Method and system for implementing a clipboard

• US 20040039995A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Su, William, Nguyen, Truc, Kuwata, Katie
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/530
• 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

The present invention provides a method and system for implementing a pointer-based clipboard. The clipboard system comprises a plurality of information or description files for storing information about files that are edited, in addition to files for storing information relating to changes made to a document and to locations of temporary files relating to the document. In addition, the system employs temporary storage which is preferably deleted upon session termination.

Claims

1. A system for implementing a clipboard buffer for document editing, comprising:

storage means adapted for storage of data representative of an editable, electronic document;

display out means adapted for communicating data for generating a display of the electronic document to an associated display device;

data input means adapted to receive document selection data representative of a selected portion of the electronic document;

a pointer memory adapted for storing pointer information associated with the selected portion; and

data editor means adapted for selectively performing an edit operation to at least one electronic document with the selected portion which selected portion is accessed in accordance with the pointer information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the edit operation is at least one of cut, copy, and paste of selection portion relative to at least one selected electronic document.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising document property information storage means adapted for storage of selected property information about the electronic document.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the selected document property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the document information storage means is temporary.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the document information storage means is associated with at least one of a session identifier and a user identifier.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

page information storage means adapted for storage of data representative of each page of the document and wherein the data representative of each page is stored in a separate file.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the page information storage means is temporary.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the page information storage means is associated with at least one of a session identifier and a user identifier.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising page property information storage means adapted for storage of selected property information about each page, wherein the selected page property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.

11. A method for implementing a clipboard buffer for document editing, comprising the steps of:

storing of data representative of an editable, electronic document in a storage area;

communicating data for generating a display of the electronic document to an associated display device;

receiving document selection data representative of a selected portion of the electronic document;

storing pointer information associated with the selected portion in a pointer memory; and

selectively performing an edit operation to at least one electronic document with the selected portion which selected portion is accessed in accordance with the pointer information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the edit operation is at least one of cut, copy, and paste of selection portion relative to at least one selected electronic document.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of storing of selected property information about the electronic document in a document property information storage area.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the selected document property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the document information storage area is temporary.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the document information storage area is associated with at least one of a session identifier and a user identifier.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of storing data representative of each page of the document in a page information storage area and wherein the data representative of each page is stored in a separate file.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the page information storage area is temporary.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the page information storage area is associated with at least one of a session identifier and a user identifier.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of storing selected property information about each page in a page property information storage area, wherein the selected page property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.

21. A computer readable medium of instructions for implementing a clipboard buffer for document editing, comprising:

storage means adapted for storage of data representative of an editable, electronic document;

display out means adapted for communicating data for generating a display of the electronic document to an associated display device;

data input means adapted to receive document selection data representative of a selected portion of the electronic document;

a pointer memory adapted for storing pointer information associated with the selected portion; and

data editor means adapted for selectively performing an edit operation to at least one electronic document with the selected portion which selected portion is accessed in accordance with the pointer information.

22. The computer readable medium of instruction of claim 21 wherein the edit operation is at least one of cut, copy, and paste of selection portion relative to at least one selected electronic document.

23. The computer readable medium of instruction of claim 21 further comprising document property information storage means adapted for storage of selected property information about the electronic document.

24. The computer readable medium of instructions of claim 21 further comprising:

page information storage means adapted for storage of data representative of each page of the document and wherein the data representative of each page is stored in a separate file.

25. The computer readable medium of instructions of claim 24 further comprising page property information storage means adapted for storage of selected property information about each page, wherein the selected page property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.

26. A computer implemented method for implementing a clipboard buffer for document editing, comprising the steps of:

storing of data representative of an editable, electronic document in a storage area;

communicating data for generating a display of the electronic document to an associated display device;

receiving document selection data representative of a selected portion of the electronic document;

storing pointer information associated with the selected portion in a pointer memory; and

selectively performing an edit operation to at least one electronic document with the selected portion which selected portion is accessed in accordance with the pointer information.

27. The computer implemented method of claim 26 wherein the edit operation is at least one of cut, copy, and paste of selection portion relative to at least one selected electronic document.

28. The computer implemented method of claim 26 further comprising the step of storing of selected property information about the electronic document in a document property information storage area.

29. The computer implemented method of claim 26 further comprising the step of storing data representative of each page of the document in a page information storage area and wherein the data representative of each page is stored in a separate file.

30. The computer implemented method of claim 29 further comprising the step of storing selected property information about each page in a page property information storage area, wherein the selected page property information is stored as a file in a format selected from markup language based files, flat files, text files, and database files.