diff --git a/drivers/base/driver.c b/drivers/base/driver.c
index c529296..5867fe4 100644
--- a/drivers/base/driver.c
+++ b/drivers/base/driver.c
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dev_request_mem_region_err_null);
 
-void __iomem *dev_request_mem_region(struct device_d *dev, int num)
+struct resource *dev_request_mem_resource(struct device_d *dev, int num)
 {
 	struct resource *res;
 
@@ -412,7 +412,14 @@
 	if (IS_ERR(res))
 		return ERR_CAST(res);
 
-	res = request_iomem_region(dev_name(dev), res->start, res->end);
+	return request_iomem_region(dev_name(dev), res->start, res->end);
+}
+
+void __iomem *dev_request_mem_region(struct device_d *dev, int num)
+{
+	struct resource *res;
+
+	res = dev_request_mem_resource(dev, num);
 	if (IS_ERR(res))
 		return ERR_CAST(res);
 
diff --git a/include/driver.h b/include/driver.h
index 31c6734..5e2b88f 100644
--- a/include/driver.h
+++ b/include/driver.h
@@ -203,10 +203,16 @@
 
 /*
  * exlusively request register base 'num' for a device
+ * deprecated, use dev_request_mem_resource instead
  */
 void __iomem *dev_request_mem_region(struct device_d *dev, int num);
 
 /*
+ * exlusively request resource 'num' for a device
+ */
+struct resource *dev_request_mem_resource(struct device_d *dev, int num);
+
+/*
  * exlusively request register base 'num' for a device
  * will return NULL on error
  * only used on platform like at91 where the Ressource address collision with