Virtualized Driver Event Translation for OS Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conflicts between updated and existing peripheral drivers often lead to installation issues, functionality loss, and user confusion, as new drivers may not recognize or generate events in formats compatible with the operating system, causing compatibility problems and requiring existing drivers to be removed.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that intercepts events within the OS kernel, translates them into recognizable formats, and uses a virtual HID digitizer to package and format events, ensuring compatibility and continued functionality of existing drivers while allowing new drivers to operate without conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a new peripheral driver is installed to add support for new peripherals, then the functionality for new peripherals is improved, but conflicts with existing drivers occur causing installation failure or functionality loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary translation layer between the new driver and the operating system that converts driver events into a standardized format. This mediator allows new drivers to operate without directly conflicting with existing drivers or OS expectations, resolving the contradiction between adding new functionality and maintaining installation reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter format of driver events by translating them into a standardized structure that both new and existing drivers can use. By transforming event parameters into a common format, the system allows multiple drivers with different native formats to coexist without conflicts
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing driver is removed to install new driver, then new driver installation is enabled, but functionality of existing driver is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The translation layer acts as a mediator that allows both the new driver and existing driver to operate simultaneously. The new driver translates its events through the intermediary to a format compatible with the OS and existing drivers, eliminating the need to remove existing drivers and preserving their functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the driver interaction into two independent layers: the native driver layer that generates events in driver-specific formats, and the translation layer that converts these formats to a standardized OS-compatible format. This segmentation allows multiple drivers to coexist without interfering with each other's native functionality
3Reliability
If driver events are generated in native driver format, then driver functionality is maintained, but OS compatibility is reduced causing conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter transformation by converting driver-specific event formats into a standardized OS-compatible format. This parameter change maintains the native driver's functionality while ensuring compatibility with the operating system's event processing expectations
Solution Approach 2:
The translation layer serves as an intermediary that preserves the native driver's event generation logic while transforming the output format to match OS expectations. This intermediary approach maintains driver reliability while improving OS compatibility
Data Source
AI summary
A virtualized peripheral driver and filter are installed at a kernel level of an Operating System (OS) on a host device. A new peripheral driver is installed on the host device and added to the peripheral device stack within the OS. Events generated from the user level of the OS are pushed through the stack for processing by a newly attached peripheral of the host device using the new peripheral driver. Events produced from the kernel for the peripheral are trapped by the filter when passing up through the stack to the user level of the OS and provided to the virtualized peripheral driver. The virtualized peripheral driver repackages, translates, and formats the events produced from the kernel as OS events expected by the OS for processing and the repacked, translated, and formatted events are processed by the OS.