MOBILE DEVICE AND APPLICATION SWITCHING METHOD

• US 20110283291A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuda, Masayuki, Tsuchiya, Nirou, Tobe, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources

Abstract

An object is to switch executions of applications appropriately from one to another when a plurality of applications use a limited resource. A mobile device (1) is provided with an execution state shift unit (61) for shifting an execution state between a multiplex-execution state and a single-execution state in a multi-application execution environment, a resource release unit (62) for releasing a resource used by applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment, an application stop unit (63) for stopping an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state, and a resource allocation unit (64) for allocating the resource released by the resource release unit (62) to the application to be executed in the single-execution state when the execution state is shifted from the multiplex-execution state to the single-execution state by the execution state shift unit (61).

Claims

1. A mobile device for executing a plurality of applications, the mobile device comprising:

execution state shift means for shifting an execution state between a multiplex-execution state for executing a plurality of applications and a single-execution state for executing a single application in a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications;

execution state shift request receiving means for receiving a request for shifting the execution state from the multiplex-execution state to the single-execution state when a plurality of applications are being executed in the multiplex-execution state in the multi-application execution environment;

application stop means for stopping, when the execution state shift request is received by the execution state shift request receiving means, an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state in the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state;

first resource release means for releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state in response to the execution state shift request received by the execution state shift request receiving means; and

first resource allocation means for allocating the resource released by the first resource release means to the application to be executed in the single-execution state.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the first resource release means releases only the resource used by an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state in the plurality of applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state.

3. A mobile device for executing a plurality of applications, the mobile device comprising:

execution environment shift means for shifting an execution environment between a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications and a single-application execution environment adapted to execute a single application alone;

application termination means for terminating all the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment;

second resource release means for releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment from the multi-application execution environment to the single-application execution environment;

second resource allocation means for allocating the resource released by the second resource release means to the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment; and

single-application execution means for executing the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment after the execution environment is shifted to the single-application execution environment by the execution environment shift means.

4. The mobile device according to claim 3, further comprising state information storage means for storing state information of a predetermined application being executed in the multi-application execution environment before terminating the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment when the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment is to be started in association with the predetermined application;

wherein the single-application execution means acquires the state information stored in the state information storage means and executes the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment.

5. A mobile device for executing a plurality of applications, the mobile device comprising:

execution state shift means for shifting an execution state between a multiplex-execution state for executing a plurality of applications and a single-execution state for executing a single application in a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications;

execution state shift request receiving means for receiving a request for shifting the execution state from the multiplex-execution state to the single-execution state when a plurality of applications are being executed in the multiplex-execution state in the multi-application execution environment;

application stop means for stopping, when the execution state shift request is received by the execution state shift request receiving means, an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state in the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state;

first resource release means for releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state in response to the execution state shift request received by the execution state shift request receiving means;

first resource allocation means for allocating the resource released by the first resource release means to the application to be executed in the single-execution state;

execution environment shift means for shifting an execution environment between the multi-application execution environment shifted to the single-execution state by the execution state shift means and a single-application execution environment adapted to execute a single application alone;

application termination means for terminating all the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment;

second resource release means for releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment from the multi-application execution environment to the single-application execution environment;

second resource allocation means for allocating the resource released by the second resource release means to the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment; and

single-application execution means for executing the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment after the execution environment is shifted to the single-application execution environment by the execution environment shift means.

6. An application switching method for executing a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

an execution state shift step of shifting an execution state between a multiplex-execution state for executing a plurality of applications and a single-execution state for executing a single application in a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications;

an execution state shift request receiving step of receiving a request for shifting the execution state from the multiplex-execution state to the single-execution state when a plurality of applications are being executed in the multiplex-execution state in the multi-application execution environment;

an application stop step of stopping, when the execution state shift request is received in the execution state shift request receiving step, an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state in the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state;

a first resource release step of releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state in response to the execution state shift request received in the execution state shift request receiving step; and

a first resource allocation step of allocating the resource released in the first resource release step to the application to be executed in the single-execution state.

7. An application switching method for executing a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

an execution environment shift step of shifting an execution environment between a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications and a single-application execution environment adapted to execute a single application alone;

an application termination step of terminating all the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment;

a second resource release step of releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment from the multi-application execution environment to the single-application execution environment;

a second resource allocation step of allocating the resource released in the second resource release step to the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment; and

a single-application execution step of executing the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment after the execution environment is shifted to the single-application execution environment in the execution environment shift step.

8. An application switching method for executing a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

an execution state shift step of shifting an execution state between a multiplex-execution state for executing a plurality of applications and a single-execution state for executing a single application in a multi-application execution environment adapted to execute a plurality of applications;

an execution state shift request receiving step of receiving a request for shifting the execution state from the multiplex-execution state to the single-execution state when a plurality of applications are being executed in the multiplex-execution state in the multi-application execution environment;

an application stop step of stopping, in response to the execution state shift request received in the execution state shift request receiving step, an application other than the application to be executed in the single-execution state in the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state;

a first resource release step of releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multiplex-execution state in response to the execution state shift request received in the execution state shift request receiving step;

a first resource allocation step of allocating the resource released in the first resource release step to the application to be executed in the single-execution state;

an execution environment shift step of shifting an execution environment between the multi-application execution environment shifted to the single-execution state in the execution state shift step and a single-application execution environment adapted to execute a single application alone;

an application termination step of terminating all the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment;

a second resource release step of releasing a resource used by the applications being executed in the multi-application execution environment in response to a request for shifting the execution environment from the multi-application execution environment to the single-application execution environment;

a second resource allocation step of allocating the resource released in the second resource release step to the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment; and

a single-application execution step of executing the application to be executed in the single-application execution environment after the execution environment is shifted to the single-application execution environment in the execution environment shift step.