Patent ID: 7437737

Claim:
A method for commonly controlling device drivers, comprising the steps of: arranging a device independent access hierarchy between an application hierarchy and a device driver hierarchy; defining functions available in a corresponding device driver among functions of a function block in a function table; when a device is initialized, allowing said device independent access hierarchy to generate a device handler identifier having a standardized common data format for said device and transmit the generated device handler identifier having the standardized common data format to the application hierarchy of a higher order, with said device handler identifier being represented as DCB handlerId, where x1, x2 or x3 is an unsigned integer, x1 being a value of the level 1 meaning a device ID, x2 being a value of the level 2 meaning a logical or physical group number of a corresponding device, x3 being a value of a channel meaning a channel number of a corresponding device or group; and allowing the higher-order application hierarchy to call a predetermined device using the device handler identifier having the standardized common data format, and allowing said device independent access hierarchy to identify a function of the corresponding device driver from the function table using the device handler identifier having the standardized common data format and call the function of the corresponding device driver.