Electrical computers and digital processing systems: interprogra – Application program interface – Data transfer between application windows
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-19
2004-10-19
Courtenay, III, St. John (Department: 2126)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: interprogra
Application program interface
Data transfer between application windows
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06807668
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Existing graphical user interfaces (GUI's) in computer systems provide a variety of tools to manipulate information. One of the key design characteristics of graphical user interface is the concept of direct manipulation. Traditional disk operating systems used a command line interface (such as the MS DOS operating system available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.), and English language commands are issued by a user in order to cause certain events to occur. In modern GUI's, files and other information are directly manipulated by selecting icons representing files and moving the icons while selected on the computer system display. In this manner, files may be moved, copied, deleted, and otherwise manipulated in the file system of the computer.
An example of this process is shown in
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
d
. For example, in
FIG. 1
a
, in a window
100
, which is displayed on a computer system display, the user may select an icon
120
representing a file using a cursor pointer
110
which is under user control using a mouse, trackball, or other cursor control device. Once selected the user may move or manipulate the icon in any manner in order to perform certain actions in the file system. Icon
120
is shown in its selected state in window
100
of
FIG. 1
a
. Then, as is illustrated in
FIG. 1
b
, the user may start to move cursor
110
while the icon is selected causing an outline image representation of the icon and its file name, which is illustrated as
130
, to be moved on the computer system display. This allows the user to manipulate the file for movement within the file system. Then, as is illustrated in
FIG. 1
c
, the user may move pointer
110
to a subdirectory entitled “Documents,” shown as
140
in
FIG. 1
c
(also known as a “folder” in the Macintosh® brand operating system), for movement of that file in the file system. When the “folder” icon
140
is pointed to by pointer
110
, it becomes shown in its highlighted state, as is illustrated in
FIG. 1
c
. Then, as is illustrated in
FIG. 1
d
, when the user deselects the icon (that is, releases a mouse button or other selection means), the original icon
120
disappears from the window, and icon
140
is shown in an unselected state. In addition to the visual representation on window
100
as is illustrated in
FIG. 1
d
, the file has been moved from the directory which window
100
represents to the subdirectory “Documents” represented by icon
140
. For accessing the file represented by icon
120
at a later time, the user will select icon
140
causing a second window to be displayed representing that subdirectory and be able to access the file represented by icon
120
. Thus, movements within the file system and reorganization of files in the file system, known as the HFS (Hierarchical Filing System) in the Macintosh® brand operating system, may be performed using this prior art technique.
Another prior art implementation of a movement of information in a graphical user interface such as that used by the Macintosh® brand operating system is illustrated with reference to
FIGS. 2
a
-
2
d
. For example, this is a process which may be used for transferring text between a window displaying one set of text (e.g.,
210
) and a second window with a second set of text in it (e.g.,
220
). As is illustrated in
FIG. 2
a
, the user will select a region of text in document
210
utilizing cursor
200
under control of the cursor control and selection device and select an option from a pull-down menu
230
, such as “Cut”
230
a
. This is a destructive move operation wherein the text is removed from document
210
and will be moved to document
220
. This is all illustrated in
FIG. 2
a
. Then, the user will move the cursor to second document
220
in text area
220
a
and select a region in the text at which he desires the text to be moved. The cursor in text region
220
a
will change to a format known as insertion carat
250
which indicates where the insertion point will be. Then, as is illustrated in
FIG. 2
c
, the user will use pull-down menu
230
again, selecting a second option “Paste”
230
b
to retrieve text
240
from an intermediate storage device, such as a clipboard or other type of intermediate storage buffer, and insert the text at that location. As is illustrated in
FIG. 2
c
, the text is still highlighted as this is shown immediately after the paste operation. Then, the highlighting is removed, as is illustrated in
FIG. 2
d
, when the user selects other regions of the screen to operate in or performs other operations. Thus, as is illustrated in
FIG. 2
d
, the destructive move operation from Document
1
210
to Document
2
220
has been accomplished. As is well-known to those skilled in the prior art, nondestructive “copy” operations may also be performed in a similar manner by selecting other pull-down menu options on pull-down menus such as
FIGS. 2
a
and
2
c
. Note that the documents
210
and
220
may be under control of a single program, such as a word processing program, or may be under control of different application programs, such as one word processing program and a second word processing program or any other type of application program. As is well-known to those skilled in the prior art, transfer among different types of application programs may be accomplished using the cut and paste operations described with reference to
FIGS. 2
a
-
2
d
on a variety of architectural platforms using the intermediate storage buffer known as the clipboard. Other types of information such as graphical information, numeric information, or other types of information may be transferred in this manner.
Upon viewing
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
d
and
2
a
-
2
d
, it is apparent that there is a dichotomy between the two techniques. Users become used to the manipulation of files in the manner which is illustrated with reference to
FIGS. 1
a
-
1
d
, however, the user must learn the use of a second tool known as the “Edit” pull-down menu illustrated as
230
in
FIGS. 2
a
-
2
d
in order to perform manipulation of information between windows and/or application programs and/or files. Thus, there is a need for improved manipulations of various types of data, especially between application programs than techniques which exist in the prior art.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for manipulating information in a computer system.
Another of the objects of the present invention is to provide a consistent user interface for manipulation of information between and within application programs and within an operating system.
Another of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved means for providing feedback to a user of manipulation of information in a computer system.
Another of the objects of the present invention is to provide an architecture for direct manipulation of data to and from application programs and files in a file system.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided for by a method and apparatus for manipulating data between application programs. A user may select an item in a first window under control of a first process which specifies formats in which data from the selected first item may be provided. The user drags the selected item to a second window, wherein the second window is under control of a second process. The user deselects the selected item while the item is located at the second window, and the second process determines if the second process can perform a primary action based upon a first format of the first item and, if so, then receives data from the first process in the first format and performs the primary action using the first format. The action may include a plurality of actions including such system services as printing, sending electronic mail, or other actions which may be performed in a computer system. The method further comprises alternative actions and action selection mechanisms which are activated by a user selecti
Johnston, Jr. Robert George
Moller Elizabeth Ann Robinson
Stern Mark Ludwig
Apple Computer Inc.
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Courtenay III St. John
LandOfFree
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