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US 7,480,861 B2Granted
System and method for converting between text format and outline format
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsMark Yalovsky, Stuart Jay Stuple
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described is a mechanism for pasting data from a source document into a destination document while providing the user with options related to the particular data being pasted. The options allow the user to choose how much formatting or structure to persist. More specifically, the user may select whether to persist general formatting, direct formatting, and/or outline structure through the paste operation.
Claims27
A computer-implemented method for pasting data from a source document into a destination document, the method comprising:
- receiving data that has been copied from the source document, wherein the copied data includes applied formatting and outline structure;
- wherein the applied formatting includes general formatting and direct formatting that overrides at least a portion of the general formatting and wherein the outline structure assigns different levels to at least two elements that are contained within the copied data;
- automatically presenting different paste options for pasting the copied data from the source document into the destination document, each different paste option being associated with a different set of formatting or outline structure to apply as a result of the paste operation;
- wherein the paste options allow a user to choose how much formatting and outline structure to persist from the source document when pasted into the destination document, and
- in response to a selection of one of the paste options, applying the set of formatting or structure associated with the selected option to the copied data and incorporating the copied data within the destination document by individually determining whether the outline structure and the applied formatting are to be applied, and individually and selectively applying the outline structure and applied formatting to the destination document in response to the determination;
- wherein the determination of applying the outline structure is independent of applying the applied formatting such that either outline structure is applied while ignoring the applied formatting or applied formatting is applied while ignoring the outline structure.
3 more elements
A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for pasting data from a source document into a destination document, comprising:
- accessing the data to be pasted from the source document into the destination document, wherein the data includes applied formatting, wherein the applied formatting includes general formatting and direct formatting that overrides at least a portion of the general formatting;
- and
- automatically displaying a paste option menu and in response to receiving an indication to persist a portion of formatting of the data to be pasted, modifying the data to be pasted in accordance with the indication before the data to be pasted is placed within the source document by individually determining whether the general formatting and the direct formatting are to be applied, and individually modifying the general formatting and the individual formatting of the destination document in response to the determination, the modification being based on a state of the data to be pasted in the source document;
- wherein the modifying the general formatting and individual formatting includes determining when to selectively ignore at least one of the general formatting;
- direct formatting and outline structure.
2 more elements
A computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions encoded thereon, comprising:
- an instruction to present a first paste option for pasting copied data from a source document into a destination document that maintains source formatting of the copied data from the source document when the first paste option is selected;
- an instruction to present a second paste option for pasting the copied data from the source document into the destination document that matches destination formatting of data within the destination document when the second paste option is selected, wherein general formatting of the destination document is persisted and direct formatting of the source document is maintained;
- an instruction to present a third paste option for pasting the copied data from the source document into the destination document that maintains an outline format when the third paste option is selected, wherein general formatting of the destination document is persisted and outline formatting of the source document is maintained;
- an instruction to present a fourth paste option for pasting the copied data from the source document into the destination document that pastes the copied data as raw text when the fourth paste option is selected;
- and
- in response to a selection of one of the paste options, pasting the copied data according to the selected option by individually determining whether the outline structure, the direct formatting and the general formatting are to be applied, and individually and selectively applying the outline structure, the direct formatting and the general formatting to the destination document in response to the determination;
- wherein the determination is independent of applying any one or more of the general formatting, direct formatting and outline formatting.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.