De-duplication of per-user registration data

• US 9,965,604 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Phillip E., Cheng, William L., Salameh, Jason, Petralli, Andres C., Stritzel, Adam D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, HOsuk
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURPHY, JOSEPH B
• Application Number:
  US14/850,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20170076075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming

Abstract

Registration of an application in a per-user registration model includes the creation and storage of duplicate registration data for multiple user accounts present on a system. This duplication of registration data may be reduced by storing at least a portion of identical data in a per-machine location in the system memory where it is accessible to all user accounts. Instead of needing to separately re-compute and/or re-store duplicate registration data in multiple per-user locations in the memory, each user account may access and utilize the registration data stored in the per-machine location. Pre-computing and storing a portion of the application registration data in a per-machine location in the memory may also allow the system to defer the registration of the application.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

memory configured to be in communication with the at least one processing unit, the memory storing instructions that based on execution by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to;

write application pre-registration registry data for an unregistered application to the memory, the application pre-registration registry data defining a graphical representation of the unregistered application;

initiate a first logon experience to an operating system of the computing device for a user account;

generate, based at least in part on the application pre-registration registry data, a system environment for the user account, the system environment comprising the graphical representation of the unregistered application;

determine whether a selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is received within a scheduled time for registering the unregistered application after the system environment is generated; and

install, upon expiration of the scheduled time for registering and based on a determination that the selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is not received, registration data to the memory that causes the application to be fully functional.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the unregistered application is associated with information notifying the computing device that the application is not fully registered.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to:

receive the selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application; and

based at least in part on the selection of the graphical representation, register the application in association with the user account ahead of the scheduled time for registering the application.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to display, based upon the selection of the graphical representation, an identifier indicating that the application is being registered in association with the user account.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the application pre-registration registry data is written to a per-machine location in the memory, and wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to:

register the application in association with the user account, the registering comprising writing at least a portion of registration data to a per-user location in the memory associated with the user account.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the user account is a first user account, and the system environment is a first system environment, the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to:

initiate a first logon experience for a second user account; and

generate, based partly on the application pre-registration registry data, a second system environment for the second user account, the system environment comprising the graphical representation of the unregistered application.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the application pre-registration registry data for the unregistered application is written to a machine registry hive and comprises a pre-resolved string, and wherein the graphical representation of the unregistered application is generated based at least in part on the pre-resolved string.

8. A method comprising:

writing, by a processing unit of a computing device, application pre-registration registry data for an unregistered application to a memory of the computing device, the application pre-registration registry data defining a graphical representation of the unregistered application;

initiating, by the computing device, a first logon experience to an operating system of the computing device for a user account;

generating, by the processing unit and based at least partly on the application pre-registration registry data, a system environment for the user account, the system environment comprising the graphical representation of the unregistered application;

determining whether a selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is received within a scheduled time for registering the unregistered application after the system environment is generated; and

installing, upon expiration of the scheduled time for registering and based on a determination that the selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is not received, registration data to the memory that causes the application to be fully functional.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical representation of the unregistered application is associated with information notifying the computing device that the application is not fully registered.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, the selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application; and

based at least in part on the selection of the graphical representation, registering the application in association with the user account ahead of the scheduled time for registering the application.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying, based upon the selection of the graphical representation, an identifier indicating that the application is being registered in association with the user account.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the application pre-registration registry data is written to a per-machine location in the memory, and wherein the method further comprises:

registering the application in association with the user account, the registering comprising writing at least a portion of registration data to a per-user location in the memory associated with the user account.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user account is a first user account, and the system environment is a first system environment, the method further comprising:

initiating, by the computing device, a first logon experience for a second user account; and

generating, by the processing unit and based at least partly on the application preregistration registry data, a second system environment for the second user account, the system environment comprising the graphical representation of the unregistered application.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the application pre-registration registry data for the unregistered application comprises a pre-resolved string, and wherein the graphical representation of the unregistered application is generated based at least in part on the pre-resolved string.

15. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

memory configured to be in communication with the at least one processing unit, the memory storing instructions that based on execution by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to;

write application pre-registration registry data for an unregistered application to a per-machine location in the memory of the computing device, where the per-machine location in the memory is accessible to all user accounts associated with the computing device;

initiate a first logon experience for a user account;

generate, based at least in part on the application pre-registration registry data, a system environment for the user account, the system environment comprising the graphical representation of the unregistered application;

determine whether a selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is received within a scheduled time for registering the unregistered application after the system environment is generated; and

register the unregistered application in association with the user account upon expiration of the scheduled time for registering based on a determination that the selection of the graphical representation of the unregistered application is not received, the registering comprising writing at least a portion of registration data to a per-user location in the memory associated with the user account, wherein the portion of the registration data written to the per-user location in the memory is not accessible to other user accounts.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the application pre-registration registry data for the unregistered application comprises a pre-resolved string, and wherein generating the system environment for the user account comprises generating a graphical representation of the un-registered application based at least in part on the pre-resolved string.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the registering the unregistered application is based at least in part upon a selection of a graphical representation of the unregistered application.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the portion of registration data is a first portion of registration data, and wherein the registering further comprises writing at least a second portion of registration data to the per-machine location in the memory of the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the user account is a first user account, and the system environment is a first system environment, the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to:

initiate a first logon experience for a second user account; and

generate, based partly on the application pre-registration registry data, a second system environment for the second user account.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the registration data is first registration data, and wherein the per-user location is a first per-user location, and wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processing unit to register the application in association with the second user account, the registering comprising writing at least a portion of second registration data to a second per-user location in the memory associated with the second user account.