OS-Level Instance Redirection via Key Lookup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current platforms that allow multiple instances of an application face issues with process failures affecting all windows, and multi-instancing implementations are limited by application-specific code, leading to errors and inconsistent user experiences.
Innovation Solution
A computer system with an operating system API that enables standardized multi-instance functionality, allowing applications to manage instances through the OS, using keys for instance management and redirection, and providing a stable communication mechanism to handle instance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the platform allows only one instance of an application to be active at a time, then the application is limited to using multiple windows for the single instance, but when problems occur with the process, every window is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application into multiple independent instances, each with its own process ID. Instead of having one process control multiple windows, each instance is a separate process that can independently manage its own windows. This segmentation allows windows to be distributed across multiple independent processes, so that a failure in one process does not affect windows in other processes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the platform allows an application to be multi-instanced, then the application can open multiple instances, but the code to communicate with other instances is application-specific and not integrated with the platform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism through the operating system's activation manager and key manager components. Instead of applications directly communicating with each other using application-specific code, the OS provides a standardized intermediary layer that handles instance management, key registration, and activation redirection. This mediator abstracts the complexity of multi-instance communication into platform-level operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal multi-instance management system at the operating system level that serves all applications uniformly. The activation manager and key manager provide platform-wide functionality for handling multiple instances, eliminating the need for each application to implement its own communication protocols. This universal approach allows any application to benefit from multi-instance capabilities through standardized OS APIs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If applications use application-to-application messages to communicate between instances, then multiple instances can be created, but if one instance fails or is shut down, messages sent to the failed instance result in errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the activation manager monitors the status of application instances and provides feedback to incoming activation requests. When an instance fails or shuts down, the system detects this state and feeds back this information to subsequent activation attempts, automatically redirecting them to surviving instances. This feedback loop ensures that messages and activation requests are dynamically routed away from failed instances without generating errors.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a computer system stores entries for one or more instances of an application with keys generated for the instances in storage. The instances of the application are instantiated on the computer system. The computer system receives a request from the application with a current key for a current instance and parses the storage to determine if the current key is stored in the keys associated with the application. The computer system returns a response to the application with an indication whether the current key is stored as an entry in the one or more entries. The application uses the response to determine a redirection action to one of the one or more instances of the application when the current key is associated with an instance other than the current instance.