Dual Operating System Operation and Configuration

• US 20120005691A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wong, Yoon Kean, Morishige, Kevin, Crowley, Matthew W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed for device having a first and a second operating system communicatively coupled with each other. The first operating system is configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device, resources operable with the mobile computing device, and data management for the mobile computing device. The second operating system is a desktop-type operating system. In one embodiment, in response to coupling a docking station, the mobile computing device is configured to provide the second operating system access to peripherals. In addition, another embodiment the first operating system is configured to include an interface to access and execute applications executable through the second operating system.

Claims

1. A method operable in a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initializing a virtual machine , the virtual machine configured to manage communications between a first operating system and a second operating system;

initiating a first operating system, the first operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine and configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device, resources operable with the mobile computing device, and data management for the mobile computing device;

initiating a second operating system, the second operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine;

receiving an indication of an event;

initiating at least one device driver in the second operating system in response to receiving the indication, each initiated device driver comprising program code for communicatively coupling with a peripheral device, the program code for each device driver interacting through the virtual machine; and

communicatively coupling, in response to each received program code of the device driver, each peripheral device with the second operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device comprises one of a smartphone and a tablet computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first operating system comprises a mobile computing device operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second operating system comprises a desktop operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the event comprises one of communicatively coupling of the mobile computing device with a docking station, detecting a location of the mobile computing device, and selecting entry of a mode of operation.

6. A method of communicating between a first operating system and a second operating system simultaneously running on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initializing a virtual machine, the virtual machine configured to manage communications between a first operating system and a second operating system;

initiating a first operating system, the first operating system communicatively coupling the virtual machine and configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device;

initiating a second operating system, the second operating system communicatively coupling the virtual machine;

transmitting from the first operating system to the second operating system via the virtual machine, a command message for executing an instruction for an application program executable within the second operating system; and

receiving, at the first operating system from the second operating system via the virtual machine, a response from the execution of the instruction by the application program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first operating system is further configured to manage resources operable with the mobile computing device, and data management for the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the application program comprises a media playback application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising executing a media playback user interface application through the first operating system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving through the media playback user interface application a selection for play of a media track.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a state of the second operating system;

queuing, in response to the second operating system in a non-ON state, the play instruction message in a message queue; and

transmitting, in response to the second operating system being in an ON state, the play instruction message to the second operating system through the virtual machine.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the application program comprises a virtual private network (VPN) application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein first operating system includes a VPN user interface application configured to receive a selection to initiate execution of the VPN application.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating an instruction to initiate the VPN application.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

translating the generated instruction to initiate the VPN application into a VPN execution instruction message for the VPN application;

determining a state of the second operating system;

queuing, in response to the second operating system in a non-ON state, the VPN execution instruction message in a message queue; and

transmitting, in response to the second operating system being in an ON state, the VPN execution instruction message to the second operating system through the virtual machine.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising routing data between the application program executable within the first operating system and a connection established though the VPN application on the second operating system.