File menu option for making file templates from pre-existing files

• US 6,239,802 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1997
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Neuhard, Deborah Elisabeth, Lahey, Leonard Corning, Palmer, Dwight Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US08/929,627
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/352, 707/202, 707/203, 707/204, 707/505, 707/506, 707/507, 707/511, 707/530
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system, method, and program of this invention enable a user to create a new file that is like a pre-existing file. When a file menu option, referred to herein as “New Like”, is selected by a user, an “Open” dialog is displayed to a user which enables the user to specify any pre-existing file to be opened. When the pre-existing file is opened as the new file, the new file is opened without the pre-existing file name being associated with the new file. The new file contains a subportion of the data of the pre-existing file that has been designated to be copied from the pre-existing file to the new file upon the opening of the specified pre-existing file. Upon saving the new file for the first time, the user interface requires the user to save the new file under a new file name. As such, any pre-existing file can be used as a template for a new file without any accidental modifications to the pre-existing file and without managing special template files.

Claims

1. A system for directly creating a new file from pre-existing file comprising:

means for displaying to a user a selectable option for directly creating a new file based on the pre-existing file;

means for receiving as input a file name of the pre-existing file in response to execution of the selectable option for directly creating the new file;

means for the user to selectively copying part or the entire information from the pre-existing file to create the new file in response to input of the pre-existing file name and the new file is created devoid of a file name, wherein the pre-existing file remains unchanged and disassociated from the new file;

means for denying assignment of a new file name to the new file upon creation of the new file;

means for allowing modification of the new file without changing the pre-existing file or requiring designation of a new file name; and

means for requiring a designation of a new file name for the new file upon a first save of the new file.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined information includes at least a subportion of the data of the pre-existing file.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the file is a job ticket for submitting print jobs to a printer.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the file is a document and the selectable option is a part of a word processing program menu.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the file is a form having pre-established headings.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the pre-established headings are copied to the new file stored in memory from the pre-existing file and data unique to each form is not copied from the pre-existing file to the new file.

7. A computer-implemented method for directly creating a desired document from a pre-existing file comprising:

displaying to a user a selectable option for creating a new file based on the pre-existing file;

receiving as input a file name of the pre-existing file, wherein receipt of the pre-existing file name is available in response to execution of the selectable option for creating the new file;

creating the new file by selectively copying by the user part or the entire information from the pre-existing file to the new file in response to input of the pre-existing file name, wherein the new file is created devoid of a file name; and

allowing modification of the new file without requiring designation of a new file name for the new file and without affecting the pre-existing file;

requiring a designation of a new file name for the new file upon a first save of the new file by the user, wherein the new file resulting therefrom becomes the desired document requiring no intermediary file to create the desired document therefrom.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising copying at least a subportion of the data of the pre-existing file in the new file.

9. A method carried out in conjunction with a computer for directly creating a new document from a pre-existing file, the method comprising:

selecting an option from a menu for creating a new unnamed file having no file name associated therewith from a pre-existing file;

designating, in a dialog displayed in response to selecting the option, a specific pre-existing file name corresponding to the pre-existing file;

inputting the specific pre-existing file name to initiate creation of the new unnamed file and to initiate selectively copying by the user part or the entire information from the specific pre-existing file to the new unnamed file; and

saving the unnamed new file with a new file name in response to a displayed dialog requiring a specified new file name for the new file upon a first save operation of the new file, wherein the new file resulting therefrom is the new document itself rather than solely an intermediary file from which the new document can therefrom be created.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said new file includes a subportion of the data of the specific pre-existing file.

11. A computer program on a computer-usable medium for directly creating an intended document from a pre-existing file, the computer program comprising:

means for causing a displaying to a user of a selectable option for creating a new file like the pre-existing file;

means for creating a capability to receive as input a file name of the pre-existing file;

means for causing by the user a selectively copying part or the entire information of the pre-existing file to create the new file in response to input of the pre-existing file name, wherein the new file is created devoid of a file name;

means for denying assignment of a new file name to the new file upon creation of the new file;

means for requiring a designation of a new file name for the new file upon a first save of the new file by the user, wherein the new file resulting therefrom is the intended document requiring no intermediary file from which the intended document would therefrom be created.

12. A file management system having a memory and processor comprising:

a file menu function wherein a requested file containing data having a predefined file name is designated to be opened as a new file without a file name associated with the new file when the file menu function is selected, wherein the new file corresponds to an intended document;

a file copier allowing the user to selectively copy part or the entire for copying the requested file in memory as the new file, and disassociating the predefined file name with the new file such that the new file is open for modification without allowing overwriting of the requested file in response to a save command; and

a file namer requiring a new name for the new file prior to closing the new file in response to a save command.

13. The file management system of claim 12 wherein each file comprises a plurality of fields, each field containing pre-specified data and the system further comprising:

a common field designator wherein for each field designated as a common field, each corresponding field of the new file and the requested file contain identical data and each corresponding field not designated as a common field is empty.

14. The file management system of claim 12 wherein the file template function comprises a menu bar selector.

15. The file management system of claim 12 wherein each file corresponds to printer files wherein a user specifies a plurality of items for printing and parameters for printing the items.

16. The file management system of claim 12 wherein each file is a document.