* lookup could succeed in the future.
  *
  * If successful, returns a struct regulator_dev that corresponds to the name
- * @supply and with the embedded struct device refcount incremented by one,
- * or NULL on failure. The refcount must be dropped by calling put_device().
+ * @supply and with the embedded struct device refcount incremented by one.
+ * The refcount must be dropped by calling put_device().
+ * On failure one of the following ERR-PTR-encoded values is returned:
+ * -ENODEV if lookup fails permanently, -EPROBE_DEFER if lookup could succeed
+ * in the future.
  */
 static struct regulator_dev *regulator_dev_lookup(struct device *dev,
-                                                 const char *supply,
-                                                 int *ret)
+                                                 const char *supply)
 {
        struct regulator_dev *r;
        struct device_node *node;
                        r = of_find_regulator_by_node(node);
                        if (r)
                                return r;
-                       *ret = -EPROBE_DEFER;
-                       return NULL;
-               } else {
+
                        /*
-                        * If we couldn't even get the node then it's
-                        * not just that the device didn't register
-                        * yet, there's no node and we'll never
-                        * succeed.
+                        * We have a node, but there is no device.
+                        * assume it has not registered yet.
                         */
-                       *ret = -ENODEV;
+                       return ERR_PTR(-EPROBE_DEFER);
                }
        }
 
 
                if (strcmp(map->supply, supply) == 0 &&
                    get_device(&map->regulator->dev)) {
-                       mutex_unlock(®ulator_list_mutex);
-                       return map->regulator;
+                       r = map->regulator;
+                       break;
                }
        }
        mutex_unlock(®ulator_list_mutex);
 
-       return NULL;
+       if (r)
+               return r;
+
+       return ERR_PTR(-ENODEV);
 }
 
 static int regulator_resolve_supply(struct regulator_dev *rdev)
        if (rdev->supply)
                return 0;
 
-       r = regulator_dev_lookup(dev, rdev->supply_name, &ret);
-       if (!r) {
+       r = regulator_dev_lookup(dev, rdev->supply_name);
+       if (IS_ERR(r)) {
+               ret = PTR_ERR(r);
+
                if (ret == -ENODEV) {
                        /*
                         * No supply was specified for this regulator and
        if (dev)
                devname = dev_name(dev);
 
-       rdev = regulator_dev_lookup(dev, id, &ret);
-       if (rdev)
+       rdev = regulator_dev_lookup(dev, id);
+       if (!IS_ERR(rdev))
                goto found;
 
+       ret = PTR_ERR(rdev);
        regulator = ERR_PTR(ret);
 
        /*