Multi-environment operating system

• US 9,348,633 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Galicia, Joshua D., Carlyle, Jeffrey C., Tzakis, Andrew N.
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US12/838,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20110016299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/300, 713/320
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile computing device that operates multiple, co-existing and independent operating system environments on a common kernel. A booting process for initiating a multiple operating system environment is also provided. Additionally, various embodiments of the present invention include processes for managing a switch between one operating system environment to a second operating system environment.

Claims

1. A mobile device including a processor and memory, the mobile device comprising:

a core kernel on the device configured to interface a device hardware component and a middleware component;

at least two co-existing independent middleware operating environments on the device and coupled to the core kernel, the middleware operating environments each having a corresponding application component, wherein there are services common to the operating environments; and

a daemon by which the two operating environments are in communication with one another.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein at least one middleware operating environment is a desktop operating environment.

3. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a resource manager configured to control resources shared by the at least two co-existing independent middleware operating environments.

4. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein a resource manager controls system resources shared by the first and second independent middleware operating environments.

5. The mobile device according to claim 4, wherein the shared resources include display devices and input devices.

6. A mobile computing device comprising:

a computer processor and a memory storage unit coupled to the computer processor, the memory storage unit having computer executable instructions capable of simultaneously operating, on the device, at least two independent operating system environments on a common kernel on the device,

wherein the operating system environments do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on the kernel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein there are services common to the operating system environments.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein a first of the at least two operating system environments is optimized for mobile communication operation.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein a second of the at least two operating system environments is optimized for desktop operation.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein a device state dictates a primary operating system environment and a secondary operating system environment of the at least two operating system environments.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the primary operating system environment is a mobile communication device operating system environment when the device is operating in a mobile communication mode.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the primary operating system environment switches from one of the at least two operating system environments to another one of the operating system environments when a user invokes an application associated with said other one of the operating system environments.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the primary operating system environment switches from said other of the operating system environments to said one of the operating system environments when the device receives a phone call.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the primary operating system environment switches from said other of the operating system environments to said one of the operating system environments when the device is docked.

15. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device state changes in response to a phone event.

16. A mobile computing device comprising:

a computer processor coupled to a computer memory having computer executable instructions configured to initiate an operating system wherein the operating system is configured to simultaneously run a desktop operating system environment and mobile operating system environment on a single kernel, the desktop operating system environment and the mobile operating system environment being independent, wherein there are services common to the operating system environments, wherein a first of the operating system environments includes a portal service module and a second of the operating system environments includes a resource manager,

wherein the resource manager is configured to communicate directly with the portal service module, wherein the resource manager includes a set of instructions configured to manage resources shared by the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment, wherein the resources include one or more of a display device, an input device, a power management service, and system state information, and

wherein the portal service module is configured to communicate directly with the resource manager, to serve as a source of communications from the first operating system environment to the resource manager.

17. The mobile computing device according to claim 16, wherein a predetermined device state dictates which of the operating system environments is a primary operating system environment and which of the operating system environments is a secondary operating system environment.

18. The mobile computing device according to claim 17, wherein the mobile operating system environment is the primary operating system environment when the device is operating in a mobile mode and the desktop operating system environment is the secondary operating system environment.

19. The mobile device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined device state is programmable.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the operating system environments do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on the kernel.

21. The mobile computing device of claim 20, further comprising a daemon by which the first and second operating system environments are in communication with one another, wherein each of the portal service module and the resource manager are at least indirectly in communication with the daemon.

22. A mobile telephone comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to receive and transmit multimedia information;

a computing system comprising a processor coupled to a memory storage unit;

a multi-environment operating system having a common kernel, the memory storage unit having computer executable instructions capable of managing resources shared between first and second operating system environments that are co-existing and independent, the first and second operating system environments operating simultaneously on the common kernel and further sharing common services,

wherein the first operating system environment includes a portal service module, a portal activity module, a first operating system services module, and a first operating system applications module,

wherein the second operating system environment includes a resource manager, a second operating system applications module, and a second operating system services module, and a further module configured to display a first operating system environment application window on the graphical user interface at a time when the second operating system environment is serving as a primary operating system environment,

wherein the kernel includes a set of drivers and an additional module that is configured to take absolute coordinate and keyboard events from the further module and pass them to an event hub, and

wherein the resource manager is configured to manage at least some resources shared by the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment, to control accessing of at least some hardware by the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment, and to control at least some displaying by the graphical user interface.