Patent Document ID: 7503012
Application ID: 10756108

Base Claim:
1. A method of automatically invoking a program or system function on a computer system comprising the steps of: receiving a user-selected first insertion point or replacement area within a first user interface to a destination computer file; subsequent to receiving said first insertion point within a destination file, providing a second user interface to content of a source computer file upon user command; subsequent to providing said second user interface to said source file, responsive to a user highlighting text within said second user interface of an application program on a computer display, automatically copying said highlighted text from said application program to a clipboard buffer, wherein said application program comprises an application program selected from a group of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a contact management utility, an electronic address book, an electronic calendar, an email client, a presentation program, a financial program, and a bookkeeping program; searching a plurality of auto-trigger rules for a rule which correlates to said highlighted text copied to said clipboard; and upon finding a correlating rule, invoking one or more programs or system functions according to said found rule without need to modify or change said application program.

---

Claim 4:
4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of invoking one or more programs or system functions comprises passing said highlighted information items to said invoked programs, to said system functions, or to both invoked programs and system functions as input parameters.