SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INITIATING A MULTI-ENVIRONMENT OPERATING SYSTEM

• US 20110016301A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tzakis, Andrew N., Carlyle, Jeffrey C., Galicia, Joshua D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,372,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile computing device that operates multiple, co-existing and independent operating system environments on a common kernel. A booting process for initiating a multiple operating system environment is also provided. Additionally, various embodiments of the present invention include processes for managing a switch between one operating system environment to a second operating system environment.

Claims

1. A method for booting a device having at least two co-existing independent operating environments comprising the following steps:

initiating a start-up boot sequence;

initializing a core kernel;

identifying a device mode state;

launching services common to a first operating system and a second operating system;

selecting a primary operating system based at least in part upon the mode state;

launching initializing scripts of the primary operating system; and

launching initializing scripts of a secondary operating system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device boots both operating systems in a start-up boot sequence, the second operating system being the primary system when the primary state is personal computing.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device boots at least two operating systems in a start-up sequence, the first operating system booting first when the primary operating state is identified as a mobile mode.

4. A method for initializing an operating system, comprising the following steps:

initializing a boot sequence;

selecting at least two operating system environments for operating a mobile device, the at least two operating system environments are configured to be independent and co-exist while the device is operational;

launching a common Linux-based kernel;

launching application services common to a first operating system environment and a second operating system environment;

selecting the a primary and secondary operating system environment based at least in part upon a mode state of the device; and

simultaneously launching initializing scripts for the primary and secondary operating system environments.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first operating system environment is the primary environment.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second operating system environment is the primary environment.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mode state a mobile mode.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of initiating a secondary operating system application.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the secondary environment is Android.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the application is AIW.

11. A method for operating a device having multiple co-existing operating environments, comprising the following steps:

initiating a boot sequence, configured to simultaneously launch two operating system environments;

identifying the mode state of the device; and

selecting a primary operating environment based at least in part upon the mode state.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the following step:

changing the primary operating environment based at least in part upon a change in the mode state of the device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the primary environment switches from a Linux-based environment to an embedded environment optimized for mobile computing.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the primary environment switches from Android to Ubuntu.