PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN A MULTI-CORE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120319965A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kurabayashi, Shuichi, Yoshida, Naofumi, Takano, Kosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,941,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for an intuitive process management mechanism in a multi-core environment. An example electronic device may include a processor with a first core and a second core, an operating system, a process-core assignment module operatively coupled to the operating system, and a graphical user interface system operatively coupled to the process-core assignment module and configured to provide a first display screen and a second display screen, the first display screen and the second display screen being associated with the first core and the second core, respectively. An example method for the electronic device may include: displaying a graphical element associated with a process of an application program on the first display screen, wherein the process is executed by the first core; detecting a movement of the graphical element from the first display screen to the second display screen; and assigning the process to the second core.

Claims

1. A method for an electronic device comprising a processor including a first core and a second core, an operating system, a process-core assignment module operatively coupled to the operating system, and a graphical user interface system operatively coupled to the process-core assignment module and configured to provide a first display screen and a second display screen, the first display screen and the second display screen being associated with the first core and the second core, respectively, the method comprising:

displaying, by the graphical user interface system, a graphical element associated with at least one process of an application program on the first display screen, wherein the at least one process of the application program is executed by the first core;

detecting, by the process-core assignment module, a movement of the graphical element from the first display screen to the second display screen; and

assigning, by the operating system, the at least one process of the application program from the first core to the second core in response to the detection of the movement of the graphical element from the first display screen to the second display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first core and the second core comprises a virtual core.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen corresponds to a first desktop screen and the second display screen corresponds to a second desktop screen that is different from the first desktop screen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program comprises an application window displayed on either the first desktop screen or the second desktop screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen is displayed on a first display device and the second display screen is displayed on a second display device that is different from the first display device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are simultaneously displayed on a single display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein either the first display screen or the second display screen is displayed on a single display device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display screen corresponds to a first task bar and the second display screen corresponds to a second task bar.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program comprises an application icon displayed on either the first task bar or the second task bar.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the electronic device further includes a touch screen display device, and at least one of the first task bar and the second task bar is displayed on the touch screen display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting is based on a user input through the graphical user interface system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user input comprises dragging of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program from the first display screen, followed by dropping of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program in the second display screen.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic device further includes a touch screen display device, and the user input is associated with gestures detected on the touch screen display device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic device further includes a gyro sensor, and the user input is associated with motion of the electronic device detected by the gyro sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a portable electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the portable electronic device is one selected from a group consisting of a cellular telephone device, a personal data assistant device and a handheld video game device.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a processor including a first core and a second core;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor and configured to store an application program involving at least one process;

a graphical user interface system configured to provide a first display screen and a second display screen, the first display screen and the second display screen being associated with the first core and the second core, respectively;

a process management module configured to assign the at least one process of the application program to either the first core or the second core; and

a process-core assignment module operatively coupled to the process management module,

wherein the process-core assignment module is configured to detect a movement of a graphical element from the first display screen to the second display screen, the graphical element being associated with the at least one process of the application program and the at least one process of the application program being executed on the first core, and

the process management module is further configured to assign the at least one process of the application program from the first core to the second core based on the detection of the movement of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first core and the second core comprises a virtual core.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first display screen is displayed on a first display device and the second display screen is displayed on a second display device that is different from the first display device.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are simultaneously displayed on a single display device.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein either the first display screen or the second display screen is displayed on a single display device.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first display screen corresponds to a first desktop screen and the second display screen corresponds to a second desktop screen that is different from the first desktop screen, and the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program comprises an application window displayed on either the first desktop screen or the second desktop screen.

23. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first display screen corresponds to a first task bar and the second display screen corresponds to a second task bar, and the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program comprises an application icon displayed on either the first task bar or the second task bar.

24. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface system comprises:

an application management module configured to manage position of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program; and

a display screen management module operatively coupled to the application management module and configured to manage association between the at least one process of the application program and one of the first and second display screens,

wherein the process-core assignment module is further configured to detect the movement of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program based on a signal exchanged between the application management module and the display screen management module.

25. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the process-core assignment module is further configured to detect the movement of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program based on a user input.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the user input comprises dragging of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program from the first display screen, followed by dropping of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program in the second display screen.

27. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing an electronic device to carry out process-core assignment, the electronic device comprising a processor including a first core and a second core, an operating system, and a graphical user interface system configured to provide a first display screen and a second display screen, the program comprising:

a process-core assignment module configured to detect a movement of a graphical element from a first display screen to a second display screen and configured to generate a process-core assignment instruction based on the detected movement,

wherein the graphical element is associated with at least one process of an application program,

the first display screen is associated with the first core and the second display screen is associated with the second core, and

the process-core assignment instruction is configured to instruct the operating system to assign the at least one process of the application program from the first core to the second core in response to the detection of the movement of the graphic element from the first display screen to the second display screen.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the operating system comprising:

a process management module operatively coupled to the process-core assignment module and configured to assign the at least one process of the application program to the second core based on the process-core assignment instruction.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the graphical user interface system comprises:

an application management module configured to manage position of the graphical element associated with the at least one of the application program; and

a display screen management module operatively coupled to the application management module and configured to manage association between at least one of the application program and one of the first and second display screens,

wherein the process-core assignment module is further configured to detect the movement of the graphical element associated with at least one process of the application program based on a signal exchanged between the application management module and the display screen management module.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the process-core assignment module is further configured to detect the movement of the graphical element associated with the application program based on a user input through the graphical user interface system.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the user input comprises dragging of the graphical element associated with at least one of the application program from the first display screen, followed by dropping of the graphical element associated with at least one of the application program in the second display screen.

32. A portable electronic device comprising:

a first display device;

a processor including a first core and a second core;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor and configured to store an application program involving at least one process;

a graphical user interface system configured to provide a first display screen and a second display screen, the first display screen and the second display screen being associated with the first core and the second core, respectively;

a process management module configured to assign the at least one process of the application program to either the first core or the second core; and

a process-core assignment module operatively coupled to the process management module,

wherein the process-core assignment module is configured to detect a movement of a graphical element from the first display screen to the second display screen, the graphical element being associated with the at least one process of the application program and the at least one process of the application program being executed on the first core, and

the process management module is further configured to assign the at least one process of the application program from the first core to the second core based on the detection of the movement of the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program.

33. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein the first display device is configured to switch between the first display screen and the second display screen.

34. The portable electronic device of claim 32, further comprising:

a second display device,

wherein the first display screen is displayed on the first display device and the second display screen is displayed on the second display device.

35. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein the portable electronic device is operatively coupled to an external display device,

one of the first display screen and the second display screen is displayed on the first display device, and

the other of the first display screen and the second display screen is displayed on the external display device.

36. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein at least one of the first core and the second core comprises a virtual core.

37. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein the first display screen corresponds to a first task bar and the second display screen corresponds to a second task bar, and the graphical element associated with the at least one process of the application program comprises an application icon displayed on either the first task bar or the second task bar.

38. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein the process-core assignment module is further configured to detect the movement of the graphical element based on a user input through the graphical user interface system.

39. The portable electronic device of claim 38, wherein the first display device comprises a touch screen display device, and the user input is associated with gestures detected on the touch screen display device.

40. The portable electronic device of claim 38, further comprising:

a gyro sensor,

wherein the user input is associated with motion of the portable electronic device detected by the gyro sensor.

41. The portable electronic device of claim 32, wherein the portable electronic device is one selected from a group consisting of a cellular telephone device, a personal data assistant device and a handheld video game device.