SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A WORKING FILE

• US 20020091662A1
• Filed: 08/17/1999
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: BOGIA, DOUGLAS P
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

A file sharing system using working files is implemented in a computer system having a memory system. The working file is provided by a working file application to various applications in the computer system, via a process that is transparent to the user. The working file application may provide a user interface to allow the user to select applications to execute, and to designate certain files as the working file. The applications may comprise a “suite” of applications for related subject matter.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a working file stored at a location in a memory system and having a path to the location in the memory system; and

a working file application, including a user interface providing accessibility to a number of applications, to provide the path of the working file to a selected one of the number of applications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the working file application stores the path of the working file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an indicator for each of the number of applications to allow a user to access at least one of the number of applications.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the indicators for each of the number of applications includes a signal indicating the incompatibility of the application with the working file.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the user interface includes a working file identifier for the working file.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface includes a working file window to display the working file identifier.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the working file identifier includes at least one of a file name of the working file and a graphical view of the working file.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a file library window to display identifiers for a number of data files.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the working file application stores a respective path for each of the number of data files, and wherein a specified data file of the number of data files may be made into the working file by selecting the specified data file.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the working file application further includes a feature to add or delete applications accessible via the user interface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the working file application is integrated with the number of applications.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of applications comprise an application suite.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of applications includes at least one multimedia application.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the number of applications includes an acquisition application obtaining multimedia data and storing the multimedia data in an acquisition data file, and wherein the acquisition application provides a path of the acquisition data file to the working file application.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the working file application provides storage of the path of the acquisition data file.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the working file application includes a facility to provide drag tips during the dragging of a working file identifier for the working file in the user interface.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the working file application uses parameter passing facilities to provide the path of the working file to the selected one of the number of applications.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the parameter passing facility includes facilities provided by an operating system controlling execution of the working file application.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the parameter passing facilities include command-line argument passing.

20. A method for file sharing, comprising:

receiving operations on a working file in a first application, the working file stored at a first location in a memory system;

storing the working file at a second location in the memory system;

executing a second application, wherein a path to the second location is automatically provided to the second application;

receiving operations on the working file in the second application.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

selecting the working file from a file library.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying a user interface on a video display, the user interface including an indicator for the first application and an indicator for the second application.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of executing the second application includes:

receiving a selection of the indicator for the second application from the user interface;

providing an execution statement for the second application to an operating system; and

providing the path to the second location of the working file to the operating system for use by the second application.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

saving the path to the second location of the working file in order to provide the path to the second location of the working file to the second application.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the first location and the second location are the same.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

retrieving an execution statement for the one of the number of applications that is selected;

providing the execution statement to an operating system to cause the execution of the one of the number of applications that is selected.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection is from a selecting of one of the number of application indicators related to the one of the number of applications that is selected.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection is from a dragging of the working file identifier to one of the number of application indicators related to the one of the number of applications that is selected.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

providing drag tips during the dragging of the working file identifier.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a working file window in the user interface, wherein the working file identifier is displayed in the working file window.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing an application area in the user interface, wherein the number of application indicators are displayed in the application area.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a file library window in the user interface, wherein a number of data file identifiers related to a number of data files are displayed in the file library window;

receiving a selection of one of the number of data files; and

designating the selected one of the number of data files as the working file.

34. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a control feature to allow the deletion of one of the number of application indicators.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a control feature to allow the addition of a new application indicator to the number of application indicators, the new application indicator related to a new application.

36. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a signal indicating incompatibility of at least one of the number of applications with the working file.

37. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing an acquisition application indicator as one of the number of application indicators, the acquisition application indicator related to an acquisition application.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the acquisition application;

obtaining multimedia data and storing the multimedia data in an acquisition data file via the acquisition application; and

providing a path of the acquisition data file to the working file application.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

storing the path of the acquisition data file; and

setting the acquisition data file as the working file.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of providing the path of the working file to the one of the number of applications that is selected includes using parameter passing facilities of an operating system.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the parameter passing facilities include command line argument passing.

26. A method for file sharing, comprising:

providing a user interface that includes a number of application indicators, each of the application indicators related to one of a number of applications, and a working file identifier related to a working file;

receiving a selection of one of the number of applications;

retrieving a path of the working file; and

providing the path of the working file to the one of the number of applications that is selected.

42. A storage medium, comprising:

a set of instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of;

providing a user interface that includes a number of application indicators, each of the application indicators related to one of a number of applications, and a working file identifier related to a working file;

receiving a selection of one of the number of applications;

retrieving a path of the working file; and

providing the path of the working file to the one of the number of applications that is selected.