Multiple mode mobile device

• US 8,499,304 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: De Los Reyes, Gustavo, Horton, Michael, Macwan, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): OBEID, MAMON A
• Application Number:
  US12/638,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 718/106, 726 17- 21, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 718/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, one or more methods and/or systems described can perform displaying, on a handheld device, multiple icons associated with multiple segments; receiving first user input indicating a first segment of the multiple segments; executing a first virtual machine associated with the first segment on the handheld device; executing a first application on the first virtual machine; receiving second user input indicating a second segment of the multiple segments; executing a second virtual machine associated with the second segment on the handheld device; and executing a second application on the second virtual machine. In one or more embodiments, one or more methods and/or systems described can further perform before executing the second virtual machine, receiving authentication information and determining that the user is authenticated. In one or more embodiments, the authentication information can include at least one of a user name, a password, and/or biometric information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying, by a handheld device, a plurality of icons associated with a plurality of segments, wherein each segment is associated with a virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines;

receiving, by the handheld device, first user input indicating a first icon of the plurality of icons, wherein the first icon is associated with a first segment of the plurality of segments;

executing, by the handheld device, a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines associated with the first segment;

executing a first application on the first virtual machine;

receiving second user input indicating a second icon of the plurality of icons, the second icon associated with a second segment of the plurality of segments;

in response to the second user input indicating the second icon associated with the second segment, selectively prompting for authentication information based on a second virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines having access to sensitive information, wherein the second virtual machine is associated with the second segment;

receiving authentication information;

determining whether a user is authenticated based on the authentication information;

executing, by the handheld device, the second virtual machine in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

executing a second application on the second virtual machine;

determining whether execution of an instruction associated with the first virtual machine would result in a fault; and

in response to determining that execution of the instruction would result in the fault, preventing execution of the instruction and allowing the first virtual machine to fail without adversely affecting the second virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a first plurality of applications on a first processor core of a plurality of processor cores, wherein the first plurality of applications includes the first application;

executing a second plurality of applications on a second processor core of the plurality of processor cores, wherein the second plurality of applications includes the second application; and

prioritizing access of the first plurality of applications and the second plurality of applications to an input device, an output device, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first virtual machine includes a first virtual processor that implements a first instruction set architecture,

wherein the second virtual machine includes a second virtual processor that implements a second instruction set architecture, and

wherein the first instruction set architecture is different than the second instruction set architecture.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a virtual machine manager that performs at least one of scheduling and prioritizing execution of the first virtual machine and execution of the second virtual machine.

5. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor; and

a computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

displaying, on the display, a plurality of icons associated with a plurality of segments, wherein each segment is associated with a virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines;

receiving first user input indicating a first icon of the plurality of icons, wherein the first icon is associated with a first segment of the plurality of segments;

executing a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines associated with the first segment;

executing a first application on the first virtual machine;

receiving second user input indicating a second icon of the plurality of icons, wherein the second icon is associated with a second segment of the plurality of segments;

in response to the second user input indicating the second icon associated with the second segment, selectively prompting for authentication information based on a second virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines having access to sensitive information, wherein the second virtual machine is associated with the second segment;

receiving authentication information;

determining whether a user is authenticated based on the authentication information;

executing the second virtual machine in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

executing a second application on the second virtual machine;

determining whether execution of an instruction associated with the first virtual machine would result in a fault; and

in response to determining that execution of the instruction would result in the fault, preventing execution of the instruction and allowing the first virtual machine to fail without adversely affecting the second virtual machine.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the operations further include:

displaying, on the display, a plurality of screen portions, wherein a single screen portion of the plurality of screen portions corresponds to a particular segment of the plurality of segments, wherein a first screen portion of the plurality of screen portions includes a first plurality of icons of the plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the first plurality of icons corresponds to a particular application of a plurality of applications, wherein the plurality of applications includes the first application, wherein the first plurality of icons includes the first icon, wherein the first icon corresponds to the first application, and

wherein executing the first virtual machine and executing the first application on the first virtual machine are performed in response to receiving the first user input.

7. The mobile handheld device of claim 5,

wherein the processor includes a plurality of cores,

wherein executing the first virtual machine is performed by a first core of the plurality of cores, and

wherein executing the second virtual machine is performed by a second core of the plurality of cores.

8. The mobile device of claim 5,

wherein the first virtual machine includes a first virtual processor that implements a first instruction set architecture,

wherein the second virtual machine includes a second virtual processor that implements a second instruction set architecture, and

wherein the first instruction set architecture is different than the second instruction set architecture.

9. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the operations further include:

executing a virtual machine manager that performs at least one of scheduling and prioritizing execution of the first virtual machine and execution of the second virtual machine.

10. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

displaying, on a display, a plurality of icons associated with a plurality of segments, wherein each segment is associated with a virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines;

receiving first user input indicating a first icon of the plurality of icons, wherein the first icon is associated with a first segment of the plurality of segments;

executing a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines associated with the first segment;

executing a first application on the first virtual machine;

receiving second user input indicating a second icon of the plurality of icons, wherein the second icon is associated with a second segment of the plurality of segment;

in response to the second user input indicating the second icon associated with the second segment, selectively prompting for authentication information based on a second virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines having access to sensitive information, wherein the second virtual machine is associated with the second segment;

receiving authentication information;

determining whether a user is authenticated based on the authentication information;

executing the second virtual machine in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

executing a second application on the second virtual machine;

determining whether execution of an instruction associated with the first virtual machine would result in a fault; and

in response to determining that execution of the instruction would result in the fault, preventing execution of the instruction and allowing the first virtual machine to fail without adversely affecting the second virtual machine.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

executing a first plurality of applications on a first processor core of a plurality of processor cores;

executing a second plurality of applications on a second processor core of the plurality of processor cores; and

prioritizing access of the first plurality of applications and the second plurality of applications to an input device, an output device, or a combination thereof.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10,

wherein the first virtual machine includes a first virtual processor that implements a first instruction set architecture,

wherein the second virtual machine includes a second virtual processor that implements a second instruction set architecture, and

wherein the first instruction set architecture is different than the second instruction set architecture.

13. The computer readable storage device of claim 10, wherein determining whether execution of the instruction would result in the fault is based on checking access bounds of a memory access, checking access bounds of an input-output device access, checking for controlling an input device access, checking for controlling an output device access, checking for an invalid pointer, checking for a stack overflow, or a combination thereof.

14. The computer readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the invalid pointer includes a dereferenced pointer.