Visual selection and rendering of multiple clip board formats

• US 10,002,035 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LOWENBERGER, AARON J
• Application Number:
  US12/545,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,224 Days
• Field of Search: 715770, 715808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A system, method and program product for facilitating copy and paste operations of an object between a source application and a target application in an interactive computing environment. A system is disclosed that includes: a formatting system for determining a set of target formats for the object; and a container system for installing a container into the target application, wherein the container includes a selection system for selectively rendering the object in each of the target formats within the container.

Claims

1. A clipboard system for facilitating copy and paste operations of an object between a source application and a target application in an interactive computing environment, comprising:

a computer with memory and at least one processor and a clipboard object placed in a clipboard defined in the memory of the computer;

a formatting system executing in the memory of the computer for determining a set of multiple different target data interchange formats for the object in the clipboard;

a container system executing in the memory of the computer for formatting the object in the clipboard in each of the target data interchange formats, receiving a directive to paste the object into the target application; and

, instead of pasting the object into the target application, generating a container in the target application that includes an object rendering comprising a visual representation of the object using a default format, invoking a selection system also included in the container that allows for a selection and rendering of the object in multiple different target data interchange formats within the container, and using the selection system toggling through and viewing each of the multiple different target data interchange formats to identify a preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats and pasting the object as formatted in the clipboard in the preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats; and

,

a behavior analysis system collecting and analyzing user selections in order to influence a default behavior of the clipboard system by tracking different copy and paste operations and identifying for each copy and paste operation, a corresponding target application type and recording a record correlating the target application type and a respective format selected for the copy and paste operation, such that a most commonly selected format for the copy and paste operation for the corresponding application type is established as a default preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats.

2. The clipboard system of claim 1, wherein the formatting system formats and stores the object in each target format.

3. The clipboard system of claim 1, wherein the selection system is implemented with a user control selected from a group consisting of:

a pop-up dialog, a shortcut key, and a mouse action.

4. The clipboard system of claim 1, wherein the container includes a mechanism for selecting a preferred target format and pasting the object into the target application using the preferred target format.

5. The clipboard system of claim 1, wherein the selection system includes a mechanism for causing the target application to save the object in each of the target formats.

6. The clipboard system of claim 1, wherein the container is installed as a widget.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program product stored thereon, which when executed by a processor, facilitates copy and paste operations of an object between a source application and a target application in an interactive computing environment, comprising:

program code for placing an object into a clipboard in memory of a computer;

program code for determining a set of multiple different target data interchange formats for the object in the clipboard;

program code for formatting the object in the clipboard in each of the target data interchange formats;

program code for receiving a directive to paste the object into the target application;

program code for, instead of pasting the object into the target application, generating a container into the target application that includes an object rendering comprising a visual representation of the object using a default format, invoking a selection system also included in the container that allows for a selection and rendering of the object in multiple different target data interchange formats within the container, and using the selection system toggling through and viewing each of the multiple different target data interchange formats to identify a preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats and pasting the object as formatted in the clipboard in the preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats; and

,

program code for causing the target application to save the object in each of the target formats in order to influence a default behavior of the clipboard system by tracking different copy and paste operations and identifying for each copy and paste operation, a corresponding target application type and recording a record correlating the target application type and a respective format selected for the copy and paste operation, such that a most commonly selected format for the copy and paste operation for the corresponding application type is established as a default preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the program code for formatting stores the object in each target format.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the program code for selectively rendering the object includes a user control selected from a group consisting of:

a pop-up dialog, a shortcut key, and a mouse action.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the container further includes program code for selecting a preferred target format and pasting the object into the target application using the preferred target format.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising a program code for collecting and analyzing user selections in order to control a default behavior of the clipboard system.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the container is installed as a widget.

13. A method for facilitating copy and paste operations of an object between a source application and a target application in an interactive computing environment, comprising:

placing an object into a clipboard in memory of a computer;

determining a set of multiple different target data interchange formats for the object in the clipboard;

formatting the object in the clipboard in each of the target data interchange formats;

receiving a directive to paste the object into the target application;

instead of pasting the object into the target application, generating a container in the target application that includes an object rendering comprising a visual representation of the object using a default format, invoking a selection system also included in the container that allows for a selection and rendering of the object in multiple different target data interchange formats within the container, and using the selection system toggling through and viewing each of the multiple different target data interchange formats to identify a preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats and pasting the object as formatted in the clipboard in the preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats; and

,

causing the target application to save the object in each of the target formats in order to influence a default behavior of the clipboard system by tracking different copy and paste operations and identifying for each copy and paste operation, a corresponding target application type and recording a record correlating the target application type and a respective format selected for the copy and paste operation, such that a most commonly selected format for the copy and paste operation for the corresponding application type is established as a default preferred one of the multiple different target data interchange formats.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the object in each target format.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the system for selectively rendering the object includes a user control selected from a group consisting of:

a pop-up dialog, a shortcut key, and a mouse action.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the container further includes a system for selecting a preferred target format and pasting the object into the target application using the preferred target format.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the container further includes a system for causing the target application to save the object in each of the target formats.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the container is installed as a widget.