Patent · US Active

Operating system-wide sandboxing via switchable user skins

US7519809B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
2References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 7, 2005
Grant dateApr 14, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 11, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F21/53
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system that provides a pass through block device that is utilized to redirect all the writes bound to the system drive(s) to an overlay skin device. Reads are performed on overlay device contents and the overlay device contents take precedence over the contents of the base device. Applications of a particular theme may be installed on the overlay device. The overlay device is provided on a removable media and thus allows for creation of a set of exchangeable skins. Nested overlays are utilized to create separation of the OS data, application data, and user data. Switchable user skins enable writes into overlays and allow a user to create operating environments which can be utilized to change the use of a computer system. Since the overlays are provided on a removable media, the user only needs to substitute the overlay to switch the user's operating environment.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.