Method and apparatus for selecting attachments

• US 6,859,213 B1
• Filed: 03/23/1998
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Carter, Kapono D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/046,784
• Time in Patent Office: 2,528 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/733, 345738-739, 345/752, 345/760, 345/764, 345/804, 345/810, 345/835, 345/841, 345/853, 345/854, 345/357, 345/326, 345/329, 345/335, 345/339, 345/346, 345/348, 345/352, 345/356, 715512-513, 707/512, 707/513
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting attachments. When a sender indicates in an e-mail application or applet that an attachment is to be associated with an e-mail message, an attachment chooser window is presented. The attachment chooser window provides a browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) which allows a sender to browse data resources, such as HTML documents and associated links. An attachment mechanism is provided by which a sender can choose a currently displayed data resource for attachment in an e-mail message. In one embodiment, the attachment mechanism allows a user to select whether the attachment is retrieved and attached to an e-mail message as a resource locator (such as a URL) of the chosen data resource, or whether source data of the data resource is retrieved and attached to the e-mail message as one or more source files.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a web browsing mechanism configured to render a current data resource in a display region of a graphical user interface, said current data resource comprising at least one current document, said web browsing mechanism configured to navigate through a plurality of data resources, said web browsing mechanism configured to be initiated from within an e-mail mechanism;

a selection mechanism configured to select a portion of said current document in response to a user input; and

an attachment mechanism configured to retrieve an attachment from said selection mechanism and attach said attachment to an e-mail message in response to a user event, said attachment associated with said portion of said current document.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment comprises a resource locator associated with said current document.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment comprises source data associated with said current document.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment mechanism is configured to select an attachment type of said attachment.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment mechanism comprises a button on said graphical user interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said web browsing mechanism is configured to navigate to a first data resource using a resource locator in a second data resource.

7. A method for selecting attachments comprising:

initiating an attachment selection mechanism from within an e-mail mechanism;

displaying a graphical user interface having a web browsing mechanism configured to render a data resource and having a selecting mechanism configured to select a portion of a desired data resource, the graphical user interface being displayed in response to initiating the attachment selection mechanism;

browsing through one or more data resources using said web browsing mechanism to determine a desired data resource, said desired data resource comprising at least one current document;

selecting said portion of said current document using said selecting mechanism; and

retrieving an attachment from said selecting mechanism and attaching said attachment to an e-mail message, said attachment associated with said portion of said current document.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of selecting a type of said attachment, the type of said attachment being either a resource locator or source data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of retrieving said attachment comprises retrieving a resource locator of said current document.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of retrieving said attachment comprises retrieving source data associated with said current document.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of browsing comprises the step of navigating a resource locator in said documents.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for selecting an attachment, said computer program product comprising;

computer readable code configured to initiate an attachment selection mechanism from within an e-mail application;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to display a graphical user interface in response to initiation of the attachment selection mechanism, the graphical user interface having a web browsing mechanism configured to render a data resource and having a selecting mechanism configured to select a portion of said data resource;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to respond to user input to browse through one or more data resources using said web browsing mechanism, said data resources comprising at least one current document;

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to respond to user input to select said portion of said current document using said selecting mechanism; and

computer readable code configured to cause a computer to retrieve an attachment from said selecting mechanism and attach said attachment to an e-mail message, said attachment associated with a current document.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising computer readable code configured to cause a computer to receive user input to select a type of said attachment, the type of said attachment being either a resource locator or source data.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said computer readable code configured to cause a computer to retrieve said attachment comprises computer readable code configured to cause a computer to retrieve a resource locator of said current document.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said computer readable code configured to cause a computer to retrieve said attachment comprises computer readable code configured to cause a computer to retrieve source data associated with said current document.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said computer readable code configured to cause a computer to respond to user input to browse comprises computer readable code configured to cause a computer to navigate a resource locator in said documents.

17. A memory configured to store data for access by a computer system, comprising:

a data structure stored in said memory and associated with a graphical user interface, said data structure comprising;

a web browsing component comprising;

one or more methods configured to render a current data resource, said current data resource comprising at least one current document;

one or more navigation methods configured to navigate between a plurality of data resources;

one or more navigation components configured to invoke said one or more navigation methods of said web browsing component in response to user input;

one or more selecting components configured to select a portion of said current document in response to a user input; and

an attachment component comprising a method configured to retrieve an attachment from said selecting component and attach said attachment to an e-mail message in response to a user input, said attachment associated with said current document.

18. The memory of claim 17, wherein said attachment comprises a resource locator of said current document.

19. The memory of claim 17, wherein said attachment comprises source data associated with said current document.

20. The memory of claim 17, where in said data structure further comprises:

a property which determines a type of said attachment; and

a selection method configured to allow a user to select a value of said property.

21. The memory of claim 17, wherein said one or more navigation methods are configured to navigate a resource locator in a data resource in response to a user input.

22. The memory of claim 17, wherein said web browsing component further comprises:

a stack configured to contain resource locators of navigated data resources; and

one or more methods configured to browse said navigated data resources by stepping forward and backward within said stack.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a web browsing means for rendering a current data resource in a display region of a graphical user interface, said current data resource comprising at least one current document, said web browsing means for navigating through a plurality of data resources;

means for selecting a portion of said current document in response to user input; and

means for retrieving an attachment from said selecting means and attaching said attachment to an e-mail message in response to a user event, said attachment associated with said current document.

24. A memory configured to store data for access by a computer system, comprising:

a data structure stored in the memory and associated with a graphical user interface, the data structure comprising;

a browsing component including;

one or more methods configured to render a current data resource, the current data resource including at least one current document;

one or more navigation methods configured to navigate between a plurality of data resources;

one or more navigation components configured to invoke the one or more navigation methods of the browsing component in response to user input;

one or more selecting components configured to select a portion of the current document in response to a user input;

an attachment component including a method configured to retrieve an attachment from the selecting component and attach the attachment to an e-mail message in response to a user input, the attachment associated with the current document; and

an attachment type selection component configured to allow selection of a property which determines a type of the attachment.

25. The memory of claim 24, wherein the attachment includes a resource locator of the current document.

26. The memory of claim 24, wherein the attachment includes source data associated with the current document.

27. The memory of claim 24, wherein the one or more navigation methods are configured to navigate a resource locator in a data resource in response to a user input.

28. The memory of claim 24, wherein the web browsing component further comprises:

a stack configured to contain resource locators of navigated data resources; and

one or more methods configured to browse the navigated data resources by stepping forward and backward within the stack.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a web browsing mechanism configured to render a current data resource in a display region of a graphical user interface, the current data resource comprising at least one current document, the web browsing mechanism configured to navigate through a plurality of data resources, the web browsing mechanism configured to be initiated from within an e-mail mechanism;

a selection mechanism configured to select a portion of the current document in response to a user input;

an attachment mechanism configured to retrieve an attachment from the selection mechanism and attach the attachment to an e-mail message in response to a user event, the attachment associated with the portion of the current document; and

an attachment type selection mechanism configured to provide for selection of a form of the attachment.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the form of the attachment is defined as a resource locator.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the form of the attachment is defined as source data.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the web browsing mechanism, the selection mechanism, the attachment mechanism, and the attachment type selection mechanism are each configured to be initiated from within an email application.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the web browsing mechanism is configured to navigate to a first data resource using a resource locator in a second data resource.

34. A method for selecting attachments comprising:

initiating an attachment selection mechanism from within an e-mail mechanism;

displaying a graphical user interface having a web browsing mechanism configured to render a data resource and having a selecting mechanism configured to select a portion of a desired data resource, the graphical user interface being displayed in response to initiating the attachment selection mechanism;

browsing through one or more data resources using the web browsing mechanism to determine a desired data resource, the desired data resource including at least one current document;

selecting a portion of the current document using the selecting mechanism;

retrieving an attachment from the selecting mechanism, the attachment being associated with the portion of the current document;

selecting a form of the attachment; and

attaching the attachment to an e-mail message in accordance with the form of the attachment as selected.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the form of the attachment is represented as either a resource locator or source data.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein retrieving the attachment from the selecting mechanism includes retrieving a resource locator of the current document.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein retrieving the attachment from the selecting mechanism includes retrieving source data associated with the current document.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein browsing includes navigating through one or more resource locators.