Driver software installing system

• US 7,890,949 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Inada, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu; Junchun
• Application Number:
  US10/745,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20040187105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,605 Days
• Field of Search: 717174-178
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A driver software installing system is provided with a computer connected to an electronic device. The system includes an installation system that performs installation of driver software in the computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, and a setup system that performs setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer by the driver software installation system. Further, the setup system includes an instructing module that instructs the installation system to generate identification information for identifying the driver software when the installation of the driving software is performed, an identifying module that identifies the driver software to be set up based on the identification information generated by the installation system in response to the instruction of the instructing module, and a setup module that performs setup operation for the driver software that is identified by the identifying module.

Claims

1. A driver software installing system, comprising:

a computer that includes a memory, the computer being communicatively connected to an electronic device;

an installation system that performs installation of driver software in the computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, the driver software enabling the computer to control the electronic device connected to the computer; and

a setup system that performs setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer by the installation system,

the setup system including;

an instructing module that instructs the installation system to generate identification information for identifying the driver software when the installation of the driving software is performed, the installation system being configured to generate and store the identification information in an area of the memory based on the instruction of the instructing module, the area of the memory being occupied by the installed driver software;

an identifying module that identifies the installed driver software by searching the area of the memory occupied by the installed driver software and determines whether the installed driver software is to be set up or not by judging whether the area of the memory occupied by the identified installed driver software includes data indicating that the identified installed driver software is to be set up; and

a setup module that performs setup operation for the installed driver software that is identified and determined, by the identifying module, to be set up.

2. The driver software installing system according to claim 1, wherein the setup system further includes an invalidating module that invalidates the identification information so that the identifying module cannot identify the driver software based on the identification information after the setup module performs the setup operation for the driver software.

3. The driver software installing system according to claim 2, wherein the invalidating module invalidates the identification information by deleting the identification information.

4. The driver software installing system according to claim 2, wherein the invalidating module invalidates the identification information by modifying the identification information.

5. The driver software installing system according to claim 2,

wherein the instructing module instructs the operating system to store the identification information as generated in a storage area, provided in a registry, corresponding to the driver software, and

wherein the identifying module detects the identification information which is not invalidated by the invalidating module from the registry and determines the driver software, using the storage area where the identification information which is not invalidated is stored, as the identified driver software.

6. The driver software installing system according to claim 2, wherein the invalidating module invalidates the identification information before the installation system starts installation of the driver software.

7. The driver software installing system according to claim 1, wherein the setup system further includes an invalidating module that invalidates the identification information so that the identifying module cannot identify the driver software based on the identification information before the installation system starts installation of the driver software.

8. The driver software installing system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an image generating device.

9. A driver software installing system, comprising:

a computer communicatively connected to an electronic device;

an installation system that performs installation of driver software in the computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, the driver software enabling the computer to control the electronic device connected to the computer; and

a setup system that performs setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer by the installation system,

the setup system including;

a saving module that saves system information of the operating system before the installation of the driver software is performed;

a comparing module that compares the system information saved before the installation of the driver software by the saving module, with the system information updated by the installation of the driver software by the operating system;

an identifying module that identifies which driver software is to be set up based on a difference between the saved system information and the updated system information obtained as a result of comparison performed by the comparing module; and

a setup module that performs setup operation for the installed driver software identified by the identifying module to be set up,

wherein the system information includes a registry in which a storage area used by the driver software is provided, and

wherein the identifying module detects a storage area which was not provided in the registry before the installation of the driver software and is provided in the registry after the installation of the driver software based on the result of the comparison performed by the comparing module, the driver software using the detected storage area being determined as the identified driver software.

10. A computer communicatively connected with an electronic device, the computer being implemented with a driver software installing system that installs driver software for controlling the electronic device,

the driver software installing system including:

a memory;

an installation system that performs installation of driver software in the computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, the driver software enabling the computer to control the electronic device connected to the computer; and

a setup system that performs setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer by the installation system,

the setup system including;

an instructing module that instructs the installation system to generate identification information for identifying the driver software when the installation of the driving software is performed, the installation system being configured to generate and store the identification information in an area of the memory based on the instruction of the instructing module, the area of the memory being occupied by the installed driver software;

an identifying module that identifies the installed driver software by searching the area of the memory occupied by the installed driver software and determines whether the installed driver software is to be set up or not by judging whether the area of the memory occupied by the identified installed driver software includes data indicating that the identified installed driver software is to be set up; and

a setup module that performs setup operation for the installed driver software that is identified and determined, by the identifying module, to be set up.

11. A method of installing driver software for performing installation of driver software in a computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, the driver software enabling the computer to control the electronic device which is communicatively connected to the computer and setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer,

the method including the steps of:

instructing to generate identification information for identifying the driver software when the installation of the driving software is performed, the identification information being generated and stored in an area of a memory based on the instruction to generate the identification information, the area of the memory being occupied by the installed driver software;

identifying the installed driver software by searching the area of the memory occupied by the installed driver software and determining whether the installed driver software is to be set up or not by judging whether the area of the memory occupied by the identified installed driver software includes data indicating that the identified installed driver software is to be set up; and

performing a setup operation for the installed driver software identified and determined, in the step of identifying and determining, to be set up.

12. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program product that controls a computer to install driver software for performing installation of driver software in the computer in accordance with a procedure of an operating system of the computer, the driver software enabling the computer to control the electronic device which is communicatively connected to the computer and setup of the driver software that is installed in the computer,

the computer program product including the instructions of:

instructing to generate identification information for identifying the driver software when the installation of the driving software is performed, the identification information being generated and stored in an area of a memory based on the instruction to generate the identification information, the area of the memory being occupied by the installed driver software;

identifying the installed driver software by searching the area of the memory occupied by the installed driver software and determining whether the installed driver software is to be set up or not by judging whether the area of the memory occupied by the identified installed driver software includes data indicating that the identified installed driver software is to be set up; and

performing a setup operation for the installed driver software identified and determined, in the step of identifying and determining, to be set up.