Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Richard Kunze

Brett Williams

John P Huetter

Craig Arthur Sanford

A method for locating and installing peripheral drivers has steps of creating a driver profile, creating a resources profile, and of looking to potential driver sources on a prioritized list for drivers that match the driver profile. The driver profile may comprise information such as the peripheral model number, the operating system version number, and the operating system language determined through automated queries. The resources profile generally describes the resources available to the operating system in terms of access to the potential driver sources on the list, and may be used to eliminate sources from the list that are not accessible. The remaining sources on the list are checked in descending priority order until a driver matching the driver profile is found. Once a matching driver is found, it is installed on the operating system.

Peripheral driver installation method and system

An apparatus and method for preventing inadvertent disconnection of male and female electrical connectors is provided. In one principal type of method and apparatus, devices are configured to provide outside retaining forces to retention prongs of a female electrical connector, substantially restricting or preventing the retention prongs from moving toward an outer non-holding position after connecting with receiving portions in the male connector. In another principal type of method and apparatus, a female electrical connector includes modified retention prongs having a portion configured to enter and remain in surface holes of the male connector so that the male connector, once inserted, cannot be removed from the female connector without a user manipulating the modified retention prongs.

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Roseville, CA, United States of America

Richard Kunze