System and Method for Automated Data Retrieval Based on Data Placed in Clipboard Memory

• US 20100192221A1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Waggoner, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953

Abstract

A data retrieval system and method of the invention provide automatic retrieval of information based on data placed into, for example, a Windows™ clipboard. A user highlights and cuts (or pastes) data into the clipboard during execution of an application program. A data retriever program periodically reads the clipboard to determine whether new data has been placed therein. Upon finding new data in the clipboard, the data retriever program determines whether the data or a variation thereof satisfies a predetermined criterion. If the criterion is satisfied, the data retriever program initiates a data-retrieval operation, such as a Web-based search, based on the data. If the criterion is not satisfied, the data retriever program does not perform any data-retrieval action. The data retrieval program does not interfere with the clipboard; any application program sharing the clipboard can use data placed therein, e.g., by a paste operation.

Claims

1. A computer program product for retrieving information, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to make a predetermined association between a test string and execution of an application program that performs a data-retrieval operation;

computer readable program code configured to recognize new data written to a shared memory buffer;

computer readable program code configured to determine whether the new data written to the memory buffer satisfies the test string;

computer readable program code configured to execute the application program that performs a data-retrieval operation in response to the new data written to the memory buffer satisfying the test string; and

computer readable program code configured to retrieve data from a database in response to executing the application program that performs a data-retrieval operation.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to retrieve a username and password for use in authenticating a user in order to perform the data-retrieval operation.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the shared memory buffer is a clipboard.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to ignore the new data written to the shared memory buffer if the new data do not satisfy the test string.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code configured to execute the application program that performs a data-retrieval operation includes computer readable program code configured to execute a web browser, to retrieve a web page based on the new data written to the shared memory buffer, and to display the retrieved web page.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to generate, from the new data written to the shared memory buffer, a search term to be used as an input parameter for the application program that performs the data-retrieval operation.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to configured to make a predetermined association between each test string of a plurality of test strings and execution of one or more particular application programs of a plurality of application programs.

8. A computing system for retrieving information, comprising:

memory including a shared memory buffer, the memory storing computer readable program code corresponding to a data-retrieval program and computer readable program code corresponding to an application program that performs a search of a database;

a processor running the data-retrieval program to make a predetermined association between a test string and execution of the application program that performs a search of a database, to recognize new data written to the shared memory buffer, to determine whether the new data written to the memory buffer satisfies the test string, to execute the application program that performs a search of a database in response to the new data written to the memory buffer satisfying the test string, and to retrieve data from the database in response to executing the application program.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the processor, in response to the new data written to the memory buffer satisfying the test string, is programmed to retrieve a username and password for use in authenticating a user in order to perform the data-retrieval operation.

10. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the shared memory buffer is a clipboard.

11. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to ignore the new data written to the shared memory buffer if the new data do not satisfy the test string.

12. The computing system of claim 8, wherein execution of the application program launches a web browser, retrieves a web page based on the new data written to the shared memory buffer, and displays the retrieved web page.

13. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to generate, from the new data written to the shared memory buffer, a search term to be used as an input parameter for the application program that performs the data-retrieval operation.

14. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the data-retrieval program makes a predetermined association between each test string of a plurality of test strings and execution of one or more particular application program of a plurality of application programs.

15. A method for retrieving information, comprising:

making a predetermined association between a test string and execution of an application program that performs a data-retrieval operation;

recognizing new data written to a shared memory buffer;

determining whether the new data written to the memory buffer satisfies the test string;

executing the application program that performs a data-retrieval operation in response to the new data written to the memory buffer satisfying the test string; and

retrieving data from a database in response to executing the application program that performs a data-retrieval operation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving a username and password for use in authenticating a user in order to perform the data-retrieval operation.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the shared memory buffer is a clipboard.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising ignoring the new data written to the shared memory buffer if the new data do not satisfy the test string.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein executing the application program includes launching a web browser, retrieving a web page based on the new data written to the shared memory buffer, and displaying the retrieved web page.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating, from the new data written to the shared memory buffer, a search term to be used as an input parameter for the application program that performs the data-retrieval operation.