Abstract:
An improved copy and paste experience includes capturing information about open applications including a screenshot of each of the open applications shown in a viewable area of the open applications; in response to receiving a copy command while the user is interacting with a first application, presenting the screenshots of the other open applications to the user for selection; in response to the user selecting one of the screenshots corresponding to a second application, displaying visual content segments from the second application; in response to receiving a user selection of two or more of the visual content segments, copying the selected visual content segments; and inserting the selected visual content segments into the first application such that original spatial relations between the visual content segments from the second application are maintained when the visual content segments are inserted into the first application.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    In computer parlance, the phrases “copy and paste” typically refer to commands that enable a user to transfer material, such as text, data, files or objects from a source, such as a page of a document, to a destination, such as another page of the document. 
         [0002]    When copying and pasting, the user first selects the material, and then activates the copy command to create a duplicate instance of the material. The copied material is then temporally saved in a “clipboard.” The user places a cursor in a different position and then activates the “paste” command to transfer the material from the clipboard to the position where the paste command is issued. This operation is typically used with a graphical user interface that uses pointing devices such as a computer mouse, or by a drag-and-drop interaction, for example. 
         [0003]    The copy and paste commands may also be used to transfer material from one application to another application, where each application is typically displayed in a separate window. However, copying and pasting between applications can be cumbersome for the user. There typically are three-time-wasting challenges uses encounter when copying and pasting across two or more applications. One challenge is that the user typically needs to resize the active application window to make room on the screen for the display of other windows. This means that the user may need to frequently scroll within the resized active window because the smaller size is not optimal for the content. Further this kind of window management is not ideal and takes time. 
         [0004]    The second challenge is that the user typically will minimize a number of unrelated windows (i.e., convert the windows to the size of an icon along an edge of the screen) so that there are fewer windows obscuring and blocking the source and target windows. Even with all unrelated windows minimized, switching back and forth between the source and target windows may still present a challenge to the user, and if all the unrelated windows are not minimized, the desired source and target windows may be obscured by the other windows, leaving only small and nondescript sections of the desired windows visible. 
         [0005]    Another challenge for the user is that when switching between windows, the cursor focus or insertion point in the window (the location in the document where the user is working) is typically lost. This is a result of clicking on a window obscured by the others to bring the desired window into focus and into the foreground. The user must repeatedly find the proper insertion point within each window because the insertion point is lost when clicking on the window to bring into focus. A multi-item clipboard is one known approach, but requires the user to still encounter window management problems when copying and pasting among multiple windows. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, a need exists for a method and system that provides an improved a copy and paste experience. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Exemplary embodiments disclose a method and system for improved copy and paste experience. Aspects of the exemplary embodiment include automatically detecting a predetermined number of copy and paste commands from a first window to a target window; in response to detecting the predetermined number of copy and paste commands, miniaturizing a portion of content from the first window and dynamically positioning the miniaturized portion of content adjacent to the target window; and responsive to detecting user interaction with the miniaturized portion of content, temporarily expanding the miniaturized portion of content to allow user access to the portion of content from the first window. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a logical block diagram illustrating an exemplary system environment for implementing one embodiment of an improved copy and paste experience. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a process for an improved copy and paste experience according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a desktop of a user computer displaying open application windows. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the user navigating to an application window. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing the target window after the user has copied two portions of content from the source application window and pasted the content into the target window as pasted content. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the miniaturized preview window enlarged into an expanded preview window. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating content of the target window after the drag-and-drop operation. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating the switching focus to source window and selecting copying content “Content Y”. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating the display of multiple miniaturized content preview windows. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The present invention relates to methods and systems for an improved copy and paste experience. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein. 
         [0018]    The exemplary embodiments provide methods and systems for an improved copy and paste experience. The system can detect when a user is copying and pasting across multiple windows, i.e., between applications or between documents of the same application. In response, the system reduces the size of the content in the source window for display in a miniaturized source window that is dynamically positioned to a convenient location adjacent to the target window. When the system detects the user interacting with the miniaturized source window, such as by placing a cursor over the window, the system temporarily expands the miniaturized source window to allow easy and quick access to the source content. After the user copies some, or all of the source content, from the expanded window, the expanded window automatically miniaturizes and returns to the position adjacent to the target window for subsequent easy re-access to the source content. 
         [0019]    The exemplary embodiments reduce the inconvenience and wasted time of repeatedly copying and pasting content among multiple windows by addressing window management, screen real estate, and other problems encountered by users. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a logical block diagram illustrating an exemplary system environment for implementing one embodiment of an improved copy and paste experience. The system  10  includes a computer  12  having an operating system  14  capable of executing various software applications  16 . The software applications  16  may be controlled by a user with pointing devices, such as a mouse or stylus, and/or may be touch screen enabled, which enables the applications to be used with a variety of pointing devices, including the user&#39;s finger and various types of styluses. 
         [0021]    During operation, opening and running the software applications  16  (App 1 through App N) may display objects such as text, video, images and icons in a window, view, or page on a display screen  26 . Example types of applications  16  may include a web browser, a word processor or document editor, a spreadsheet, a presentation application and the like. The application  16  that a user of the computer  12  is currently interacting with is said to be the active application or the application that is in focus. Periodically, a user may wish to copy material from one application to another. 
         [0022]    According to an exemplary embodiment, an enhanced copy and paste (ECP) module is provided that enables the user to copy and paste material between applications  16  in a more efficient manner. The ECP module  18  is configured to insert into a first application visual content copied from a second application with minimal need for the user to switch context between the applications  16 . In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  may either interact with or bypass traditional “clipboards” that are used to implement conventional cut and paste commands. 
         [0023]    In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  may be implemented as a standalone application or as a plug-in for the application  16 . In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  is responsive to user input  32  to dynamically rearrange the layout, size, and positioning of content from relevant source applications to provide the user with quick and easy access to move the content from multiple source applications to a target application. In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  dynamically miniaturizes a portion of the content from one or more source applications based on a recent history of user copy and paste commands of the user, and repositions the miniaturized content in a graphical user interface (GUI)  20  adjacent to the target application. Although ECP module  18  is shown as a single component, the functionality provided by the ECP module  18  may be implemented as more than one module or may be incorporated into an application  16  or the operating system  14 . 
         [0024]    The computer  12  may exist in various forms, including a personal computer (PC), (e.g., desktop, laptop, or notebook), a tablet, a smart phone, a set-top box, a game system, and the like. The computer  12  may include modules of typical computing devices, including input/output (I/O) devices  24 . Examples of typical input devices may include keyboard, pointing device, microphone for voice commands, buttons, touch screen, etc., and an example of an output device is a display screen  26 . The computer  12  may further include computer-readable medium, e.g., memory  28  and storage devices (e.g., flash memory, hard drive, optical disk drive, magnetic disk drive, and the like) containing computer instructions that implement the application  16  and an embodiment of ECP module  18  when executed by a processor. 
         [0025]    A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code includes at least one processor  30  coupled directly or indirectly to when one or more memory elements through a system bus. The memory  28  can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories, which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
         [0026]    The I/O devices  24  can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. 
         [0027]    As an alternative embodiment, the system may be implemented as a client/server model, where a website or application offers the improved copy and insert capability as part of a web solution, e.g., a web editor. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a process for an improved copy and paste experience according to an exemplary embodiment. The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
         [0029]    The process may begin by the ECP module  18  automatically detecting a predetermined number of copy and paste commands from a first window to a target window (block  200 ). 
         [0030]    As used herein, the term window means the conventional rectangular-shaped viewing area of an application displayed on the display screen  26  in a graphical user interface (GUI), the boundaries of which can be expanded or contracted by the user. In this embodiment, the user may copy and paste content between windows of different applications, or between windows of the same application. The content displayed in the windows may comprise saved content that is retrieved locally from the user&#39;s computer, downloaded from a webpage, or unsaved content such as unsaved new or edited content in an application, an instant message session, or any other form of temporary content. 
         [0031]    In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  is configured to automatically detect, at any time, the user&#39;s interaction pattern of copying content from one or more source windows to a target window, or groups of source and target windows. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a desktop of a user computer displaying open application windows. In the example shown, assume the user is preparing for a trip and is copying relevant information into a document from other applications. The user is interacting with a target window  300 , which may represent a document editor, and is the application  16  having primary focus. While the user is putting the document together, the user has many other open application windows  302 A,  302 B,  302 C (collectively referred to as application windows  302 ), such as a browser window, a spreadsheet a PDF viewer, and the like. To create the document, the user may continually shift between the target window  300  and the other application windows  302  to copy content from the other application windows  302  into the document in the target window  300 . 
         [0033]    For example,  FIG. 4  is a diagram showing that the user has navigated to the application window  302 B, bringing application window  302 B into focus. Application window  302 B includes portions of content, shown here as Content A, Content B, . . . Content N, which may include any combination of text, tables, spreadsheets, presentations, images, videos, graphics, and the like. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing the target window  300  after the user has copied two portions of content from the source application window  302 B and pasted the content into the target window  300  as pasted content  500 . 
         [0035]    In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  keeps track of the number of times that the user invokes a set of copy and paste commands between each of the open application windows  302  and the target window windows  300 . Once the ECP module  18  determines that the number of times the user invokes the set of copy and paste commands form a particular source window to the target window  300  is equal to (and/or greater than) the predetermined number of copy and paste commands, the ECP module  18  may perform the process below. In one embodiment, the predetermined number of copy and paste command sets may be set to at least two. 
         [0036]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , in response to detecting the predetermined number of copy and paste commands, the ECP module  18  miniaturizes a portion of content from the source application window  302 B and dynamically positions the miniaturized portion of content adjacent to the target window (block  202 ). 
         [0037]    Referring again to  FIG. 5 , the miniaturized portion of content from the source application window  302 B is shown displayed adjacent to the target window  300 . In one embodiment, the miniaturized portion of content may be displayed in a miniaturized preview window  502  that persistently hovers adjacent to the target window  300  and above any other open windows. In one embodiment, the miniaturized preview window  502  may be displayed as a borderless and semi-transparent window to minimize potential obstruction to underlying windows  302 . 
         [0038]    In one embodiment, the miniaturized preview window  502  may be displayed adjacent to a border of the target window  300 , such as the top left or right side of the target window  300 , for example. In another embodiment, the miniaturized preview window  502  may be displayed adjacent to the target window  300  but along an edge of the display screen  26 . In yet another embodiment, the miniaturized preview window  502  may be displayed overlapping with the target window  300 . 
         [0039]    In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  miniaturizes a copy of the content, or portion thereof, from the source application window  302 B for display in the miniaturized preview window  502 . In another embodiment, the ECP module  18  may miniaturize the source application window  302 B entirely and reposition the source application window  302 B adjacent to the target window  300 . 
         [0040]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , responsive to detecting user interaction with the miniaturized portion of content, the ECP module  18  temporarily expands the miniaturized portion of content to allow the user access to the portion of content from the first window (block  204 ). 
         [0041]    In one embodiment, detection of the user interaction may comprise detecting the cursor hovering over the miniaturized portion of content displayed in the miniaturized preview window  502  for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., greater than 1-2 seconds). In another embodiment utilizing a touchscreen device, detection of the user action may comprise detecting a press and hold event on the miniaturized portion of content. 
         [0042]    In one embodiment, the ECP module  18  may expand the miniaturized preview window  502  into an expanded preview window  504  that is moderately sized between that of the miniaturized preview window  502 , and the target window  300 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the miniaturized preview window enlarged into an expanded preview window  504 . The expanded preview window  504  allows the user to select a desired region within the miniaturized portion of content for copying to the target window, preferably using a standard “drag-and-drop” or “click and drag” operation. As is well known, drag-and-drop in a GUI is the action of (or support for the action of) clicking and holding the cursor on a displayed object and moving the cursor to drag the object to a different location or onto another object, such as the target window  500 . The example shown, the user as selected the highlighted content labeled “Content N” in the expanded preview window  504  for the drag-and-drop operation. Thus, the expanded preview window  504  allows the user to copy selected items of content, such as a character, a word, a sentence, a paragraph, an image, a spreadsheet, a presentation, a table, a chart, a video, or parts thereof, from the source window, thereby providing quick and immediate access to a fine-grained level of content from the source window. 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating content of the target window  300  after the drag-and-drop operation. As soon as the user drags the cursor to the target window  300  and releases the cursor from the drag-and-drop operation, the selected contents are immediately copied and inserted into the target window  300 , and the display of expanded preview window  504  is returned to the display of the miniaturized preview window  502 , where it remains easily accessible in 3-D space for quick access. At the same time, focus is brought back to the target window  300 . 
         [0045]    In a further embodiment, the ECP module  18  may be configured to observe and detect the user&#39;s interactions with multiple source windows, and create miniaturized portions of content from each of the multiple source windows for display in corresponding preview windows so that the most frequently accessed source content items are most easily accessible. 
         [0046]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating the switching focus to source window  302 C and selecting copying content “Content Y”. Assuming the user has selected content from the source window  302 C the predetermined number of times, the ECP module  18  creates a miniaturized preview window  502  for the source window  302 C and displays the miniaturized preview window  502  adjacent to the miniaturized preview window  502  corresponding to source window  302 B, as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0047]    For example, if the user is moving content about sports across multiple documents, that would create one set of source/target associations, while at the same time the user was also moving content about software development across other documents, it would create a second set of source/target associations. With these “source/target associations” when the user switched to a particular content target, the set of displayed miniaturized preview windows would change as well. In this example, if the target document was the sports content, the sports related miniaturized preview windows would appear. When the target document was switched to the software development content, the miniaturized preview windows related to software development would replace the miniaturized preview windows and related to sports. 
         [0048]    When the user is finished moving content across the documents/windows, the user can explicitly close the miniaturized preview windows by clicking on an “X” control that maybe displayed in the top right corner of each of the miniaturized preview windows. Additionally, the ECP module  18  may be configured to cease to display the miniaturized preview windows after a predetermined amount of inactivity. Subsequently, all related miniaturized source items would immediately re-appear when the user copies and pastes among the same set of source and target content. 
         [0049]    Accordingly, the ECP module  18  of the exemplary embodiments reorganizes multiple source windows so that a user can repeatedly access and copy content from the source windows during subsequent interactions in a very efficient manner. 
         [0050]    A system and method for an improved copy and paste experience has been disclosed. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon. 
         [0051]    Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
         [0052]    Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
         [0053]    Aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0054]    These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0055]    The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0056]    The present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, and one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments, and any variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.