Simple and dynamic configuration of network devices

a network device and dynamic configuration technology, applied in the computer field, can solve the problems that many consumers have not availed themselves of the benefits of network devices, and achieve the effect of facilitating robust network device management and configuration

US20110264773A1Inactive Publication Date: 2011-10-27MICROSOFT TECH LICENSING LLC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2011-10-27
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for configuring and managing network devices. The arrival (and departure) of devices on a network can be detected by a monitor. Upon detection, network devices can be simply and dynamically configured with little or no end-user intervention, for instance by automatically loading device drivers and allocating resources for the devices. Furthermore, network devices can be associated with other network devices such as a personal computer to facilitate seamless integration of network devices with a computer operating system.
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Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of, and claims benefit from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 788,596 that was filed on Feb. 27 2004 and that claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 514,867, entitled “Integration of UPnP Devices as PnP Devices within Windows,” filed Oct. 27, 2003, the entireties of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates generally to computers and more particularly toward control and management of networked devices.BACKGROUND

[0003] Plug and Play (PnP) technology allows locally connected devices to be automatically detected and configured to operate on a computer. PnP functionality is integrated into a computer's operating system to allow a computer to detect a newly connected peripheral device as well as install and register such device with a computer system. Prior to PnP technology, it was necessary for users to manually set up perip...

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Embodiment Construction

[0025]The present invention is now described with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0026]As used in this application, the terms “component” and “system” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process...