Application Process Management for Hardware-Aware Resource Release

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing operating systems fail to efficiently release system resources occupied by application processes with high priorities, leading to increased system load and compromised user experience due to improper resource management.

Innovation Solution

An application process management method that determines whether an application process is background or foreground based on hardware module usage, adjusting its priority and resource release accordingly to ensure user-perceivable processes are not killed and optimize system load.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If application processes use mechanisms to decrease ADJ values to achieve keepalive, then the probability of being killed is reduced, but system resources occupied by high-priority processes fail to be released

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess keepaliveVSAvoidresource release efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating resource management strategies based on process characteristics. Foreground processes (user-perceivable) receive protected resource allocation while background processes allow resource release. This selective approach ensures user experience is maintained while enabling efficient resource recycling for non-critical processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using ADJ values alone to determine process termination (where lower ADJ always means protected), the patent inverts the logic by introducing a user-perceivable criterion. Processes with low ADJ values are only protected if they are foreground processes; background processes regardless of ADJ value can have resources released. This inversion resolves the contradiction by reversing the traditional priority-based protection mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Productivity

If the system releases resources of background processes based on ADJ values, then system load is reduced, but user-perceivable processes may be incorrectly killed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem load reductionVSAvoiduser experience
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary criterion (user-perceivable status) between the ADJ value and the resource release decision. This intermediary layer filters out user-critical processes from resource release, ensuring that even if a process has low ADJ value, its resources are protected if it is foreground. This mediator prevents erroneous killing of user-perceivable processes while allowing resource release for background processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the decision parameter from solely ADJ value to a composite criterion including user-perceivable status. By adding this new parameter dimension, the system can distinguish between foreground and background processes more accurately, enabling selective resource management that reduces system load without compromising user experience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If the system manages processes solely based on priority values, then resource allocation is simplified, but fine-grained control over process behavior is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanagement complexityVSAvoidprocess control precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the resource management strategy adaptive rather than static. Instead of fixed rules based only on ADJ values, the system dynamically adjusts resource release decisions based on real-time process characteristics (foreground/background status). This dynamic approach provides fine-grained control over process behavior while maintaining manageable complexity through clear classification criteria.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4697168A1Application process management method, and device
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4697168A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4697168A1 patent drawingFigure 2a
  • EP4697168A1 patent drawingFigure 2b

AI summary

An application process management method and a device are provided, and relate to the field of computer technologies. The method includes: A device obtains a value of a target parameter corresponding to an application process and a state of a hardware module included in the device, where the value of the target parameter is used to determine whether the application process belongs to a background process, and the state of the hardware module is used to determine whether the hardware module is used by the application process. Then, the device manages the application process based on the value of the target parameter corresponding to the application process and the state of the hardware module. In this way, the device manages the application process based on the parameter value representing whether the application process belongs to the background process and the state that is of the hardware module and that represents whether the application module is used by the application process, so that a resource occupied by an application process whose priority is increased by adjusting a parameter value can be released, and a system load can be further reduced.