1. A messaging-enabled digital device comprising:
a messaging facility;
a user input facility; and
a graphical user interface comprising:
a plurality of graphical indexing elements respectively representing a plurality of messaging sessions being handled by the messaging facility, one of the graphical indexing elements being selected in response to the user input facility and the messaging session represented by the selected graphical indexing element being engaged;
a message history window pane displaying information from the engaged messaging session; and
a composition window pane displaying information for the engaged messaging session;
wherein a first one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having no unread messages;
wherein a second one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having at least one unread message;
wherein the message history window pane and the selected graphical indexing element are displace with a first characteristic to indicate the engaged messaging session;
wherein the first graphical indexing element is displayed with a second characteristic different than the first characteristic;
wherein the second graphical indexing element is displayed with a third characteristic different than the first and second characteristics; and
wherein a third one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having at least one unread and recently received message, the third graphical indexing element being displayed with a fourth characteristic different than the first, second and third characteristics.
2. A computer-readable medium carrying computer executable components for multiple messaging session management on a messaging-enabled digital device, the computer executable components comprising:
a messaging component;
a user input component;
a window pane component for displaying a plurality of graphical indexing elements respectively representing a plurality of messaging sessions handled by the messaging component, one of the graphical indexing elements being selected in response to the user input component and the messaging session represented by the selected graphical indexing element being engaged;
a component for displaying a message history window pane containing information from the engaged messaging session; and
a component for displaying a composition window cane containing information for the engaged messaging session;
wherein a first one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having no unread messages;
wherein a second one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having at least one unread message;
wherein the computer-executable components further comprise:
a component for displaying the message history window pane and the selected graphical indexing element with a first characteristic to indicate the engaged messaging session;
a component for displaying the first graphical indexing element with a second characteristic different than the first characteristic; and
a component for displaying the second graphical indexing element with a third characteristic different than the first and second characteristics;
wherein a third one of the graphical indexing elements other than the selected graphical indexing element represents a non-engaged messaging session having at least one unread and recently received message; and
wherein the computer-executable components further comprise a component for displaying the third graphical indexing element with a fourth characteristic different than the first, second and third characteristics.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for controlling a hardware device of a given device type installed in a computer system, comprising:
a first device driver for interacting with, through a device driver interface, an application running on the computer system; and
a second device driver programmed to support entry point functions corresponding to a pre-selected set of operation commands generic to the given device type, the entry point functions callable by the first device driver for controlling operations of the hardware device,
the first device driver programmed for receiving, through the device driver interface, a request from the application for a requested operation by the hardware device, and calling the entry point functions of the second device driver to control the hardware device to perform the requested operation.
2. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, where in the hardware device is an image-capturing device.
3. A computer-readable medium as in claim 2, wherein the hardware device is a flatbed scanner.
4. A computer-readable medium as in claim 3, wherein the requested operation is a scan operation.
5. A computer-readable medium as in claim 4, wherein the entry point functions supported by the second server are callable to set parameters for the scan operation, and to initiate the scan operation.
6. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the first device driver is further programmed to pass to the second device driver a data structure for storing operation parameter settings by the second device driver.
7. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable components Her includes a third device driver for a second hardware device, the third device driver programmed to interact with the application through the device driver interface for receiving requests for operations by the second hardware device and to control the second hardware device to perform the requested operations.
8. A computer readable medium having computer-readable instructions for controlling a hardware device of a given device type installed in a computer system to perform operations in response to requests by an application running on the computer system, comprising:
passing, through a device driver interface to a first device driver, a request from the application for a requested operation by the hardware device;
calling, by the first device driver, a second device driver through entry point functions of the second device driver, the entry point functions corresponding to a pre-selected set of operation commands generic to said given device type, and controlling, by the second device driver in response to the calling of the entry point functions by the first driver, the hardware device to perform the requested operation,
wherein the entry point functions perform actions including setting parameters of the requested operation and initializing the requested operation.
9. A computer-readable medium as in claim 8, wherein the step of calling includes passing a data structure to the second device driver for storing is operation parameter settings by the second device driver.
10. A computer-readable medium as in claim 9, wherein the hardware device is an image-capturing device.
11. A computer-readable medium as in claim 10, wherein the hardware device is a flatbed scanner.
12. A computer system comprising:
a hardware device of a given type;
an operating system having a device driver interface and a plurality of device drivers, including a first device driver and a second device driver cooperating to operate the hardware device, the second device driver being written for the hardware device and implementing entry point functions callable by the first device driver to control operations of the hardware device, the entry point functions corresponding to a pre-selected set of operation commands generic to said given device type, the first device driver programmed for receiving, through the device driver interface of the operating system, a request from an application running on the computer system to perform a requested operation by the hardware device, and calling the entry point functions of the second device driver to control the hardware device to perform the requested operation.
13. A computer-readable medium as in claim 12, wherein the hardware device is an image-capturing device.
14. A computer-readable medium as in claim 13, wherein the hardware device is a flatbed scanner, and the requested operation is a scan operation.
15. A computer-readable medium as in claim 14, wherein the entry point initiating the scan operation.
16. A method of controlling a hardware device of a given device type installed in a computer system, comprising:
interacting, by a first device driver, with an application running on the computer system through a device driver interface to receive from the application a request for performing a requested operation by the hardware device; and
calling, by the first device driver, entry point functions of a second device driver to control the hardware device to perform the requested operation, the entry point functions corresponding to a pre-selected set of operation commands generic to the given device type and callable by the first device driver for controlling operations of said hardware device.
17. A method as in claim 16, where in the hardware device is an image-capturing device.
18. A method as in claim 17, wherein the image-capturing device is a flatbed scanner.
19. A method as in claim 18, wherein the requested operation is a scan operation and the entry point functions supported by the second server are callable to set parameters for the scan operation and to initiate the scan operation.
20. A method as in claim 16, further including the step of passing to the second device driver a data structure for storing operation parameter settings by the second device driver.