APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT DATA LINKAGE AMONG A PLURALITY OF APPLICATIONS

• US 20030014382A1
• Filed: 11/13/1998
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Tsuyoshi, KANEDA, TOSHITAKA
• Granted Patent: US 6,532,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention is intended to arrange data, thereby improving usability and operability. When data desired to be stored is designated on an application being processed, a data capture control portion captures the data, and a data type judgment portion judges the type of the captured data. In accordance with the result of the judgment, the data is stored on an image clipboard or a text clipboard depending on the type of the data. Desired data is selected from among the stored data. A data paste control portion pastes the selected data on another activated application desired to be linked.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus capable of carrying out data linkage among a plurality of activated applications, the apparatus comprising:

designating device for designating data desired to be stored on an activated application which is currently in execution;

judging circuit for judging a type of the data designated by the designating device;

storage circuit for storing a plurality of pieces of data by type of data on the basis of a result of the judgment by the judging circuit;

selecting device for selecting a desired data from among the plurality of pieces of data stored in the storage circuit; and

reading circuit for reading the data selected by the selecting device on another activated application desired to be linked.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage circuit stores data in the order of storage designated by the designating device.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

deleting circuit for deleting data stored in the storage circuit, in chronological order from the oldest data, when a residual of storage capacity of the storage circuit becomes insufficient.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing circuit for dividing the data designated by the designating device by type of data when the designated data is judged as including a plurality of pieces of data by the judging circuit,

wherein the storage circuit stores the plurality of pieces of divided data by type of data together with information for synchronization among the data.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

deleting circuit for deleting data stored in the storage circuit, the deleting circuit, when specific data is deleted, also deleting a different type of data specified by the synchronization information of the deleted specific data.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

deleting circuit for deleting data stored in the storage circuit, the deleting circuit, when specific data is deleted, not deleting a different type of data specified by the synchronization information of the deleted specific data.

7. A method of information processing for establishing data linkage among plural activated applications, the method comprising the steps of:

designating data desired to be stored on an activated application which is currently in execution;

judging a type of the data designated at the designating step;

storing a plurality of pieces of data by type of data on the basis of a result of the judgment at the judging step;

selecting a desired data from among the plurality of pieces of data stored at the storing step; and

reading the data selected at the selecting step on another activated application desired to be linked.

8. The method of information processing of claim 7, further comprising:

a step of dividing the data designated at the designating step by type of the data when the designated data is judged as including a plurality of pieces of data at the judging step,

wherein the storing step stores a plurality of pieces of divided data by type of data together with information for synchronization among the data.

9. A recording medium stored with an information processing program, readable by a computer, for establishing data linkage among a plurality of activated applications, the recording medium being stored with a program for making a computer execute a method of information processing comprising the steps of:

designating data desired to be stored on an activated application which is currently in execution;

judging a type of the data designated at the designating step;

storing a plurality of pieces of data by type of data in accordance with a judgment result at the judging step;

selecting a desired data from among the plurality of pieces of data stored at the storing step; and

reading the data selected at the selecting step on another activated application desired to be linked.

10. A recording medium, readable by a computer, stored with an information processing programs for establishing data linkage among plural activated applications, the recording medium being stored with a program for making a computer execute a method of information processing comprising the steps of:

designating data desired to be stored on an activated application which is currently in execution;

judging a type of the data designated at the designating step;

dividing the data designated at the designating step by type of the data, when the designated data is judged to include plural pieces of data at the judging step;

storing a plurality of pieces of divided data by type of data together with information for synchronization among the data;

selecting a desired data from among the plurality of pieces of data stored at the storing step; and

reading the data selected at the selecting step on another activated application desired to be linked.