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Extensible private driver interface

  • US 8,826,307 B2
  • Filed: 04/18/2008
  • Issued: 09/02/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a computer comprising a first operating system component and a hardware device driver comprising a standard interface and at least one private interface, the hardware device driver driving a hardware device of the computer, the standard interface implementing standard command objects and the private interface implementing non-standard command objects designated by a vendor that produced the hardware device, wherein arbitrary user mode components communicate with arbitrary device drivers by passing command objects to the operating system component, the method comprising:

  • responding to an interface inquiry command object from the operating system component on the computer, the interface inquiry command object being directed to the hardware device driver, wherein the responding is performed by the operating system component and comprises generating in the operating system component a data structure related to the hardware device driver, the data structure comprising private interface identification information and at least one non-standard command object implemented by the private interface, the private interface identification information identifying the at least one private interface of the hardware device driver to receive the non-standard command object;

    receiving, by the operating system component, the non-standard command object from the user mode component, and using the data structure to address the non-standard command object to the at least one private interface of the hardware device driver identified by the private interface identification information; and

    in response to receiving the at least one non-standard command object through the private interface, configuring the hardware device driver based at least in part on the non-standard command object.

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