METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESENTING A WINDOW IN A SYSTEM HAVING TWO OPERATING SYSTEM ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20120278750A1
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abraham, Binu, Galicia, Joshua D., Tzakis, Andrew N., Kim, Tae Jin
• Granted Patent: US 9,354,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

A device (110) and method (700) for providing windows in a multi-environment operating system is provided. A first operating system environment (first OSE) (222) is executed in a native mode on a mobile device (110). The mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI) 112. The first OSE generates graphical data for a first OSE window (118). The first OSE window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE. A second operating system environment (second OSE) (224) is executed in a native mode on the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a GUI desktop (318) that is displayed on a second GUI (312). A second window (320) is rendered on the GUI desktop that comprises the first OSE window. The second OSE communicates relevant events to the first OSE, which are used by the first OSE to update the information used to render the first OSE window within the second OSE window.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a window comprising:

executing a first operating system environment (first OSE) in a native mode on a central processing unit (CPU) of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI), and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first OSE window, and wherein the first OSE window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE;

executing a second operating system environment (second OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a GUI desktop that is displayed on a second GUI; and

rendering on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first OSE window (this second OSE window is hereafter referred to as the WIW), wherein the rendering comprises

communicating by the second OSE relevant events to the first OSE and

modifying by the first OSE the graphical data of the first OSE window in response to one or more of the relevant events.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising initializing the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

creating a pixmap corresponding to the first OSE in the WIW;

getting a memory handle for this pixmap;

creating and initialize a surface using the memory handle;

creating an EGL image from the pixmap; and

binding a texture to the EGL image.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising rendering the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

determining by a communication from the first OSE that a framebuffer of the first OSE window has been updated;

copying the framebuffer into a surface of the WIW in the GPU; and

drawing the texture corresponding to the surface.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising initializing the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

initializing a desktop of the second GUI that is written from a framebuffer;

defining a buffer to receive graphical data of the first OSE window, wherein the buffer is bound to a WIW located on the desktop; and

providing information to the first OSE that allows graphical data to be written into the buffer.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising rendering the WIW by commands of the first OSE that perform the following:

writing the graphical data into the buffer; and

notifying the second OSE to update the framebuffer of the desktop using the graphical data in the buffer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first OSE window is a full screen window for the mobile device when rendered on the first GUI by the first OSE.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relevant events comprise user inputs that occur within a region of the WIW when the WIW is in focus and global input events relevant to one of the first OSE and first OSE applications.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising modifying by the second OSE the graphical data generated by the first OSE, wherein the modification by the second OSE is restricted to scaling the graphical data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first OSE comprises an Android™

operating system environment and the second operating system environment comprises an Ubuntu®

operating system environment.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first OSE and second OSE co-exist independently.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second GUI comprises one of the first GUI, a second display of the mobile device, and a GUI of an external device.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a first graphical user interface (first GUI); and

a second GUI, wherein the CPU

executes a first operating system environment (first OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises the first GUI, and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first OSE window, and wherein the first OSE window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE,

executes a second operating system environment (second OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the apparatus, wherein the second OSE generates a desktop that is displayed on a second GUI, and renders on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first OSE window, wherein the rendering comprises communicating by the second OSE relevant events to the first OSE and modifying by the first OSE the graphical data of the first OSE window in response to one or more of the relevant events.

13. A tangible computer readable medium that stores instructions that are executable by a processor for performing a method of rendering a window that comprises:

executing a first operating system environment (first OSE) in a native mode on a central processing unit (CPU) of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI), and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first OSE window, and wherein the first OSE window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE;

executing a second operating system environment (second OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a desktop that is displayed on a second GUI; and

rendering on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first OSE window (this second OSE window is hereafter referred to as the WIW), wherein the rendering comprises

communicating by the second OSE relevant events to the first OSE and

modifying by the first OSE the graphical data of the first OSE window in response to one or more of the relevant events.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the relevant events comprise user inputs that occur within a region of the WIW when the WIW is in focus and global input events relevant to one of the first OSE and first OSE applications.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising initializing the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

creating a pixmap corresponding to the first OSE in the WIW;

getting a memory handle for this pixmap;

creating and initialize a surface using the memory handle;

creating an EGL image from the pixmap; and

binding a texture to the EGL image.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising rendering the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

determining by a communication from the first OSE that a framebuffer of the first OSE window has been updated;

copying the framebuffer into a surface of the WIW in the GPU; and

drawing the texture corresponding to the surface.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising initializing the WIW by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:

initializing a desktop of the second GUI that is written from a framebuffer;

defining a buffer to receive graphical data of the first OSE window, wherein the buffer is bound to a WIW located on the desktop; and

providing information to the first OSE that allows graphical data to be written into the buffer.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising rendering the WIW by commands of the first OSE that perform the following:

writing the graphical data into the buffer; and

notifying the second OSE to update the framebuffer of the desktop using the graphical data in the buffer.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising modifying by the second OSE the graphical data generated by the first OSE, wherein the modification by the second OSE is restricted to scaling the graphical data.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first OSE and second OSE co-exist independently.