Kyocera Mita Corporation

Kyocera Technology Development, Inc.

David Chamberlin

Zhencai Wang

Hans-Gerd Gersch

Sang Yoon Lee

A method seamlessly installs, upgrades, and deletes printer and other device drivers over a network. Instead of a computer periodically searching or scanning the network, searching occurs when a user logs into a computer. If a new device is found, driver installation is carried out using seamless pop-up GUI integrated into the OS, rather than by a wizard. The method includes providing a domain controller and a user computer connected to the network; searching the network for newly added devices when detecting a user login; and installing device drivers for the found newly added devices. The method also includes optionally-silent and seamless pop-up GUI; use of scripts and WSH (Windows Scripting Host); deletion grace periods; TCP/IP and/or SNMP; automatically upgrading existing drivers if necessary; maintaining tables of currently installed, to-be-installed, and to-be-deleted devices; applying pre-defined device settings; and obtaining information of a device and applying the information to the driver.

Seamless network installation of device drivers

A method for providing a menu for a device, by providing a GUI for an administrator to select and lock-down device driver setting profiles, and providing a GUI for displaying to a user the locked-down profiles and permitting the user to select only from the listed profiles. Allowing a user to choose only from the pre-defined profiles makes for convenience and avoids waste from setting errors by novice users. The computer system detects the current system and job information (time, date, printer status, application, user information, etc.) using WMI and SNMP, applies mapping rules defined by an administrator, and displays only those profiles that are applicable to the current system and job status. Methods also include defining new profiles; alerting the user when no profiles are available, with mapping explanation and suggestion; profile detail display; and printer support.

Growing community of inventors

Oakland, CA, United States of America

David Chamberlin