Method and system for installing portable executable applications

• US 8,286,158 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kingston Digital, Inc. (Kingston Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Imation Corporation (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamid, Laurence, Charbonneau, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYIM, SAMUEL E
• Application Number:
  US11/347,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20070234344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,437 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44584 Portable applications, i.e. making applications self-contained, e.g. U3 standard

Abstract

According to the invention, a first executable environment is provided. The first executable environment is for execution within an operating system environment of a host computer system. The first executable environment is not an emulator for emulating any of another processor and another operating system. A software application is provided for installation and execution within the operating system environment. The software application is for fixed installation and not for installation in a portable fashion for being ported from one host computer system to another. The software application is then installed within the first executable environment, the installed software application installed within a removable peripheral memory storage device for execution within the first executable environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first executable environment disposed to allow application programs to be installed and executed within a removable peripheral memory storage device, the first executable environment for execution within an operating system environment of a host computer system;

providing a software application originally configured for installation and execution within the operating system environment, the software application originally configured for fixed system installations, and configured for other than being ported from one host computer system to another, the software application provided for installation and execution within the first executable environment;

installing the software application within the first executable environment within the removable peripheral memory storage device, wherein during installing of the software application within the first executable environment, system related files and data of the software application that are originally configured to be stored within the operating system environment upon installation are instead other than stored within the operating system environment, and files and data analogous to the system related files and data are stored within the first executable environment within the removable peripheral memory storage device, wherein during execution of the software application, the first executable environment;

intercepts an environment specific call made by the software application intended for the host computer system to perform a function;

determines whether the environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and whether the environment specific call is supported by the host computer system; and

makes an executable environment call to the first executable environment to perform the function if the environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and makes a system library call to the host computer system to perform the function if the environment specific call is supported by the host computer system and if the environment specific call is other than supported by the first executable environment, wherein the first executable environment is for other than emulating any of;

a processor external to the host computer system, and

an operating system other than the operating system environment.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the removable peripheral memory storage device comprises a universal serial bus (USB) memory key.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the USB memory key comprises flash random access memory (RAM).

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the USB memory key comprises a hard drive.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Windows based operating system.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the first executable environment is an environment for executing of Windows compatible software therein.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein

the first executable environment intercepts application specific system library calls and

when said application specific system library calls are supported by said first executable environment, performs said application specific system library calls within said first executable environment, and

when said application specific system library calls are not supported by said first executable environment, translates the application specific system library calls into at least one of system library calls and instruction codes compatible with the operating system.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein a call to a software application specific dynamic linked library (DLL) from the software application is translated into at least one of a call to an operating system DLL and instructions for carrying out the software application specific DLL functions without installation of the software application specific DLL within the operating system.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein an application in execution within the first executable environment executes as if installed directly within the operating system of the host computer system, the first executable environment varying data provided to and from the application during execution thereof to mimic a fixed installation thereof on the host computer system.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first executable environment is executed from the removable peripheral memory storage device.

11. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

installing the first executable environment within each of a plurality of host computer systems, each host computer wherein the first executable environment is installed being compatible with the software application installed within the removable peripheral memory storage device.

12. A method according to claim 1, where the first executable environment is a small portable application for installation from the removable peripheral memory storage device in which the software application is installed.

13. A method according to claim 1, comprising authorizing a user of the removable peripheral memory storage device before executing the software application.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the authorizing of a user includes:

sensing biometric information of the user;

comparing data based on the sensed information against stored template data to determine a correlation therebetween; and

,

in dependence upon the correlation performing one of authorizing the user and other than authorizing the user.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein user data associated with the software application is stored within the removable peripheral memory storage device on which the software application is installed.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the removable peripheral memory storage device must be coupled to the host computer system during host computer system start up in order for the first executable environment to execute.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the removable peripheral memory storage device comprises a portable hard drive.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first environment selects a software application from a plurality of similar software applications for execution in dependence upon at least one of an operating system and a processor of the host computer system.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first executable environment and the software application are stored within a network accessible storage medium for access by each of a plurality of computers.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the first executable environment comprises an environment for portable installation within the network drive, the environment for execution on any of a number of different computer systems.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein both the first executable environment and the software application are stored within a same network accessible storage medium.

22. A method according to claim 19, wherein both the first executable environment and the software application are stored within different network accessible storage media.

23. A removable peripheral memory storage device comprising:

non-volatile random access memory; and

software application data stored within the non-volatile random access memory, the software application data for when executed within a first executable environment executing within an operating system of a host system resulting in execution of the software application, the first executable environment other than any of;

an operating system for the host system,

an operating system emulator for an operating system other than the operating system of the host system, and

a processor emulator for a processor other than the host system processor, the first executable environment for execution within the operating system of the host system and for, when the software application is executed within the first executable environment;

intercepting an environment specific call made by the software application intended for the host system to perform a function;

determining whether the environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and whether the environment specific call is supported by the host system; and

making an executable environment call to the first executable environment to perform the function if the environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and making a system library call to the host system to perform the function if the environment specific call is supported by the host system and if the environment specific call is other than supported by the first executable environment,

wherein the software application once installed within the removable peripheral memory storage device is executable within any of a plurality of host computer systems each supporting the first executable environment absent installation of system level files, and data of the software application within each of the plurality of host computer systems.

24. A method comprising:

providing a first executable environment, the first executable environment for execution within a first operating system environment of a first host computer system, wherein the first executable environment is for other than emulating any of;

a processor external to the first host computer system, and

an operating system other than the first operating system environment;

providing a second executable environment, the second executable environment for execution within a second operating system environment of a second host computer system,

wherein the second executable environment is for other than emulating any of;

a processor external to the second host computer system, and

an operating system other than the second operating system environment;

providing a software application originally configured for installation and execution within the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment, the software application originally configured for fixed system installations, and configured for other than being ported from one host computer system to another, the software application provided for installation and execution within the first executable environment and the second executable environment; and

,

installing the software application within the first executable environment and within the second executable environment, the installed software application installed within a storage device for execution within each of the first executable environment and the second executable environment and accessible to each of the host computer system and the second host computer system,

wherein during execution of the software application within the first executable environment, the first executable environment for;

intercepting a first environment specific call made by the software application intended for the first host computer system to perform a first function

determining whether the first environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and whether the first environment specific call is supported by the first host computer system; and

making a first executable environment call to the first executable environment to perform the first function if the first environment specific call is supported by the first executable environment and making a first system library call to the first host computer system to perform the first function if the first environment specific call is supported by the first host computer system and if the first environment specific call is other than supported by the first executable environment, and

wherein during execution of the software application within the second executable environment, the second executable environment for;

intercepting a second environment specific call made by the software application intended for the second host computer system to perform a second function;

determining whether the second environment specific call is supported by the second executable environment; and

making a second executable environment call to the second executable environment to perform the second function if the second environment specific call is supported by the second executable environment and making a second system library call to the second host computer system to perform the second function if the second environment specific call is supported by the second host computer system and if the second environment specific call is other than supported by the second executable environment.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein an application in execution within the first executable environment executes as if installed directly within the operating system of the first host computer system, the first executable environment varying data provided to and from the application during execution thereof to mimic a fixed installation thereof on the first host computer system and an application in execution within the second executable environment executes as if installed directly within the operating system of the second other host computer system, the second executable environment varying data provided to and from the application during execution thereof to mimic a fixed installation thereof on the second other host computer system.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the first host computer system and the second other host computer system are configured differently.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein data that is varied includes data relating to a system registry of each of the first host computer system and the second other host computer system.