Portable memory storage devices containing public context application layers

• US 20050169073A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Cook, Randall R., Blaser, Jared R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44552 Conflict resolution, i.e. enabling coexistence of conflicting executables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44584 Portable applications, i.e. making applications self-contained, e.g. U3 standard

Abstract

The inventions relate generally to portable media storage devices that contain layers permitting applications to be used at a connected computing device, those systems optionally including drivers for operating a public context layered computing environment or a driver installation program. Also disclosed herein are computer systems for using other systems for creating those portable storage devices. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for interaction with a portable data storage device containing an application layer comprising:

non-volatile memory medium contained in a portable storage container;

a host computing device, said host computing device including local memory;

an interface for accessing said non-volatile memory by said host computing device;

at least one application layer stored to said non-volatile memory, said application layer including an executable form of an application;

computer instructions stored either in said non-volatile memory or said local memory for operating a layered computing environment, said computer instructions executable by said host computing system to operate a public context layered system, whereby several layers can be presented to applications executing from said host generally, and whereby said computer instructions are configured to identify an owner layer if a file reference is maintained in more than one enabled layer.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said non-volatile memory further contains layered system drivers.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said non-volatile memory further contains computer executable instructions for installing said layered system drivers to said host computing device.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said computer instructions are further executable by said host computing system to achieve the functions of:

(vi) examining the layers installed to a computer system for a configuration element, that element specifying for each layer whether or not the layer is to be enabled on system initialization; and

(vii) enabling those layers having configuration elements specifying layer enablement on system initialization.

5. A portable data storage device for presenting an application layer to a host computing device, comprising:

a non-volatile memory medium contained in a portable storage container;

an interface for accessing said non-volatile memory by a host computing device;

at least one application layer stored to said non-volatile memory, said application layer including an executable form of an application;

layered system driver computer instructions stored in said non-volatile memory for operating a public context layered computing environment, whereby several layers can be presented to applications executing from a host computing device generally, and whereby said computer instructions are configured to identify an owner layer if a file reference is maintained in more than one enabled layer; and

installation computer instructions stored in said non-volatile memory for operating a layered computing environment, said computer instructions executable by the host computing system to install said layered system driver computer instructions to the host computing system.

6. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to be automatically executed on connection of said portable storage device to the host computing system.

7. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to be executed by user interaction from the host computing system.

8. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said layered system driver computer instructions are further executable by the host computing system to process both read and write requests from applications, and wherein for write requests said layered system driver computer instructions are further functional to direct write requests into a write layer prioritized over at least one read-only layer, and further wherein said write layer is located on said portable data storage device.

9. A portable data storage device according to claim 8, wherein said layered system driver computer instructions are further executable by the host computing system to process accesses to a system registry.

10. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to be automatically executed on connection of said portable storage device to the host computing system.

11. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to present a user selection of layers to enable.

12. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to disable application layers previously enabled.

13. A portable data storage device according to claim 5, wherein said installation computer instructions are further configured to uninstall the layered system driver computer instructions.

14. A method of creating a portable data storage device for presenting an application layer to a host computing device, the portable data storage device including non-volatile random access memory encapsulated in a portable storage container, said portable data storage device further incorporating an interface for accessing said non-volatile memory by a host computing device, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a host computing device, the host computing device including an interface functional to access a non-volatile memory medium, the host computing device further including an input and an output device;

providing storage acessible to the host computing device having stored thereon at least one application layer, each of the application layers including an exectuable form of an application;

offering a selection between the application layers stored on the storage by way of the output device of the host computing device;

accepting a selection for an application layer by way of the input device;

connecting to a non-volatile memory medium contained in a portable storage container;

depositing the application layer indicated by the selection made in said accepting to the memory medium;

placing layered computer instructions either in the non-volatile memory or the local memory of an application executing computing device, the layered computer instructions executable by the application executing computing device to operate a public context layered computing environment, whereby several layers can be presented to applications executing from a host computing device generally, and whereby said computer instructions are configured to identify an owner layer if a file reference is maintained in more than one enabled layer; and

enabling the application layer deposited to the memory medium.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of executing the exectuable form of an application stored in the application layer deposited to the memory medium.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of depositing installation computer executable instructions to the memory medium, the installation computer executable instructions being executable by the application executing computing device to install the layered computer instructions to the application executing computing device.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein layered computer instructions are placed in the non-volatile memory.