Dual operating system operation and configuration

• US 8,589,952 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wong, Yoon Kean, Morishige, Kevin, Crowley, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONI, SYED A
• Application Number:
  US12/827,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed for device having a first and a second operating system communicatively coupled with each other. The first operating system is configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device, resources operable with the mobile computing device, and data management for the mobile computing device. The second operating system is a desktop-type operating system. In one embodiment, in response to coupling a docking station, the mobile computing device is configured to provide the second operating system access to peripherals. In addition, another embodiment the first operating system is configured to include an interface to access and execute applications executable through the second operating system.

Claims

1. A method operable in a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initializing a virtual machine, the virtual machine configured to manage communications between a first operating system and a second operating system;

initiating the first operating system, the first operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine and configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device and resources operable within the mobile computing device;

initiating the second operating system, the second operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine;

receiving an indication of an event corresponding to the mobile computing device being communicatively coupled to at least one second device,

initiating one or more device drivers of the second operating system that are otherwise inoperable in the first operating system in response to receiving the indication, wherein a respective device driver is initiated to communicatively couple with the at least one second device;

causing a graphic user interface of the second operating system to be displayed on the at least one second device, the graphic user interface including a window for an application that is run on the first operating system; and

enabling a user to operate the application of the first operating system using the at least one second device via the virtual machine and the respective device driver in the second operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first operating system comprises a mobile computing device operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second operating system comprises a desktop operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second device includes at least one of a display device, a keyboard, or a mouse.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second operating system is initiated concurrently with initiating the first operating system.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the application program comprises a virtual private network (VPN) application.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, through the user interface of the VPN application, a selection by a user to initiate execution of the VPN application within the second operating system.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically generating an instruction by the first operating system to initiate execution of the VPN application within the second operating system in response to the command message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising translating, via the virtual machine, the instruction generated by the first operating system into a VPN execution instruction message for the VPN application executed on the second operating system.

7. A method of communicating between a first operating system and a second operating system simultaneously running on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

initializing a virtual machine, the virtual machine configured to manage communications between a first operating system and a second operating system;

initiating the first operating system, the first operating system communicatively coupling the virtual machine and configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device;

initiating the second operating system, the second operating system communicatively coupling the virtual machine;

displaying, within the first operating system, a user interface corresponding to an application program executable within the second operating system;

transmitting from the first operating system to the second operating system via the virtual machine, a command message for executing an instruction for the application program; and

receiving, at the first operating system from the second operating system via the virtual machine, a response from the execution of the instruction by the application program;

wherein transmitting the command message comprises;

determining a state of the second operating system;

transmitting, in response to the second operating system being in an ON state, the command message to the second operating system through the virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first operating system is further configured to manage resources operable with the mobile computing device, and data management for the mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the application program comprises a media playback application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, through the user interface of the media playback application, a selection for playback of a media track.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the command message corresponds to the selection for playback of the media track.

16. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

initializing a virtual machine, the virtual machine configured to manage communications between a first operating system and a second operating system;

initiating the first operating system, the first operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine and configured to manage a state of the mobile computing device and resources operable within the mobile computing device;

initiating the second operating system, the second operating system communicatively coupled with the virtual machine;

receiving an indication of an event corresponding to the mobile computing device being communicatively coupled to at least one second device,

initiating one or more device drivers of the second operating system that are otherwise inoperable in the first operating system in response to receiving the indication, wherein a respective device driver is initiated to communicatively couple with the at least one second device;

causing a graphic user interface of the second operating system to be displayed on the at least one second device, the graphic user interface including a window for an application that is run on the first operating system; and

enabling a user to operate the application of the first operating system using the at least one second device via the virtual machine and the respective device driver in the second operating system.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computer.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the first operating system comprises a mobile computing device operating system.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 18, wherein the second operating system comprises a desktop operating system.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor initiates the second operating system concurrently with initiating the first operating system.