Patent ID: 7734798
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system comprising a computer and a control device, wherein the computer executes a plurality of software and the control device connects to the computer, the control device comprising: a control that generates operation data in response to operation of the control; a plurality of data communication ports, each of which is assigned to one of said plurality of software executed on the computer and is a path for transferring the operation data to the computer to control a software assigned to a corresponding data communication port; a protocol change switch: a setter that sets a different protocol to each of the plurality of data communication ports by selecting, for each of the plurality of data communication ports, a software among said plurality of software executed on the computer in response to an operation to the protocol change switch by a user; a port selector that selects one of the plurality of data communication ports; a converter that converts the operation data in accordance with a protocol set to the selected data communication port; and a transmitter that transmits the converted operation data to the computer via the selected data communication port, thereby controlling the computer via the software to which the selected data communication port is assigned.