EP0339220A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
File management system for a computer
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1989-03-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-03-08
Abstract
Abstract A computer having a file management system is presented. The file management system includes a plurality of application programs (101, 106), a plurality of data files (221 to 223) a plurality of class data structures and a plurality of object data structures (202 to 210). Each class data structure includes a reference to an application program within the plurality of application programs. Each object data structure includes a reference to a class data structure from the plurality of class data structures and a reference to at least one data file from the plurality of data files. The use of object data structures adds a layer between a user of the computer and data files. This allows for the computer to refer to an object data structure and access files associated therewith using a tag which is inaccessible to the user. The user refers to an object based on the physical location of the object on the screen. Additionally, the file management system includes a plurality of link data structures, each link data structure including a reference to a first object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as a parent object of the link, and including a reference to a second object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as a child object of the link.
Inventors
- 👤 John Andrew Dysart
- 👤 Peter Stuart Showman
- 👤 William M. Crow
- 👤 Peter Michael Williams
- 👤 Brian Wright Mcbride
- 👤 John Rodney Francis Senior
- 👤 Charles H. Whelan
- 👤 Brian Murdoch
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 19:48
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/54; G06F9/543; G06F16/00; G06F16/10; G06F16/16; G06F16/20; G06F16/28; G06F16/289; G06F16/90; G06F16/901; G06F16/9024; G06F16/93; G06F9/44; G06F9/448; G06F9/4488; G06F9/4493; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/953; Y10S707/955; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A file management system for a computer, characterized by: a plurality of data files (221 to 223); and a plurality of object data structures (202 to 210; 301 to 309), each object data structure including a reference to at least one data file from the plurality of data files (221 to 223), a text string which identifies the object to a user, and a tag which is hidden from the user and which identifies the object to the computer, wherein the value of the tag is in no way derived from the text string.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A file management system for a computer, characterized by: a plurality of data files (221 to 223); and a plurality of object data structures (202 to 210; 301 to 309), each object data structure including a reference to at least one data file from the plurality of data files (221 to 223), a text string which identifies the object to a user, and a tag which is hidden from the user and which identifies the object to the computer, wherein the value of the tag is in no way derived from the text string.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The file management system of claim 1, characterized by: a plurality of application programs (101 to 106); a plurality of class data structures, each class data structure including a reference to an application program from the plurality of application programs (101 to 106); wherein each object data structure includes a reference to a class data structure from the plurality of class data structures.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
114 words
A file management system for computer, characterized by: a plurality of data files (221 to 223); a plurality of object data structures (201 to 210; 301 to 308) each object data structure including a reference to at least one data file from the plurality of data files (221 to 223); and a plurality of link data structures (310 to 323), each link data structure including a reference to a first object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as parent object of the link, and including a reference to a second object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as a child object of the link.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
114 words
A file management system for computer, characterized by: a plurality of data files (221 to 223); a plurality of object data structures (201 to 210; 301 to 308) each object data structure including a reference to at least one data file from the plurality of data files (221 to 223); and a plurality of link data structures (310 to 323), each link data structure including a reference to a first object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as parent object of the link, and including a reference to a second object data structure in the plurality of object data structures which serves as a child object of the link.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
78 words
The file management system of claim 3, characterized by: a plurality of application programs (101 to 106); a plurality of class data structures, each class data structure including a reference to an application program from the plurality of application programs; wherein each object data structure includes a reference to a class data structure from the plurality of class data structures; and wherein the child object and the parent object are not the same for every link data structure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
The file management system of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that each link data structure in the plurality of link data structures (310 to 323) includes: a value which identifies which part of the child object is viewed by the parent link.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
76 words
The file management system of any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that each object data structure from the plurality of object data structure (201 to 210; 301 to 309) additionally includes; a text string which identifies the object to a user; and a tag which is hidden from the user and which identifies the object to the computer, wherein the value of the tag is in no way derived from the text string.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
51 words
A method for copying a parent object by using a computer having the file management system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized by: copying the parent object to form a copy of the parent object; and linking the copy of the parent object to the child object.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 7, characterized by: copying the child object to form a copy of the child object.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
159 words
In a computer having the file management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and displaying a plurality of windows, a first window in the plurality of windows displaying data from a first data file (221 to 223) and a second window from the plurality of windows displaying data from a second data file (221 to 223), a method for displaying data from the first file in the second window, characterized by the steps of: creating a first object data structure (201 to 210; 301 to 309) which references the first data file; creating a second object data structure (201 to 210; 301 to 309) which references the second data file; creating a link structure (310 to 323) which includes a reference to the first object data structure and to the second object data structure and which includes a specification of the data from the first file which is to be displayed in the second window.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
156 words
In a computer system having a file management system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, a method for establishing a link (310 to 323) between two object data structures (201 to 210; 301 to 309) wherein the link specifies a first subset of data to be shared, the method being characterized by the steps of: constructing, in response to a first user command which specifies the data to be shared and a first object data structure as source of the data to be shared, a portion of a link which includes a reference to the data to be shared and a reference to the first object data structure from which the data originates; and completing construction of the link, in response to a second user command which specifies the second object data structure with which the data will be shared, by adding to the link a reference to the second object data structure.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 10, characterized in that the first user command is a "Share" command to a clipboard.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the second user command is a "Paste" command from a clipboard.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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