Patent ID: 7581047
Filing Date: 2009-08-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In a personal computing system that includes a BIOS chip, a method comprising: publishing a hot key protocol that provides a first function for registering at least one hot key sequence at a firmware level within the personal computing system, and that provides at least a second function for unregistering the at least one hot key sequence at the firmware level, wherein the first and second functions are callable by an extensible firmware interface (EFI) application to register or unregister the hot key sequences in a hot key lookup table located in a keyboard driver, wherein the keyboard driver is separate from the BIOS chip; receiving from the EFI application at least one request to register a hot key sequence, the request to register a hot key sequence having a key number and a function pointer to a hot key function associated with the hot key sequence within hot key lookup table; sending the request to register the hot key sequence to the keyboard driver; creating a further hot key lookup table in working storage, based upon the hot key lookup table in the keyboard driver; inserting an entry into the further hot key table in working storage, the entry including the key number and function pointer from the request to register the hot key sequence, to add the hot key sequence as a registered hot key sequence; and responding to activation of the hot key sequence during boot-up of the computing system by performing the function associated with the hot key sequence.