System and method of providing mobility to personal computers

• US 8,117,608 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: RingCube Technologies, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Grziwok, Bryan, Slettehaugh, Aaron, Poole, Kyle, Halbert, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, TUAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/516,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/200, 709/217, 709/229, 709/231, 709/220, 455/560, 455/456.3, 455/556.1, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 713/2, 726/16, 370/395.54, 717163-178, 711/103, 714/25
• US Class Current: 717/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A user-centric computing system that includes a mobile storage device (“MSD”) capable of interfacing with a client personal computer (“PC”) for the purpose of using certain resources available through the client PC to access user programs, applications, data, and settings stored on the MSD. The user-centric computing system may also include a software management program configured to select the user programs, applications, data and settings to be stored on the MSD from the user programs, applications, data, and settings installed on a user'"'"'s PC and to interface with the client PC. A method of providing mobility to a user PC by selecting programs installed on the user PC and storing the selected programs on an MSD and interfacing the MSD with a client PC is also provided.

Claims

1. A method of providing mobility to a personal computer (“

PC”

) of a user (“

user PC”

) via a mobile storage device (“

MSD”

) and a client PC, the client PC being distinct from and remotely located from the user PC, the method comprising;

executing, using a processor of the user PC, steps to;

receive a selection from the user via the user PC of one or more programs installed on the user PC; and

store the selected one or more programs on the MSD including;

determine whether the selected one or more programs require registry entries or custom user settings stored in a registry or dynamic link library (“

.dll”

) files on the user PC, and

if the selected one or more programs have registry entries or custom user settings stored in the registry or .dll files, store the registry entries or custom user settings and .dll files in a database on the MSD to enable the selected one or more programs to be executed utilizing the client PC as if the selected one or more programs were installed on the client PC;

in response to the MSD being interfaced with the client PC by the user, executing, using a processor of the client PC, steps to;

receive a selection from the user via the client PC of at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD to launch;

launch the selected at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD, said launch including determine if registry entries and .dll files are required to run the selected at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD, and if registry entries are required;

update the registry entries stored on the MSD for compatibility with the client PC;

copy original registry entries from the client PC to temporary files on the MSD or the client PC, the access privileges of the user for the client PC permitting the copying of the original registry entries from the client PC; and

copy the updated registry entries and the .dll files stored on the MSD to the client PC, the access privileges of the user for the client PC permitting the copying of the updated registry entries and .dll files to the client PC; and

run the launched at least one of the one or more stored selected programs utilizing the client PC, the client PC being compatible with the selected at least one of the one or more stored selected programs such that the selected at least one of the one or more stored selected programs is executable utilizing the client PC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein run the launched at least one of the one or more stored selected programs includes:

delete the updated registry entries and .dll files copied to the client PC;

restore the original registry entries to the client PC from the temporary files on the MSD or the client PC; and

delete the temporary files stored on the MSD or the client PC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the MSD is a storage device selected from a group consisting of an external hard drive, an external flash memory, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, and a multimedia player.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the MSD further includes wireless or wired network capabilities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the MSD is preloaded with predetermined programs and applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing using the processor of the client PC includes executing instructions stored on the MSD.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing using the processor of the client PC includes executing instructions stored on the MSD and stored on the client PC.

8. A system for providing mobility to a personal computer (“

PC”

) of a user (“

user PC”

) via a mobile storage device (“

MSD”

) and a client PC, the client PC being distinct from and remotely located from the user PC, the system comprising;

a processor of the user PC for executing instructions stored in a memory thereof to;

receive a selection from the user via the user PC of one or more programs installed on the user PC; and

store the selected one or more programs on the MSD including;

determine whether the selected one or more programs require registry entries or custom user settings stored in a registry or dynamic link library (“

.dll”

) files on the user PC, and

if the selected one or more programs have registry entries or custom user settings stored in the registry or .dll files, store the registry entries or custom user settings and .dll files in a database on the MSD to enable the selected one or more programs to be executed utilizing the client PC as if the selected one or more programs were installed on the client PC;

a processor of the client PC for executing instructions stored in a memory thereof to, in response to the MSD being interfaced with the client PC by the user;

receive a selection from the user via the client PC of at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD to launch;

launch the selected at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD, said launch including determine if registry entries and .dll files are required to run the selected at least one of the one or more selected programs stored on the MSD, and if registry entries are required;

update the registry entries stored on the MSD for compatibility with the client PC;

copy original registry entries from the client PC to temporary files on the MSD or the client PC, the access privileges of the user for the client PC permitting the copying of the original registry entries from the client PC; and

copy the updated registry entries and the .dll files stored on the MSD to the client PC, the access privileges of the user for the client PC permitting the copying of the updated registry entries and .dll files to the client PC; and

run the launched at least one of the one or more stored selected programs utilizing the client PC, the client PC being compatible with the selected at least one of the one or more stored selected programs such that the selected at least one of the one or more stored selected programs is executable utilizing the client PC; and

the MSD being configured to store the selected one or more programs and further configured to store the registry entries or custom user settings and .dll files in the database on the MSD if the selected one or more programs have registry entries or custom user settings stored in the registry or .dll files.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein run the launched at least one of the one or more stored selected programs includes:

delete the updated registry entries and .dll files copied to the client PC;

restore the original registry entries to the client PC from the temporary files on the MSD or the client PC; and

delete the temporary files stored on the MSD or the client PC.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the MSD is a storage device selected from a group consisting of an external hard drive, an external flash memory, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone, and a multimedia player.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the MSD further includes wireless or wired network capabilities.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the MSD is preloaded with predetermined programs and applications.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions executed by the processor of the client PC are stored on the MSD.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein a portion of the instructions executed by the processor of the client PC are stored on the MSD and the remaining portion of the instructions executed by the processor of the client PC are stored on the client PC.