APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SWITCHING BETWEEN VIRTUAL MACHINES

• US 20110126139A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sung-Min, Jeong, Bok-Deuk, Suh, Sang-Bum, Mo, Sang-Dok
• Granted Patent: US 8,661,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

An apparatus and method for switching a VM screen in an environment in which a plurality of OSs operating on a virtual machine monitor (VMM), are provided. The VM screen switching apparatus provides VM screen switching so that features of a home screen or an operation screen provided by each VM can be shown. The VM screen switching apparatus provides a user interface for enabling a user to select a desired VM from a plurality of VMs. The apparatus determines a VM to be displayed as a foreground according to a user input signal, and combines graphic data of a currently displayed screen of a VM with graphic data for a screen of the determined VM to create a screen displaying VM screen switching, and outputs the created screen to a display device.

Claims

1. A virtual machine (VM) screen switching apparatus, comprising:

a virtual machine monitor; and

a plurality of VMs, each VM comprising;

a VM switching user interface provider configured to provide a user interface for enabling a user to select a next VM from the plurality of VMs, and configured to determine to display the next VM as a foreground, according to a user input signal;

a VM screen renderer configured to;

combine graphic data of a current VM being displayed as the foreground with graphic data of the next VM to be displayed; and

create a screen displaying VM screen switching including the combined graphic data; and

an output device driver configured to output the created screen to a display device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the each VM further comprises a storing unit configured to store graphic data of VM screens of the plurality of VMs; and

the VM screen renderer is further configured to obtain a physical address of the storing unit at which the graphic data of the screen of the next VM is stored through communication between the output device driver and an output device driver of the determined VM.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input signal comprises at least one of:

a voice input, an input from a sensor sensing the tilt of the VM screen switching apparatus, an input from a sensor sensing the wave of the VM screen switching apparatus, a mouse input, and a touch screen input.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VM screen comprises a home screen comprising information on a plurality of applications executable by the VM.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine monitor is further configured to:

manage a list of at least one operating VM; and

provide an updated list to the VM switching user interface provider when the list is updated.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine monitor is further configured to adjust a setting so that the next VM determined according to the user input signal has a right to access a user input device for receiving the user input signal and the display device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of VMs is configured to operate in a virtual window system mode in which a plurality of applications operating in the plurality of VMs are integrated and provided without discriminating the plurality of VMs.

8. A virtual machine (VM) screen switching apparatus, comprising:

a virtual machine monitor; and

a plurality of VMs, each VM comprising;

a VM switching user interface provider configured to;

graphically display a list of VMs operating on the virtual machine monitor; and

provide a user interface that enables a user to select a specific VM; and

a video output device driver configured to output the user interface to a display device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the each of the VMs further comprises a VM switching UI loader configured to:

recognize a user input signal requesting a user interface while a general application is operating; and

control the VM switching user interface provider to provide the user interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the VM switching user interface provider is further configured to provide the user interface in a pop-up form.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the VM switching user interface provider is further configured to provide the user interface in a Widget form from which the operating VMs may be selected.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the virtual machine monitor is further configured to switch the selected VM to a foreground VM according to a user input signal to select the specific VM from the plurality of VMs, the user input signal being provided via the user interface; and

an output device driver included in the switched VM is configured to output an operation screen of the switched VM to the display device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the virtual machine monitor is further configured to manage a list of at least one operating VM; and

in response to the list of at least one operating VM being updated, the virtual machine monitor is further configured to provide the updated list to the VM switching user interface provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of VMs is configured to operate in a virtual window system mode in which a plurality of applications operating in the plurality of VMs are integrated and provided without discriminating the plurality of VMs.

15. A virtual machine (VM) screen switching apparatus, comprising:

a virtual machine monitor; and

a plurality of VMs comprising;

a client VM configured to receive a request to provide a user interface; and

a server VM configured to;

combine graphic data for the plurality of VMs operating on the virtual machine monitor,

graphically display the graphic data, and

provide a user interface configured to enable a user to select a specific VM from the plurality of VMs, in response to the request to provide a user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the server VM comprises:

a VM switching user interface provider configured to;

graphically display the graphic data for the VMs operating on the virtual machine monitor; and

to provide the user interface;

a VM switching UI loader configured to;

recognize the request to provide a user interface; and

to control the VM switching user interface provider to provide the user interface; and

a video output device driver configured to output the user interface to a display device,

wherein the client VM comprises a VM switching recognizer configured to recognize whether the user requests to execute a VM switching user interface when the client VM is operating as a foreground.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the server VM further comprises a VM screen renderer configured to create a screen displaying VM screen switching according to a user input signal input via the user interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the VM switching user interface provider is further configured to control the VM screen renderer such that the user interface displays graphic data for screens of the plurality of VMs in one of:

an overlapped form, a grid form, and a three-dimensional figure form.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of VMs is configured to operate in a virtual window system mode in which a plurality of applications operating in the plurality of VMs are integrated and provided without discriminating the plurality of VMs.

20. A virtual machine (VM) screen switching method, comprising:

receiving a signal requesting a VM switching user interface; and

upon receipt of the signal, providing the VM switching user interface to enable a user to select a screen of a desired VM from a plurality of VMs operating on a virtual machine monitor.