Data transfer with expanded clipboard formats

• US 5,924,099 A
• Filed: 06/05/1998
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nakajima, Satoshi, Guzak, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/092,587
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/101, 707/104, 707/500, 707/513, 707/515, 345/326, 345/333, 345/335, 345/339
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer system provides expanded clipboard formats that embellish the number of formats that may be used with a clipboard. These expanded clipboard formats enable users in applications to broaden their use of the clipboard and other data transfer mechanisms. The clipboard formats may be utilized by a conventional clipboard, by drag-and-drop mechanisms and by OLE data transfer mechanisms. Certain of the expanded clipboard formats are adapted for use in the data transfer of non-file system objects.

Claims

1. A computer system for supporting multiple clipboard formats said computer system comprising:

means for establishing a file list clipboard format that is specially designated for holding a value for accessing a file list structure that describes a list of files involved in a data transfer operation;

a data source for providing data in the file list clipboard format;

a data sink for accepting data in the file list clipboard format; and

a data transfer mechanism for transferring the data from the data source to the data sink.

2. A computer system for supporting multiple clipboard formats, said system comprising:

an output device for presenting data;

a data transfer initiating component for initiating a data transfer of a portion of the presented data; and

a data transfer component for performing data transfers using a clipboard, said data transfer component comprising;

a first component for establishing a file group descriptor clipboard format for holding a file group descriptor;

a second component for providing a file group descriptor for a group of data for data transfer, said file group descriptor holding file descriptors that contain descriptive information about the group of data that are not files and said file group descriptor being in the file group descriptor clipboard format; and

a third component for performing a data transfer of the group data to a location determined by the data transfer initiating component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said data transfer component further comprises:

a fourth component for establishing a file contents clipboard format for holding contents of a file.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said data transfer component further comprises a fifth component for providing the group of data in the file contents clipboard format, and wherein the third component comprises a subcomponent for transferring the group of files in the file contents clipboard format to a location determined by the data transfer initiating component.

5. A method for transferring data using a clipboard with multiple clipboard formats, said method comprising:

converting a selected portion of data into one or more expanded clipboard formats;

storing the converted data in a data object with a handle;

passing the handle to the clipboard; and

pasting the data identified by the handle passed to the clipboard to a designated destination.

6. A computer system for transferring data using a clipboard with multiple clipboard formats, said system comprising:

an output device for presenting data;

data transfer initiating component for initiating a data transfer of a portion of the presented data; and

a data transfer component for performing data transfers using a clipboard, said data transfer component comprising;

a converting component for converting a selected portion of data into one or more expanded clipboard formats;

a storing component for storing the converted data in a data object with a handle;

a handle passing component for passing the handle to the clipboard; and

a pasting component for pasting the data identified by the handle passed to the clipboard to a designated destination.

7. A computer readable storage medium for transferring data using a clipboard with multiple clipboard formats, said computer readable storage medium comprising:

a converting component for converting a selected portion of data into one or more expanded clipboard formats;

a storing component for storing the converted data in a data object with a handle;

a handle passing component for passing the handle to the clipboard; and

a pasting component for pasting the data identified by the handle passed to the clipboard to a designated destination.