Associating an object with a relevant data source

• US 20090044121A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Weeldreyer, Christopher Douglas, Rapp, Peter William, Berger, Peter Glen, Trent, Michael Duncan
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/724
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

Associating an object with a relevant data source is disclosed. In some embodiments, an object pasted into a destination document is associated with a data source included in the destination document. In various embodiments, the data source associated with the object may comprise a data source concurrently pasted with the object into the destination document, a data source already existing in the destination document prior to the object being pasted into the destination document, or a data source generated in the destination document using data extracted from the pasted object.

Claims

1. A method for associating an object with a data source, comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of an option to paste in a first document an object or a copy of an object cut or copied from a second document;

determining a data source identifier associated with the object; and

associating the object with a corresponding data source that;

has the data source identifier and that is included in a current paste board if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the current paste board;

has the data source identifier and that is included in the first document if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the first document;

or

is newly generated from data extracted from the object if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the first document.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising pasting the object in the first document.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising pasting the contents of the current paste board in the first document.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the object with source data included in its corresponding data source.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is not synchronized with data included in a data source having the data source identifier that is included in the second document or an other document.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data source identifier is a first data source identifier and wherein the newly generated data source is associated with a second data source identifier and further comprising updating the data source identifier associated with the object from the first data source identifier to the second data source identifier if the corresponding data source comprises the newly generated data source.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising including in the first document the newly generated data source if the corresponding data source comprises the newly generated data source.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object comprises a chart or graph.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data source comprises a table.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein source data of the object is included in one or more cells of the table.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is associated with a plurality of data sources including the corresponding data source.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first document and the second document are documents of a spreadsheet application.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first document and the second document are documents of different types of applications.

14. A method for associating an object with a data source, comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of an option to paste in a document both an object and a data source associated with the object cut or copied from one or more other documents; and

pasting the object and the data source in the document;

wherein the object is synchronized with source data included in the data source instance pasted in the document.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the object includes as a data source reference a data source identifier associated with the data source.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the object is not synchronized with data included in one or more data source instances included in one or more other documents, each of which has a data source identifier that is the same as a data source identifier associated with the object and the data source instance pasted into the document.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the object comprises a chart or graph.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data source comprises a table.

19. A system for associating an object with a data source, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive an indication of a selection of an option to paste in a first document an object or a copy of an object cut or copied from a second document;

determine a data source identifier associated with the object; and

associate the object with a corresponding data source that;

has the data source identifier and that is included in a current paste board if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the current paste board;

has the data source identifier and that is included in the first document if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the first document;

or

is newly generated from data extracted from the object if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the first document; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide instructions to the processor.

20. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to synchronize the object with source data included in its corresponding data source.

21. A computer program product for associating an object with a data source, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indication of a selection of an option to paste in a first document an object or a copy of an object cut or copied from a second document;

determining a data source identifier associated with the object; and

associating the object with a corresponding data source that;

has the data source identifier and that is included in a current paste board if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the current paste board;

has the data source identifier and that is included in the first document if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier exists in the first document;

or

is newly generated from data extracted from the object if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the current paste board and if a data source having the data source identifier does not exist in the first document.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising computer instructions for pasting the object in the first document.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising computer instructions for pasting the contents of the current paste board in the first document.

24. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising computer instructions for synchronizing the object with source data included in its corresponding data source.

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. A computer program product for associating an object with a data source, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indication of a selection of an option to paste in a document both an object and a data source associated with the object cut or copied from one or more other documents; and

pasting the object and the data source in the document;

wherein the object is synchronized with source data included in the data source instance pasted in the document.