}
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(i2c_detach_client);
 
-int i2c_use_client(struct i2c_client *client)
+/**
+ * i2c_use_client - increments the reference count of the i2c client structure
+ * @client: the client being referenced
+ *
+ * Each live reference to a client should be refcounted. The driver model does
+ * that automatically as part of driver binding, so that most drivers don't
+ * need to do this explicitly: they hold a reference until they're unbound
+ * from the device.
+ *
+ * A pointer to the client with the incremented reference counter is returned.
+ */
+struct i2c_client *i2c_use_client(struct i2c_client *client)
 {
        get_device(&client->dev);
-       return 0;
+       return client;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(i2c_use_client);
 
-int i2c_release_client(struct i2c_client *client)
+/**
+ * i2c_release_client - release a use of the i2c client structure
+ * @client: the client being no longer referenced
+ *
+ * Must be called when a user of a client is finished with it.
+ */
+void i2c_release_client(struct i2c_client *client)
 {
        put_device(&client->dev);
-       return 0;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(i2c_release_client);
 
 
        /* First try D1 and then SAA7191 */
        if (vino_drvdata->camera.driver
            && (vino_drvdata->camera.owner == VINO_NO_CHANNEL)) {
-               if (i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->camera.driver)) {
-                       ret = -ENODEV;
-                       goto out;
-               }
-
+               i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->camera.driver);
                vino_drvdata->camera.owner = vcs->channel;
                vcs->input = VINO_INPUT_D1;
                vcs->data_norm = VINO_DATA_NORM_D1;
                int input, data_norm;
                int saa7191_input;
 
-               if (i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->decoder.driver)) {
-                       ret = -ENODEV;
-                       goto out;
-               }
-
+               i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->decoder.driver);
                input = VINO_INPUT_COMPOSITE;
 
                saa7191_input = vino_get_saa7191_input(input);
                }
 
                if (vino_drvdata->decoder.owner == VINO_NO_CHANNEL) {
-                       if (i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->decoder.driver)) {
-                               ret = -ENODEV;
-                               goto out;
-                       }
+                       i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->decoder.driver);
                        vino_drvdata->decoder.owner = vcs->channel;
                }
 
                }
 
                if (vino_drvdata->camera.owner == VINO_NO_CHANNEL) {
-                       if (i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->camera.driver)) {
-                               ret = -ENODEV;
-                               goto out;
-                       }
+                       i2c_use_client(vino_drvdata->camera.driver);
                        vino_drvdata->camera.owner = vcs->channel;
                }
 
 
 extern int i2c_attach_client(struct i2c_client *);
 extern int i2c_detach_client(struct i2c_client *);
 
-/* Should be used to make sure that client-struct is valid and that it
-   is okay to access the i2c-client.
-   returns -ENODEV if client has gone in the meantime */
-extern int i2c_use_client(struct i2c_client *);
-extern int i2c_release_client(struct i2c_client *);
+extern struct i2c_client *i2c_use_client(struct i2c_client *client);
+extern void i2c_release_client(struct i2c_client *client);
 
 /* call the i2c_client->command() of all attached clients with
  * the given arguments */