Method and system for providing data reference information

• US 7,373,603 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2003
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yalovsky, Mark, Baer, Peter Patrick, Sellers, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; MaiKhanh
• Application Number:
  US10/664,740
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/526, 715/513, 715/769, 715/770, 709/219, 709/229, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

Reference information related to data that is copied using computer software is provided. The data can be copied from a first computer application to a memory. Reference information related to the data can also be copied to the memory. The copied data can be pasted to a second computer application. The reference information related to the data can also be pasted to the second application, so that the reference information can be reviewed along with the data. The data and reference information can also be copied and pasted among one or more documents using a single computer application.

Claims

1. A method for providing data reference information, comprising:

setting, on a second computer application, copy data characteristics of data, wherein the copy data characteristics indicates an amount of data that identifies when data reference information related to the data is automatically pasted to the second computer application, wherein the copy data characteristics include at least one member of a group comprising;

a predetermined data size, a predetermined data amount, and a predetermined type of data;

selecting data from a first computer application, wherein the first computer application is a Web-browser application, and wherein the Web-browser application provides the data reference information in an HTML format that is based on meta-data;

copying the data from the first computer application to a memory;

copying the copy data reference information related to the copied data from the first computer application to the memory;

pasting the copied data from the memory to the second computer application;

by accessing the copied data characteristics of data of the second computer application, determining when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

automatically pasting the data reference information related to the copied data from the memory to the second computer application when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

omitting the copy data reference information when the amount of data of the copied data does not indicate that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application, wherein obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application includes the second computer application copying the pasting reference information from a third computer application and pasting the pasting reference information to the second computer application so that the pasting reference information can be reviewed along with the reference information and wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one member of a group comprising;

the date the data was copied, the time the data was copied, the identity of the user who pasted the data, the identify of the user who copied the data, the date the data was pasted, and the time the data was pasted; and

automatically pasting the pasting reference information from the memory to the second computer application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one descriptive label that identifies the pasted data reference information, wherein the descriptive label includes a heading related to the pasted data reference information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one descriptive label relates to at least one member of a group comprising:

the date the copied data was pasted, the time the copied data was pasted, and the identity of the user who pasted the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application includes obtaining the pasting data reference information from a memory of the second computer application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application includes the second computer application accessing another computer application to obtain at least one member of a group comprising:

the date the data was copied, the time the data was copied, and the identity of the user who copied the data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein pasting the pasting data reference information related to the copied data comprises pasting the pasting data reference information adjacent to the copied data in a document of the second computer application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer application and the second computer application comprise one computer application and the copied data is included within at least one document of the computer application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the copy data reference information includes an active link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the paste data reference information includes an active link.

10. A computer system for providing data reference information, comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory in communication with the processing unit;

a computer application in communication with the processing unit and the memory that provides instructions to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit, responsive to the instructions, operates to perform the steps;

setting, on a second computer application, copy data characteristics of data, wherein the copy data characteristics indicates an amount of data that identifies when data reference information related to the data is automatically pasted to the second computer application, wherein the copy data characteristics include at least one member of a group comprising;

a predetermined data size, a predetermined data amount, and a predetermined type of data;

selecting data from a first computer application, wherein the first computer application is a Web-browser application, and wherein the Web-browser application provides the data reference information in an HTML format that is based on meta-data;

copying the data from the first computer application to a memory;

copying the copy data reference information related to the copied data from the first computer application to the memory;

pasting the copied data from the memory to the second computer application;

by accessing the copied data characteristics of data of the second computer application, determining when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

automatically pasting the data reference information related to the copied data from the memory to the second computer application when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

omitting the copy data reference information when the amount of data of the copied data does not indicate that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application, wherein obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application includes the second computer application copying the pasting reference information from a third computer application and pasting the pasting reference information to the second computer application so that the pasting reference information can be reviewed along with the reference information and wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one member of a group comprising;

the date the data was copied, the time the data was copied, the identity of the user who pasted the data, the identity of the user who copied the data, the date the data was pasted, and the time the data was pasted; and

automatically pasting the pasting reference information from the memory to the second computer application.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one descriptive label that identifies the pasted data reference information, wherein the descriptive label includes a heading related to the pasted data reference information.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit, responsive to the instructions, operates for pasting the pasting data reference information related to the copied data by pasting from the memory to the second application at least one member of a group comprising:

the date the copied data was pasted, the time the copied data was pasted, and the identity of the user who pasted the copied data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the copy data reference information includes an active link.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the paste data reference information includes an active link.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for providing data reference information, the instructions comprising:

setting, on a second computer application, copy data characteristics of data, wherein the copy data characteristics indicates an amount of data that identifies when data reference information related to the data is automatically pasted to the second computer application, wherein the copy data characteristics include at least one member of a group comprising;

a predetermined data size, a predetermined data amount, and a predetermined type of data;

selecting data from a first computer application, wherein the first computer application is a Web-browser application, and wherein the Web-browser application provides the data reference information in an HTML format that is based on meta-data

copying the data from the first computer application to a memory;

copying the copy data reference information related to the copied data from the first computer application to the memory;

pasting the copied data from the memory to the second computer application;

by accessing the copied data characteristics of data of the second computer application, determining when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

automatically pasting the date reference information related to the copied data from the memory to the second computer application when the amount of data of the copied data indicates that the data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

omitting the copy data reference information when the amount of data of the copied data does not indicate that the copy data reference information related to the copied data is automatically pasted to the second computer application;

obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application, wherein obtaining pasting data reference information from the second computer application includes the second computer application copying the pasting reference information from a third computer application and pasting the pasting reference information to the second computer application so that the pasting reference information can be reviewed along with the reference information and wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one member of a group comprising;

the date the data was copied, the time the data was copied, the identity of the user who pasted the data, the identity of the user who copied the data, the date the data was pasted, and the time the data was pasted; and

automatically pasting the pasting reference information from the memory to the second computer application.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the pasting data reference information includes at least one descriptive label that identifies the pasted data reference information, wherein the descriptive label includes a heading related to the pasted data reference information.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the copy data reference information includes an active link.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the paste data reference information includes an active link.