Unified Mobile-Desktop OS via Shared Kernel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smartphones lack the capability to seamlessly integrate and navigate multiple active user environments, limiting their ability to run desktop applications and providing a suitable desktop user experience due to differences in processing resources, user interfaces, and operating systems.
Innovation Solution
A mobile computing device that runs both a mobile operating system and a desktop operating system concurrently on a shared kernel, allowing for seamless navigation between mobile and desktop applications by displaying preview screens of foreground and background applications across user environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a smartphone runs a mobile operating system optimized for mobile processing resources and user interface, then power consumption is reduced and mobile capabilities are enhanced, but the ability to run desktop applications and provide a desktop user experience is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables a single mobile device to function as both a mobile computing platform and a desktop computing platform by running both mobile and desktop operating systems concurrently. The device can seamlessly switch between mobile mode (using mobile OS for power efficiency) and desktop mode (using desktop OS for running desktop applications), making it universally adaptable to different computing needs without requiring separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines two previously separate computing environments (mobile and desktop) into a single integrated system. By merging the mobile operating system and desktop operating system on the same hardware platform with shared kernel, the system allows users to access both mobile applications and desktop applications from one device, eliminating the need to carry multiple devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a mobile device runs multiple operating systems concurrently, then the ability to navigate between mobile and desktop applications is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shared kernel acts as an intermediary layer between the mobile operating system and the desktop operating system. This mediator manages resource allocation, process scheduling, and system calls for both OS environments, allowing them to run concurrently without direct conflicts. The shared kernel abstracts the hardware resources and provides a unified interface for both mobile and desktop applications, reducing the overall system complexity despite running multiple OSs.
3Speed
If preview screens of background applications are displayed in the secondary terminal environment, then application navigation speed is improved, but memory resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining full application states in memory for all background applications, the system creates simplified copy representations (preview screens) of background application interfaces. These preview screens are rendered images or simplified graphical representations that consume minimal memory resources while still providing visual feedback to users. When users navigate between applications, these preview copies enable fast switching without requiring the full application memory footprint to be maintained.
Data Source
AI summary
Graphical navigation of foreground and background applications running on a mobile computing device across multiple active user environments, even when graphics information for background applications is not maintained by a mobile operating system of the mobile computing device. A last graphical representation of an application screen may be captured as the application state is transitioned from the foreground state to the background state. The last graphical representation may be associated with a position in an application activity stack representing foreground and background mobile operating system applications. The navigation techniques may be used in a computing environment with multiple active user environments. A first active user environment may be associated with the mobile operating system. A second active user environment may be associated with the mobile operating system or a desktop operating system running concurrently with the mobile operating system on the mobile computing device.