System and method for automatically loading a device driver

Abstract

A system and method in which device driver software for a peripheral device to be attached to a computer is automatically downloaded from a designated world wide web (WWW) site of the peripheral device manufacturer. The computer obtains an URL address, which the peripheral device manufacturer previously set up to contain the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device. Then, the obtained URL address containing the device driver for the peripheral device is accessed. The device driver is then downloaded from the accessed URL address and installed in the computer. Thereby, the computer automatically installs the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device by accessing the previously established URL address containing the device driver.

1 . A method of installing a device driver in a computer, the device driver driving a peripheral device connected to the computer, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) obtaining an URL address containing the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device by (a1) accessing a previously generated database stored in the computer, the database storing URL addresses and a correspondence of peripheral device identification data to the stored URL addresses;    (c) accessing the obtained URL address; and    (d) obtaining and installing in the computer the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device from the accessed URL address.    
     
     
         2 . A computer program product, comprising: 
 (a) a computer storage medium and (b) a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to control installing a device driver in the computer, the device driver driving a peripheral device connected to the computer, the computer program code mechanism (b) comprising:    (b1) a first computer code device configured to obtain an URL address containing the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device by (b2) obtaining the URL address by accessing a previously generated database stored in the computer, the database storing URL addresses and a correspondence of peripheral device identification data to the stored URL addresses;    (b3) a second computer code device configured to access the obtained URL address; and    (b4) a third computer code device configured to obtain and install in the computer the device driver corresponding to the peripheral device from the accessed URL address.    
     
     
         3 . A computer system, comprising: 
 (a) a peripheral device connected to a computer;    (b) a device driver configured to drive said peripheral device;    (c) means for obtaining an URL address containing said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device, wherein said means (c) for obtaining the URL address includes (c1) a database stored in the computer, the database storing URL addresses and a correspondence of peripheral device identification data to the stored URL addresses;    (e) means for accessing the obtained URL address; and    (f) means for obtaining and installing in the computer said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device from the accessed URL address.    
     
     
         4 . A computer configured to be connected to a peripheral device, the peripheral device being driven by a device driver, the computer comprising: 
 (a) means for obtaining an URL address containing said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device, wherein said means (a) for obtaining the URL address includes (a1) a database stored in the computer, the database storing URL addresses and a correspondence of peripheral device identification data to the stored URL addresses;    (b) means for accessing the obtained URL address; and    (c) means for obtaining and installing in the computer said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device from the accessed URL address.    
     
     
         5 . A computer configured to be connected to a peripheral device, the peripheral device being driven by a device driver, the computer comprising: 
 (a) means for obtaining identification data of said peripheral device from said peripheral device;    (b) means for obtaining an URL address containing said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device based on the obtained identification data of said peripheral device, wherein said means (b) for obtaining the URL address includes (b1) a database stored in the computer, the database storing URL addresses and a correspondence of peripheral device identification data to the stored URL addresses;    (c) means for accessing the obtained URL address; and    (d) means for obtaining and installing in the computer said device driver corresponding to said peripheral device from the accessed URL address.    
     
     
         6 . A computer system according to  claim 5 , wherein the obtained identification data includes information of a manufacturer and model number of said peripheral device.  
     
     
         7 . A computer system according to  claim 6 , wherein the obtained identification data further includes information of a class, a description, and a compatible ID of said peripheral device.