration data.

13. A method of providing forward compatibility of device driver code of an unchangeable application with a plurality of device models, wherein said application is stored in a read-only memory and not linked to other executable code, said method comprising the steps of:

including device model independent device driver code in said application;

determining a model of an output device which said application is desired to issue commands to;

determining whether a device model dependent configuration data in a memory card matches said model of said output device;

upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in the memory card matches said model of said output device, reading the model dependent configuration data for said model of said output device from the memory card; and

generating a device driver for said model of said output device by configuring said device model independent device driver code with said model dependent configuration data.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said model of said device is determined through reading an identification string from said device.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said unchangeable application is a game application executed on a game console.

16. An information processing apparatus for providing

forward compatibility of device driver code of an unchangeable application with a plurality of device models, wherein said application is stored in a read-only memory and not linked to other executable code and said device driver code is device model independent, said apparatus comprising:

a memory card for storing model dependent configuration data for a plurality of devices;

means for determining a model of an output device which said application is desired to issue commands to;

means for determining whether said device model dependent configuration data in said memory card matches said model of said output device;

data reading means for reading model dependent configuration data associated with said model of said output device from said memory card upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory card matches said model of said output device; and

means for generating a device driver for said model of said output device by configuring said device model independent device driver code with said model dependent configuration data.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said output device is connected to said apparatus by means of a USB connection.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein said model of said output device is determined through reading an identification string from said output device.

19. Apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein said unchangeable application is a game application and said apparatus is a game console.

20. A computer program product, carried on a read-only storage medium, for providing forward compatibility with a plurality of device models, wherein said computer program product is not linked to other executable code, said computer program product comprising:

an application including a device model independent device driver code;

code for determining a model of an output device which said application is desired to issue commands to;

code for determining whether a device model dependent configuration data in a memory card matches said model of said output device;

code for reading said device model dependent configuration data associated with said model of said output device from said memory card upon determining that said device model dependent configuration data in said memory card matches said model of said output device; and

code for generating a device driver for said model of said output device by configuring said device model independent device driver code with said model dependent configuration data.