Patent ID: 6148346
Filing Date: 2000-11-14
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for controlling peripheral devices coupled to a host computer system having an operating system with a translation layer and a processor, wherein each peripheral device has an associated address and the host computer system is coupled to each peripheral device via a connection selected from the group of a direct connection, a local area network connection, and a public data network connection, said method comprising the steps of:generating a peripheral device job at the host computer system;assigning an address of a peripheral device at the host computer system to the generated peripheral device job;selecting, at the host computer system, a peripheral device coupled to the host computer according to the generated peripheral device job and the assigned address;retrieving, at the host computer system, at least one peripheral device driver associated with the selected peripheral device according to the generated peripheral device job, wherein the at least one peripheral device driver is noninterpreted computer code that is independent of the host computer system's operating system and processor;interpreting the retrieved at least one peripheral device driver; andcontrolling, at the host computer system, the peripheral device according to the interpreted at least one peripheral device driver through user commands initiated in the operating system of the host computer system and filtered through the translation layer.