Recently, with the rapid development of electric/electronic/communication related technology, various types of application programs (APs) (for example, word processing APs, drawing APs, office management APs, communication APs, Internet access APs, and the like) are being widely developed/spread. Thus, various types of fundamental technologies are being developed to more effectively manage corresponding APs.
For example, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1053681 (titled “a user terminal, and a method and apparatus for controlling software management thereof”) (published Aug. 2, 2011) discloses a software access control method characterized by comprising {circle around (1)} monitoring a user terminal, {circle around (2)} determining whether software is in an unused state for a predetermined period of time or more after the user terminal had access to the software running on a software providing apparatus, and when the software is in an unused state, determining to forcibly releasing the connection of the user terminal to the software, {circle around (3)} temporarily storing works done so far by the user terminal in the software, and requesting, to the user terminal, the generation of a process for forcibly releasing the connection of the user terminal to the software, and {circle around (4)} providing the user terminal with a control message of the process for temporary storage of works and forcibly releasing.
However, the technology for forcibly releasing the connection of a terminal not using software as disclosed in the Patent No. 10-1053681 has a very significant increase in load at a server end because all main processes are performed at the server end. In addition, a serious problem occurs, for example, a great increase in the total time taken to perform the processes.
Particularly, the technology for forcibly releasing the connection of a terminal not using software as disclosed in the Patent No. 10-1053681 employs an extreme method of terminating the unused software rather than temporarily pausing it. Thus, when a user tries to reuse the software, the user cannot but endure the inconvenience of having to execute the corresponding terminated software again from the start.
To solve this problem, conventionally, it has been persuasively suggested to select a target AP (for example, an unused AP) and stop threads for each execution process of the selected AP to temporarily pause the corresponding target AP. In this case, the corresponding target AP is not completely terminated and its operation is temporarily paused. Thus, when reusing the target AP, a user can easily avoid the inconvenience of having to execute it again from the start.
However, AP suspension technology according to the related art stops the threads included in the process of the target AP all together. Thus, unless any action is taken, an operating system of an information processing device employing the AP suspension technology according to the related art cannot utilize even a thread including a module and a stack responsible for dynamic data exchange (DDE) message processing among each of the threads of the target AP at all. Thus, there is a serious situation to face up in which the entire DDE message processing of the information processing device is significantly delayed.
Of course, if DDE message processing is delayed, the user cannot readily use the target AP as well as other APs. As a result, the overall AP quality in use is greatly reduced.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds