"Clear" extension to a paste command for a clipboard function in a computer system

• US 5,801,693 A
• Filed: 07/03/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, John Hudson
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US08/676,857
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144-149, 395/133, 395/135, 395/155-161, 707/500, 707/502, 707/526, 707/527, 707/530, 707/531, 345/433, 345/435, 345/326, 345/327, 345/339, 345/340, 345/346, 345/347
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture providing a "clear" extension to a paste command for a clipboard function in a computer system. Data is displayed on a monitor of the computer and one or more commands are received from an operator to select an insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, to paste the contents of a clipboard memory in the computer to the selected insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, and to selectively keep or clear the contents of the clipboard memory after the contents of the clipboard memory have been pasted to the selected insertion point.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating displayed data on a monitor attached to a computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying data on the monitor;

(b) receiving one or more commands from an operator to select an insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, to paste the contents of a clipboard memory in the computer to the selected insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, and to selectively keep or clear the contents of the clipboard memory after the contents of the clipboard memory have been pasted to the selected insertion point;

(c) selecting the insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor in response to the commands;

(d) pasting the contents of the clipboard memory to the selected insertion point in response to the commands; and

(e) selectively keeping or clearing the contents of the clipboard memory in accordance with the commands.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of erasing the selected portion from the data displayed on the monitor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected portion is all of the displayed data on the monitor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected portion is a sub-part of the displayed data on the monitor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the commands are selected from a pull-down menu.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pull-down menu is presented in a cascading manner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the commands comprise shortcut keys.

8. An apparatus for manipulating displayed data, comprising:

(a) a computer having a memory, a monitor, and a data storage device;

(b) means, performed by the computer, for displaying data on the monitor;

(c) means, performed by the computer, for receiving one or more commands from an operator to select an insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, to paste the contents of a clipboard memory in the computer to the selected insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, and to selectively keep or clear the contents of the clipboard memory after the contents of the clipboard memory have been pasted to the selected insertion point;

(d) means, performed by the computer, for selecting the insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor in response to the commands;

(e) means, performed by the computer, for pasting the contents of the clipboard memory to the selected insertion point in response to the commands; and

(f) means, performed by the computer, for selectively keeping or clearing the contents of the clipboard memory in accordance with the commands.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for erasing the selected portion from the data displayed on the monitor.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selected portion is all of the displayed data on the monitor.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selected portion is a sub-part of the displayed data on the monitor.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and second operator commands are selected from a pull-down menu.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the pull-down menu is presented in a cascading manner.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and second operator commands comprise shortcut keys.

15. A program storage device, readable by a computer having a memory and coupled to a data storage device, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for manipulating displayed data on a monitor attached to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying data on the monitor;

(b) receiving one or more commands from an operator to select an insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, to paste the contents of a clipboard memory in the computer to the selected insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor, and to selectively keep or clear the contents of the clipboard memory after the contents of the clipboard memory have been pasted to the selected insertion point;

(c) selecting the insertion point in the data displayed on the monitor in response to the commands;

(d) pasting the contents of the clipboard memory to the selected insertion point in response to the commands; and

(e) selectively keeping or clearing the contents of the clipboard memory in accordance with the commands.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, further comprising the step of erasing the selected portion from the data displayed on the monitor.

17. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the selected portion is all of the displayed data on the monitor.

18. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the selected portion is a sub-part of the displayed data on the monitor.

19. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the first and second operator commands are selected from a pull-down menu.

20. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the pull-down menu is presented in a cascading manner.

21. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the first and second operator commands comprise shortcut keys.