Context of use differentiation in a pocket computer

• US 7,548,902 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Dauguet, Anthony, Picard, Stéphane, Bidet, Jérôme
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kim T
• Application Number:
  US10/968,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A pocket computer comprising a plurality of programs and data, loading of and access to said programs and data being managed by an operating system. The pocket computer comprises means for selecting one of at least two predefined contexts of use and a context database that comprises a list of associated programs and data for each predefined context of use. In response to selection of a context of use, the operating system interrogates the context database in order to activate from the plurality of programs and data only programs and data associated with said context in the context base.

Claims

1. A method of managing access to programs and data in a pocket computer according to at least two predefined contexts of use, wherein loading of the programs and accessing the data is managed by an operating system, said method comprises the following steps:

a) enabling a user to set parameters that are stored in a context database for said programs and data to indicate which programs and data are associated with each of said at least two predefined contexts of use

b) selecting one of said at least two predefined contexts of use;

c) storing the selected predefined context of use in the context database as a current context of use in response to the selecting of the one of said at least two predefined contexts of use;

d) loading the operating system; and

e) during loading of the operating system, interrogating the context database by the operating system to identify the current context of use, and loading said current context of use to provide a user with a working environment that enables the user to activate programs and access data that are associated with the loaded current context of use,

wherein only programs and data that are associated in said context database with the loaded current context of use may be activated or accessed, and programs and data that are not associated with said loaded current context of use can only be activated or accessed by reloading said operating system to load another context of use that is associated with at least some of the programs and data that are not associated with the loaded current context of use.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in step e), a portion of the programs and data is associated with a plurality of predefined contexts of use.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in step e), the operating system constructs an access menu to programs and data comprising only programs and data identified for the current context.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein steps b) to e) are executed automatically when the computer is started up.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein steps b) to e) are executed during operation in response to user action on selection means.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising interrogating by the operating system the context database to launch the program with the data associated with the current context of use in the context database.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said pocket computer includes a plurality of operating system versions or configurations, and each version or configuration corresponds to a predefined context of use.

7. A pocket computer comprising:

an operating system;

programs and data, wherein loading of said programs and access to said data is managed by the operating system;

means for enabling a user to set parameters to be stored in a context database for said programs and data to indicate which programs and data are associated with each of at least two contexts of use;

means for selecting one of said at least two predefined contexts of use;

means for storing the selected context of use in the context database as the current context in response to the selecting one of said at least two predefined contexts of use;

means for loading said operating system;

wherein, during loading of the operating system and in response to selecting one of said at least two predefined contexts of use, the operating system is adapted to;

interrogate the context database to identify the current context of use; and

load said current context of use to provide the user with a working environment that enables the user to activate programs and access data that are associated with the loaded current context of use,

wherein only programs and data that are associated in said context database with the current context of use may be activated or accessed, and programs and data that are not associated with said loaded current context of use can only be activated or accessed by reloading said operating system to load another context of use that is associated with at least some of the programs and data that are not associated with the loaded current context of use.

8. The pocket computer according to claim 7, including physical controls for selecting one of the predefined contexts of use.

9. A pocket computer according to claim 8, including display means for selecting one of the predefined contexts of use.

10. A pocket computer according to claim 7, including software for constructing an access menu to programs and data comprising only programs and data associated with the context in the context base.

12. The pocket computer according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of operating system versions or configurations, each version or configuration corresponding to a predefined context of use.