Apple patents system checks to control how apps start up
Apple describes a method where the core part of its operating system checks specific rules before allowing a new program to start. These rules can look at where the program is stored or how it is being launched to ensure it meets certain conditions. If the rules are not met, the system blocks the program from running.
In the filing’s own words
A kernel of an operating system receives a request from a parent process (e.g., an exec or spawn system call) to launch a child process that executes a binary. The kernel identifies a process-specific launch constraint, which is a precondition for launching the child process. The kernel evaluates the constraint, which can match against any type of system state or variable, including the process's location on disk, protection on disk, and how the process is to be launched. The kernel can then determine whether to launch the child process, thus permitting the child process to be scheduled for execution by the operating system. Launch constraints can be used both for a child process to impose preconditions on the parent process, and vice versa. Launch constraints can be included in the launch request, embedded in the binary, or located elsewhere, such as in a trust cache in kernel memory.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1 - 20. (canceled)
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Process Launch Constraints
- Publication number
- US20260310492A1
- Application number
- 19694380
- Filed
- Jun 1, 2026
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 21
Classified under
G06F 9/485 Physics & computingG06F 12/14 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.