Quick Data Share

• US 20120124524A1
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Frank Szarfman, Dafna
• Application Number:
  US12/946,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/843
• 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 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]

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards allowing a phone or other mobile device, or a computer user, to select some portion of content and then quickly share that selected content with a message recipient. A user selects content, and then interacts with the program that displays the content to select a recipient corresponding to a program, such as an SMS, email, instant message or social network recipient. The selected content is automatically provided to the program for sending in a message, including first launching the program if not already running. Also described is queuing selected content, such that multiple pieces of selected content may be combined and sent in a single message.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method performed at least in part on at least one processor, comprising, detecting user interaction with a program, in which the user interaction identifies selected content presented by that program that is less than an entire file to which the content belongs, detecting further interaction directed towards providing the selected content to a target, and in response, providing the selected content to the target, including launching the target if the target corresponds to another program that is not running.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the selected content to the target comprises adding the selected content to a queue.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the selected content to the target comprises appending the selected content to other queued content in a queue.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising, detecting a request to send the queue, and in response, sending the selected content and the other queued content to a communications program configured to communicate a message containing the selected content and the other queued content.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising, adding the other queued content to the queue in response to detecting other interaction in another program or another program instance.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the further interaction includes presenting an interactive menu, the menu including an option for sending the selected content to the target.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the further interaction includes presenting an interactive menu, the menu including an option for adding the selected content to a queue, or including an option for sending the queue, or both an option for adding the selected content to a queue and an option for sending the queue.

8. In a computing environment, a system comprising, a sending and queuing mechanism, the sending and queuing mechanism configured to detect user interaction with respect to selected content, in which the selected content is less than an entire file to which the selected content belongs, and based upon the user interaction, to provide the selected content for sending in a message of a communications program or to add selected content to a queue.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the sending and queuing mechanism is incorporated into a program that displays content for selection and includes a user interface that detects the user interaction.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the queue comprises program storage corresponding to a program that displays content for selection and includes a user interface that detects the user interaction.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the sending and queuing mechanism comprises an operating system component that is called by a program that displays content for selection.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the queue comprises storage coupled to the operating system component.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the queue contains content stored from a plurality of programs.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the queue contains content stored from a plurality of program instances.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the sending and queuing mechanism operates to launch the communications program if the selected content is provided for sending in a message of the communications program, and the communications program is not running.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the sending and queuing mechanism includes a user interface configured to detect user interaction with respect to selected content, the user interface comprising a menu in which options are provided for sending the selected content in a message or adding selected content to a queue.

17. The system of claim 8 wherein the sending and queuing mechanism and communications program comprise executable code that runs in a mobile telephone, a mobile device, or a personal computer.

18. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising, running a program by which selected content is chosen, in which the content is less than an entire file, detecting that the user wants to take an action with respect to the selected content, providing a menu that displays possible actions for the user to take with respect to the selected content, then menu including an action by which the selected content is provided to a user-selectable target.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising adding the selected content to a queue when the user-selectable target comprises a queue.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising providing the selected content to a communications program queue when the user-selectable target corresponds to communicating the content to a recipient.