Method of selectively transferring video displayed information

• US 5,251,291 A
• Filed: 07/30/1992
• Issued: 10/05/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/923,008
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 395/145-149, 395/157, 395/158, 395/161
• US Class Current: 715/234
• 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 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method for moving data between sessions on a workstation having a video display. A source session having data in protected and unprotected fields is copied to storage through a clipboard media. Pasting of data from the clipboard into unprotected fields of a destination session is accomplished selectively. Pasting is selectively concluded based upon a comparison of source protected fields with corresponding destination protected fields, where the workstation operator is notified of mismatches and responds accordingly.

Claims

1. A user controlled method for transferring information in an information processing system having a video display, comprising the steps of:

selecting from a source space as may be depicted by a video display a first field of first format, information and a second field of second format information;

selecting a destination space as may be depicted by a video display having a third field of first format information and a fourth field for second format information;

comparing selected information from the first field of first format information in the source space to selected information from the third field of first format information in the destination space; and

selectively transferred second field information from the source space to the fourth field in the destination space responsive to the outcome of the comparison.

2. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

notifying the user of the comparison outcome.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the step of transferring second field information is responsive to the control of the user.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the step of selecting from a source space comprises the selective definition of a region on a source video display.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the step of selecting a destination space comprises a selective definition of a region on a destination video display.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the region on the source video display includes a protected first field and an unprotected second field.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein the region on the destination video display includes a protected field and an unprotected field.

8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the step of comparing relates protected first field information to protected third field information for matching.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the comparison relates characters within the protected format fields.

10. A method for selectively transferring information in a computer workstation using a video display, comprising the steps of:

defining by selection in a source region on the video display first field and first format information and second field and second format information;

defining by selection in a destination region on the video display a third field of first format information and a destination region for selected second format information;

comparing selected first field information in the source region to selected third field information in the destination region; and

selectively transferring second field information to the second format destination region responsive to the outcome of the comparison.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the step of defining source information to be transferred comprises a copying to clipboard storage of a protected first field and an unprotected second field.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the defined destination for selected information includes a protected field and an unprotected field.

13. The process recited in claim 12, wherein the step of comparing involves a comparison of information within a source protected first field to any information within a corresponding destination protected field.

14. A user controlled system for transferring information in an information processing system having a video display, comprising:

means for selecting from a source space as may be depicted by a video display a first field of first format information and a second field of second format information;

means for selecting a destination space as may be depicted by a video display having a third field of first format information and a fourth field for second format information;

means for comparing selected information from the first field of first format information in the source space to selected information from the third field of first format information in the destination space; and

means for selectively transferring second field information from the source space to the fourth field in the destination space responsive to the outcome of the comparison.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 14, further comprising means for notifying the user of a detected mismatch.