Multi-environment operating system

• US 9,367,331 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• 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., Hopman, Nicholas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US12/839,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/300, 713/320
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded

Abstract

A device with multiple, co-existing, and independent environments interacting with a common kernel, and related methods of operation, are disclosed herein. Operation is altered or dependent on the device being or entering a docked mode.

Claims

1. A method for booting a device having at least two simultaneous co-existing independent operating environments, comprising the following steps:

initiating a start-up boot sequence;

initializing a core kernel;

identifying that the device is docked;

launching services common to a first operating system and a second operating system that both operate on the core kernel, wherein the services are other than kernel-level services;

selecting a personal computing primary operating system based at least in part upon the identifying that the device is docked, wherein the first operating system is the personal computing primary operating system;

launching initializing scripts of the personal computing primary operating system; and

launching initializing scripts of a secondary mobile operating system, wherein the second operating system is the secondary mobile operating system, and wherein the second operating system operates while the first operating system is operating as the personal computing primary operating system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device boots the personal computing primary operating system first when the device is identified as docked.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device boots the mobile operating system first when the device is booted while the device is not identified as docked.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second operating systems do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on the core kernel.

5. A method for initializing an operating system, comprising the following steps:

initializing a boot sequence;

selecting at least two independent, simultaneous operating system environments for operating a mobile device, the at least two operating system environments being configured to be independent and co-exist while the device is operational;

launching a common kernel on which each of the at least two operating system environments operate;

launching application services common to a first of the at least two operating system environments and a second of the at least two operating system environments, wherein the services are other than kernel-level services;

based at least in part upon a mode state of the device, selecting one of the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment as the primary operating system environment and the other of the first operating system environment and the second operating system environment as the secondary operating system environment; and

launching initializing scripts for the primary and secondary operating system environments;

wherein the second operating system environment is the primary operating system environment when the mode state is a docked mode, and wherein the first operating system environment operates while the second operating system environment is operating as the primary operating system environment.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of initiating a secondary operating system application.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first operating system environment is mobile operating system environment.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the services are launched simultaneously.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second operating systems do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on the common kernel.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein whether the launching of the initializing scripts of the personal computing primary operating system occurs subsequent to or prior to the launching of the initializing scripts of the secondary mobile operating system depends upon the mode state.

11. A method for operating a device comprising the following steps:

initiating a boot sequence, configured to launch two co-existing operating system environments that do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on a shared, single kernel;

identifying the mode state of the device;

selecting a first of the two co-existing operating system environments as a primary operating system environment based at least in part upon the mode state; and

changing the primary operating environment to a second of the two co-existing operating system environments based at least in part upon a change in the mode state of the device, wherein the first of the operating system environments still continues to operate while the second operating system environment is operating as the primary operating environment;

wherein the mode state changes from a mobile mode to a docked mode when the device is docked.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mode state changes from a docked mode to a mobile mode when the device is removed from a docking station.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the primary environment switches from the mobile mode to a desktop mode when the device is docked.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising launching services Common to the two co-existing operating system environments.

15. A method for operating a device having a kernel, a first environment with first middleware, and a second environment with second middleware, wherein each of the environments interfaces the kernel:

initializing the kernel;

identifying a device mode state;

launching services common to each of the first environment and the second environment;

determining one of the first and second environments as being a primary environment based at least in part upon the mode state; and

launching initializing scripts for each of the first and second environments,

wherein the first middleware of the first environment is configured to interpret application code at run-time with a byte-code interpreter, and the second middleware of the second environment is configured to execute a pre-run-time-compiled application;

and further including determining that an event has occurred; and

in response to the event, switching from the one of the environments being the primary environment to the other of the environments being the primary environment

wherein the event that is determined to have occurred is a docking of the device in relation to another device, and wherein the switching from the one environment to the other environment involves a switching between a first focus pertaining to the pre-run-time compiled application and a second focus pertaining to another application based upon the interpreted application code.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the services are other than kernel-level services.

17. A method for operating a mobile device comprising:

providing at least two operating system environments for operating the mobile device, the at least two operating system environments being configured to be independent and co-exist while the device is operational;

providing a common kernel on which each of the at least two operating system environments operate; and

launching application services common to a first of the at least two operating system environments and a second of the at least two operating system environments, wherein the services are other than kernel-level services.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least two operating system environments do not exist in a virtualization or emulation scheme but rather operate on the common kernel.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

based at least in part upon a mode of the device, selecting a first of the at least two operating system environments as a primary operating system environment and a second of the at least two operating system environments as a second operating system environment.