Patent ID: 6259532
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for managing shared use of a parallel port installed in a host device for communicating with a plurality of peripheral devices, the host device including a first peripheral device driver configured to access the parallel port under control of a port arbitration driver and a second peripheral device driver configured to access the parallel port by directly addressing an I/O register associated with the parallel port, said method comprising:configuring a parallel port access manager within the host device to receive all data traffic directed to peripheral devices through the parallel port, wherein the received data traffic includes both data traffic originating from the first peripheral device driver under control of the port arbitration driver and data traffic originating from the second peripheral device driver directly addressed to the I/O register associated with the parallel port;receiving a first type of data traffic at the parallel port access manager from the first peripheral device driver, the first type of data traffic being directed to a first peripheral device in communication with the host device;receiving a second type of data traffic at the parallel port access manager from the second peripheral device driver, the second type of data traffic being directed to a second peripheral device in communication with the host device; andselectively communicating said received first and second types of data traffic to the associated first and second peripheral devices through the parallel port.