Dynamic cross-environment application configuration/orientation in an active user environment

• US 8,966,379 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Brian, Reeves, Paul E., Liu, Wuke, Sushchev, Borys
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Sang H
• Application Number:
  US13/399,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/659, 715/746, 715/249, 715/779, 715/740
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Dynamic configuration of cross-environment applications enhances the computing experience in a computing environment with an extended active user environment and/or multiple active user environments. A mobile computing device maintains multiple active device configurations associated with multiple active user environments and/or application windows within active user environments. Device configuration qualifiers are determined from a variety of sources including device characteristics, device indicators, user settings, and/or application presentation. The mobile computing device selects active resource sets for applications based on the device configuration qualifiers. Application presentation is dynamically updated by disestablishing an application screen and establishing a new active application screen using a different resource set. The mobile computing device may be a smartphone running the Android mobile operating system and a full desktop Linux distribution on a modified Android kernel.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a first application and a second application, both compiled for and in active concurrent execution within a first operating system of a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device associated with a first active user environment, the method comprising:

receiving a first orientation indicator with respect to gravity from a first orientation sensor, the first orientation sensor associated with the first active user environment;

translating the first orientation indicator into a first orientation qualifier associated with an active display of the first active user environment;

selecting a first resource set for the first application from a first plurality of resource sets associated with the first application based on the first orientation qualifier;

establishing a first application screen associated with the first application using the first resource set;

displaying the first application screen on a first display of the first active user environment;

receiving a second orientation indicator from a second orientation sensor, the second orientation sensor associated with a second active user environment associated with a desktop computing system;

translating the second orientation indicator into a second orientation qualifier;

associating the second orientation qualifier with a second active display of the second active user environment;

disassociating an orientation configuration of the second application on the second active display from the first orientation qualifier;

selecting a second resource set for the second application from a second plurality of resource sets associated with the second application based on the second orientation qualifier;

establishing a second application screen associated with the second application using the second resource set; and

displaying the second application screen on the second active display;

wherein the second active user environment is associated with a second operating system, the second operating system running concurrently with the first operating system on a shared kernel of the mobile computing device, wherein the first operating system and the second operating system make system calls through the shared kernel without virtualized memory, wherein the shared kernel allocates anonymous shared memory comprising named memory blocks, the anonymous shared memory accessible by all processes running on the first operating system and a second operating system and not accessible by name by other processes, and wherein the mobile computing device and the desktop computing system are distinct computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the anonymous shared memory is accessible by name through a file descriptor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising an IPC driver which passes a file descriptor to processes in the first operating system and the second operating system to allow communication between the first operating system and the second operating system across process boundaries.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the first orientation indicator into the second orientation qualifier based on an orientation offset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared kernel manages task scheduling for processes of the both the first operating system and the second operating system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first operating system comprises a mobile operating system and the second operating system comprises a desktop operating system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first operating system comprises an Android mobile operating system and the second operating system comprises a Linux desktop operating system.

8. A method for configuring a first application and a second application, both compiled for and in active concurrent execution within a first operating system of a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device associated with a first active user environment, the method comprising:

receiving a first orientation indicator with respect to gravity from a first orientation sensor, the first orientation sensor associated with the first active user environment;

associating a first orientation qualifier with the first orientation indicator;

selecting a first resource set for the first application from a first plurality of resource sets associated with the first application based on the first orientation qualifier;

receiving a second orientation indicator from a second orientation sensor, the second orientation sensor associated with a second active user environment associated with a desktop computing system;

translating the second orientation indicator into a second orientation qualifier;

disassociating the second orientation qualifier from the first orientation indicator; and

selecting a second resource set for the second application from a second plurality of resource sets associated with the second application based on the second orientation qualifier;

wherein the second active user environment is associated with a second operating system, the second operating system running concurrently with the first operating system on a shared kernel of the mobile computing device, wherein the first operating system and the second operating system make system calls through the shared kernel without virtualized memory, and wherein the shared kernel allocates anonymous shared memory comprising named memory blocks, the anonymous shared memory accessible by all processes running on the first operating system and a second operating system and not accessible by name by other processes.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

establishing a first application screen associated with the first application using the first resource set;

displaying the first application screen on a first display of the first active user environment;

establishing a second application screen associated with the second application using the second resource set; and

displaying the second application screen on a second display of a second active user environment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the anonymous shared memory is accessible by name through a file descriptor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising an IPC driver which passes the file descriptor to processes in the first operating system and the second operating system to allow communication between the first operating system and the second operating system across process boundaries.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising translating a device configuration parameter of a second active user environment into the second orientation qualifier.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the second orientation qualifier is based on an aspect ratio of a display device associated with a second active user environment.

14. A method for configuring a first application and a second application, both compiled for and in active concurrent execution within a first operating system of a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device associated with a first active user environment, the method comprising:

receiving a first orientation indicator from a first orientation sensor, the first orientation sensor associated with the first active user environment;

receiving a device configuration change message, the device configuration change message related to a device configuration of a second active user environment, the second active user environment receiving graphics information from the mobile computing device through a graphics interface;

translating the first orientation indicator into a first orientation qualifier for a first active application screen associated with the first application;

selecting a first resource set for the first application from a first plurality of resource sets associated with the first application based on the first orientation qualifier;

translating the device configuration change message into a second orientation qualifier for a second active application screen associated with the second application; and

selecting a second resource set for the second application from a second plurality of resource sets associated with the second application based on the second orientation qualifier;

wherein the second active user environment is associated with a second operating system, the second operating system running concurrently with the first operating system on a shared kernel of the mobile computing device, wherein the first operating system and the second operating system make system calls through the shared kernel without virtualized memory, wherein the shared kernel allocates anonymous shared memory comprising named memory blocks, the anonymous shared memory accessible by all processes running on the first operating system and a second operating system and not accessible by name by other processes, and wherein the mobile computing device and the desktop computing system are distinct computing devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the device configuration change message is received from a console application running in a second operating system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the device configuration change message indicates a change to an aspect ratio of a console window associated with the console application.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first orientation indicator is with respect to gravity.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first operating system comprises a mobile operating system and the second operating system comprises a desktop operating system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first operating system comprises an Android mobile operating system and the second operating system comprises a Linux desktop operating system.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

establishing a first application screen associated with the first application using the first resource set;

displaying the first application screen on a first display of the first active user environment;

establishing a second application screen associated with the second application using the second resource set; and

displaying the second application screen on a second display of the second active user environment.