Method for routing events from key strokes in a multi-processing computer systems

Claim 1

A method of routing user input in a computer system which concurrently runs a plurality of processes, including steps of: receiving scan codes representative of keys typed by a user, the scan codes including shift codes representative of shift states and other scan codes representative of keystrokes; maintaining a shift state representative of said shift codes; producing keycode data comprised of individual keycodes after receiving the scan codes, each representative of a keystroke, and each determined by looking up a scan code assigned to a keystroke in a multiplane table, a plane from which a keycode is determined being selected as a function of a current shift state; distinguishing the produced keycodes by looking up each keycode in a routing table which assigns each possible keycode to an individual assigned process of said plurality of processes, one of which processes is a supervisory process; sending each keycode to its assigned process until a keycode assigned to the supervisory process is received; sending keycodes received subsequent to the keycode assigned to the supervisory process to a buffer; then, providing additional keycodes to the supervisory process from the buffer upon request by the supervisory process until the supervisory process has completed operation; and sending each keycode stored in the buffer to a process to which it is assigned after the supervisory process has completed operation.

Claim 2

A method of routing user input in a computer system which concurrently runs a plurality of processes, including steps of: receiving scan codes representative of keys typed by a user, the scan codes including shift codes representative of shift states and other scan codes representative of keystrokes; maintaining a shift state representative of said shift codes; producing keycode data comprised of individual keycodes after receiving the scan codes, each representative of a keystroke, and each determined by looking up a scan code assigned to a keystroke in a multiplane table, a plane from which a keycode is determined being selected as a function of a current shift state; distinguishing the produced keycodes by looking up each keycode in a routing table which assigns each possible keycode to an individual assigned process of said plurality of processes, one of which processes is a supervisory process; sending each keycode to its assigned process until a keycode assigned to the supervisory process is received; sending keycodes received subsequent to the keycode assigned to the supervisory process to a buffer; then, providing additional keycodes to the supervisory process from the buffer upon request by the supervisory process until the supervisory process has completed operation; and sending each keycode stored in the buffer to a process to which it is assigned after the supervisory process has completed operation.

Claim 6

A method of routing user input in a computer system which concurrently runs a plurality of processes, including steps of: generating keycodes representative of keys typed by a user; distinguishing generated keycodes by looking up each keycode in a routing table which assigns each possible keycode to an individual assigned process of said plurality of processes, one of which processes being a supervisory process; then, sending each keycode to its assigned process until a keycode assigned to the supervisory process is received; sending keycodes received subsequent to the keycode assigned to the supervisory process to a buffer; next, providing additional keycodes to the supervisory process from the buffer until the supervisory process has completed operation; and sending keycodes stored in the buffer to processes assigned therewith after the supervisory process has completed operation.

Claim 7

A method of routing user input in a computer system which concurrently runs a plurality of processes, including steps of: generating keycodes representative of keys typed by a user; distinguishing generated keycodes by looking up each keycode in a routing table which assigns each possible keycode to an individual assigned process of said plurality of processes, one of which processes being a supervisory process; then, sending each keycode to its assigned process until a keycode assigned to the supervisory process is received; sending keycodes received subsequent to the keycode assigned to the supervisory process to a buffer; next, providing additional keycodes to the supervisory process from the buffer until the supervisory process has completed operation; and sending keycodes stored in the buffer to processes assigned therewith after the supervisory process has completed operation.