US 8,020,101 B2 · User specified transfer of data between applications

Abstract

A method, information processing system and computer readable medium for transferring data between applications on a computer is disclosed. The method includes selecting data from a first application and selecting a copy-to command for copying the data selected from the first application. The method further includes selecting a second application as a destination for the data selected. The method further includes copying the data selected to a location in the second application.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for transferring an object in a mobile telephone between documents, the method comprising:

using a mobile telephone processor operatively coupled with a communication infrastructure for:
receiving from a user a selection of a subset of data in a first document in a first application, the selecting step comprising an action selected from a group consisting of:
a click selection from a third pull-down menu, clicking on the target location, and highlighting the target location;
receiving a user command to display a first pull-down menu on a graphical user interface, said first pull-down menu comprising a selection of commands for executing on the first application;
presenting the first pull-down menu to the user on the graphical user interface;
receiving a selection of a copy-to command from the first pull-down menu;
presenting a second pull-down menu on the graphical user interface, said second pull-down menu listing inactive documents in which data can be inserted, wherein the second pull-down menu supersedes the first pull-down menu;
wherein the superseding comprises an action selected from a group consisting of:
overlaying the first pull-down menu, and displaying the second pull-down menu in the foreground;
receiving from a user a selection of a second document from among the inactive documents, wherein the selection comprises highlighting of an object;
activating the second document and placing the first document in inactive status;
receiving from the user a selection of a target insertion area in the second document as a destination for the data selected;
and
inserting the selected subset of data at the target insertion area in the second document, wherein the inserting is executed responsive to, and immediately following the receipt of the selection of the target insertion area, without an intervening command.

11 more elements

A method for transferring data from a mobile telephone having a limited user interface to a document in another information processing system, the method comprising:

using a processor operatively coupled with a communication infrastructure for:
selecting a subset of user-editable data from a first document in active status in a first application, wherein the selecting step comprises an action selected from a group consisting of:
a click selection from a third pull-down menu, clicking on the target location, and highlighting the target location;
selecting a copy-to command for executing on the first document;
selecting a second document in a second application from among a set of inactive documents, wherein the selecting step brings the second document into active status and inactivates the first document;
and
selecting a target insertion area within the second document for insertion of the subset of user-editable data;
wherein selecting the target insertion area causes the subset of the user-editable data to be automatically inserted into the target insertion area within the second document, without any further user interaction and wherein the first and second applications are of different software types and the method comprises an action selected from a group consisting of:
overlaying the first pull-down menu, and displaying the second pull-down menu in the foreground.

6 more elements

An information processing system on a mobile telephone comprising:

a limited user interface for providing a screen displaying a copy-to command;
and
a processor operatively coupled with the user interface, said processor configured to respond to:
a user command to display a first pull-down menu on the user interface, said first pull-down menu comprising a selection of commands for executing on a first document in a first application;
a selection of the copy-to command from the first pull-down menu, wherein the selecting comprises an action selected from a group consisting of:
a click selection from a third pull-down menu, clicking on the target location, and highlighting the target location;
an indication of a subset of data selected in the first document in the first application;
a user command to display a second pull-down menu on the user interface, said second pull-down menu listing inactive documents in which data can be inserted, wherein the second pull-down menu supersedes the first pull-down menu, wherein the superseding comprises an action selected from a group consisting of:
overlaying the first pull-down menu, and displaying the second pull-down menu in the foreground;
a selection of a second document from among the inactive documents, activating the second document and placing the first document in inactive status;
a selection of a target insertion area in the second document as a destination for the data selected;
and
inserting the selected data into the target insertion area in the second document in response to receiving the selection of only the copy-to command;
wherein the inserting is executed responsive to, and immediately following, the receipt of the selection of the target insertion area, without an intervening command.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,395 words

Summary774 words

#Not Applicable.

Brief description of the drawings5 figures

#The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and also the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Additionally, the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.

#FIG. 1 is an illustration of a graphical user interface showing the process of selecting the copy-to command, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is an illustration of a graphical user interface showing the process of selecting a second application, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description3,429 words

#FIG. 1 is an illustration of a graphical user interface (GUI) 100 showing the process of selecting the copy-to command, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the GUI 100 provides a human interface for a first application that allows a user to word process. The present invention, however, applies to any application that provides a human interface for a first application that allows a user to edit any type of document. GUI 100 represents a GUI commonly known as a window or tile having a control bar 106 along the top of the GUI 100 and a menu bar 108 underneath the control bar 106. The control bar 106 includes the name of the first application. The menu bar 108 provides menu bar selections commonly used for word processing, such as file, edit, view and insert. Upon activation of a menu bar selection of the menu bar 108, such as through clicking of a mouse button or pressing of a keyboard key or combination of keyboard keys, a pull down menu is provided to the user.

#FIG. 1 shows that GUI 100 includes an edit area 110 wherein a user can interact with the first application and effectuate word processing or general editing functions. In this example, edit area 110 includes text, graphics or other data that is edited by the user of the first application and GUI 100. A mouse pointer, which is a graphical icon, is moved by the user utilizing the mouse and indicates a location or insertion point to the user. In a word processor, an insertion point indicates a location in a document wherein the next character, text unit or other data will be inserted.

#FIG. 1 further shows that the user has selected or highlighted a subset of data 102, such as text. The user typically performs the task of selecting or highlighting a subset of data by moving the mouse pointer to the beginning of the selected data 102, pressing the left mouse button at the start of the selected data 102, maintaining the left mouse button depressed as the user moves the mouse pointer to the end of the selected data 102 and releasing the left mouse button when the user locates the mouse pointer at the end of the selected data 102. An alternative way to perform the task of selecting or highlighting a subset of data is to move the insertion point to the beginning of the selected data 102 using the keyboard, pressing the shift key on the keyboard at the start of the selected data 102, maintaining the shift key depressed as the user moves the insertion point to the end of the selected data 102 using the keyboard and releasing the shift key when the user locates the insertion point at the end of the selected data 102.

Facts

Application

10/850,535Filed 20 May 2004

Published

US 2005/0262521 A124 Nov 2005

Granted

13 Sep 2011

Term ends

12 Dec 2026

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 936 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification2 codes

G06F 9/543
Interprogram communication: user-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
G06F
Computing and data processing

Timeline

20 May 2004Application filedUS 10/850,535
20 May 2004Assigned to Internatinal Business Machines Corporationassignment of assignor's interest
24 Nov 2005PublishedUS 2005/0262521 A1
13 Sep 2011GrantedUS 8,020,101 B2
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
12 Dec 2026Term endsEstimated, includes 936 days of adjustment

User specified transfer of data between applications

Life of this patent

User specified transfer of data between applications

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims12

Description4,395 words

Drawings

Classification2 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,395 words