Method and apparatus for presenting a window in a system having two operating system environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354900-B2
Application number	US-201113096262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2011
Priority date	Apr 28, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A device ( 110 ) and method ( 700 ) for providing windows in a multi-environment operating system is provided. A first operating system environment (first OSE) ( 222 ) is executed in a native mode on a mobile device ( 110 ). The mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI) 112 . The first OSE generates graphical data for a first OSE window ( 118 ). The first OSE window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE. A second operating system environment (second OSE) ( 224 ) is executed in a native mode on the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a GUI desktop ( 318 ) that is displayed on a second GUI ( 312 ). A second window ( 320 ) is rendered on the GUI desktop that comprises the first OSE window. The second OSE communicates relevant events to the first OSE, which are used by the first OSE to update the information used to render the first OSE window within the second OSE window.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of rendering a window comprising:
executing a first operating system environment (OSE) in a native mode on a central processing unit (CPU) of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI), and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first window, and wherein the first window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE;
executing, independent of the first OSE, a second OSE in a native mode on the CPU of the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a GUI desktop that is displayed on a second GUI; and
rendering on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first window, wherein the rendering comprises:
communicating relevant events from the second OSE to the first OSE via an inter-environment communication path, the inter-environment communication path comprising a communication module which resides within the second OSE and which is configured as a communication link between the first OSE and the second OSE;
modifying by the first OSE the graphical data of the first window in response to one or more of the relevant events;
determining, based on a communication from the first OSE to the second OSE via the inter-environment communication path, that a frame buffer of the first window has been updated, the frame buffer corresponding to the graphical data;
copying, in response to the communication from the first OSE to the second OSE, the frame buffer for the second window; and
providing for display the modified graphical data.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising initializing the second window by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:
creating a pixmap corresponding to the first OSE in the second window;
getting a memory handle for this pixmap;
creating and initialize a surface using the memory handle;
creating a graphics interface image from the pixmap; and
binding a texture to the graphics interface image.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising initializing the second window by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:
initializing a desktop of the second GUI;
defining a buffer to receive the graphical data of the first window, wherein the buffer is bound to the second window located on the desktop; and
providing information to the first OSE that allows graphical data to be written into the buffer.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising rendering the second window by commands of the first OSE that perform the following:
writing the graphical data into the buffer; and
notifying the second OSE to update the desktop of the second GUI using the graphical data in the buffer.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first window is a full screen window for the mobile device when rendered on the first GUI by the first OSE.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relevant events comprise user inputs that occur within a region of the second window when the second window is in focus and global input events relevant to one of the first OSE and first OSE applications.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising modifying by the second OSE the graphical data generated by the first OSE, wherein the modification by the second OSE is restricted to scaling the graphical data.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first OSE comprises an Android™ operating system environment and the second operating system environment comprises an Ubuntu® operating system environment.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second GUI comprises one of the first GUI, a second display of the mobile device, and a GUI of an external device.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a central processing unit (CPU);
a first graphical user interface (GUI); and
a second GUI, wherein the CPU:
executes a first operating system environment (OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises the first GUI, and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first window, and wherein the first window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE, and
executes, independent of the first OSE, a second OSE in a native mode on the CPU of the apparatus, wherein the second OSE generates a desktop that is displayed on a second GUI, and renders on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first window, wherein the rendering comprises communicating relevant events from the second OSE to the first OSE via an inter-environment communication path, modifying, by the first OSE, the graphical data of the first window in response to one or more of the relevant events, the inter-environment communication path comprising a communication module which resides within the second OSE and is configured as a communication link between the first OSE and the second OSE, determining, based on a communication from the first OSE to the second OSE via the inter-environment communication path, that a frame buffer of the first window has been updated, the frame buffer corresponding to the graphical data, copying, in response to the communication from the first OSE to the second OSE, the frame buffer for the second window, and providing for display the modified graphical data.

11. A non-transitory computer readable memory that stores instructions that are executable by a processor for performing a method of rendering a window that comprises:
executing a first operating system environment (OSE) in a native mode on a central processing unit (CPU) of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a first graphical user interface (GUI), and wherein the first OSE generates graphical data for a first window, and wherein the first window can be used on the first GUI for interfacing with the first OSE;
executing, independent of the first OSE, a second operating system environment (second OSE) in a native mode on the CPU of the mobile device, wherein the second OSE generates a desktop that is displayed on a second GUI; and
rendering on the GUI desktop a second window that comprises the first window, wherein the rendering comprises:
communicating relevant events from the second OSE to the first via an inter-environment communication path, the inter-environment communication path comprising a communication module which resides within the second OSE and is configured as a communication link between the first OSE and the second OSE; and
modifying by the first OSE the graphical data of the first window in response to one or more of the relevant events,
determining, based on a communication from the first OSE to the second OSE via the inter-environment communication path, that a frame buffer of the first window has been updated;
copying, in response to the communication from the first OSE to the second OSE, the frame buffer for the second window; and
providing for display the modified graphical data.

12. The computer readable memory according to claim 11 , wherein the relevant events comprise user inputs that occur within a region of the second window when the second window is in focus and global input events relevant to one of the first OSE and first OSE applications.

13. The computer readable memory according to claim 11 , the method further comprising initializing the second window by commands of the second OSE that perform the following:
creating a pixmap corresponding to the first OSE in the second window;
getting a memory handle for this pixmap;
creating and initialize a surface using the memory handle;
creating a graphics interface image from the pixmap; and
binding a texture to the graphics

Assignees

• Abraham Binu
• Galicia Joshua D
• Kim Tae Jin
• Tzakis Andrew N
• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Abraham Binu
• Galicia Joshua D
• Kim Tae Jin
• Tzakis Andrew N

Classifications

• G06F9/455

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title

• G06F9/4443 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F9/451 Primary

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title