Patent ID: 7269832

Claim:
A device driver, in a computer readable storage medium and functionally operable in conjunction with a data processing system, suitable for communication with a plurality of different types of devices when functionally operated in conjunction with the data processing system, wherein each of the plurality of different types of devices conform to a common standard, the device driver comprising: identification means for identifying all input/output ports relating to a basic device type common to the plurality of different types of devices; interrogation means using commands conforming to the standard and common to the plurality of different types of devices for polling a device within the plurality of different types of devices to obtain input/output ports used by the device in addition to the input/output ports identified by the identification means; and trapping means for trapping input/output ports identified by the identification means and the interrogation means; wherein additional input/output ports used by the basic device type are identifiable during installation by the device as removed from the basic device type and unused by the device through a user option.