Patent ID: 7451451
Filing Date: 2008-11-11
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for protecting computer programs from inconsistent run-time conditions, comprising: executing a protective program on a software platform wherein the software platform comprises a single operating system and configuration information required by the single operating system to operate properly, the protective program providing a customized logically protected run-time environment for running one or more application programs, wherein said customized logically protected run-time environment appears to each of the one or more application programs to be an installation environment without performing an installation whereby a “pseudo installation” is created in which at least one of the settings are brought into the respective logically protected run-time environment at the time the one or more application programs execute and wherein the protective program comprises a virtual registry that provides a full function registry to each of the one or more application programs; running a first application program on the software platform; providing the first application program with a first run-time environment and a first set of services configured to the first application program via the protective program; running a second application program on the same software platform as the first application program without modifying the software platform; providing the second application program with a second run-time environment and a second set of services configured to the second application program via the protective program; wherein the first run-time environment and first set of services are different from the second run-time environment and second set of services, respectively, thereby the protective program providing the first and second application programs with different operating contexts within the same, unmodified software platform.