The present invention relates to transferring of files, and in particular to an intuitive file transfer method.
With the progress of computer technology, besides the improvement made in both hardware and upgrading of application functions of software, user-friendliness of operation and use of computers is also a vitally important challenge to the computer industry.
The conventional man-machine interface is designed to make a computer an easily operating tool that helps a user to complete a desired task, and thus, in the respect of the use thereof, the design must be easy to learn, easy to operate, and allowing for precise control of progress of the desired task or data processing. A good man-machine interface must be designed to provide excellent interaction with the users in order to improve efficiency, quality, and even pleasure of using the computer.
In designing the operation flow performed by a user, since most users do not have sufficient knowledge of the computers, the design must be in such a way that a response is provided for each action taken by the user, so that the user can get aware of the computer being processing the action taken by the computer through immediate response. This certainly improves the convenience of operation of computers to most computer users.
However, in the design of the currently prevailing operation system, Microsoft Windows®, a user can select a file or a file folder to be moved through clicking and the selected file or file folder to be moved is moved by dragging to a destination device. Besides moving a file or file folder with “drag”, movement of files or file folders can also be done with the so called “click lock”, which makes file movement easier. When a user is doing text selection or dragging of files, the dragging operation can be done without constantly holding down a mouser button.
The above discussed conventional operations of “drag” and “click lock” provide a limited function of movement of files or file folders. To copy or transfer a file or a file folder to a selected destination device, other function keys, such as pressing Ctrl key plus a character key “C” or a menu pulled down by clicking a right button of mouse to allow for selection of the “copy” function that copies and transfers the selected files or file folders to the selected destination device. This process of copying and transferring selected files or file folders requires the operation of additional menu and function keys, and this the process becomes complicated.
Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide an intuitive file transfer method, which is operated with intuitive file transfer programs for direct transmission of source data associated with an object icon selected by a user to a selected destination device.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a user with an operation for identifying a file to be transferred in an intuitive and easily-operating manner.
The solution adopted in the present invention to overcome the problems of the conventional techniques comprises operating intuitive file transfer programs in accordance with the preset invention to carry out automatic detection of the selection of an object icon in a display area of the source device by a user operating a pointing device, either indirectly with a mouse controlling a cursor or directly with finger touching, and to identify the source data with which the object icon is associated.
The intuitive file transfer programs may further detect a predetermined pointing operation carried out by a user that moves the object icon to a designated boundary of the display area through dragging or that moves the object icon to an unoccupied location in the display area, and identify the operation of copying and transferring of the source data associated with the object icon.
Finally, through a data transmission device connected between the source device and the destination device, such as a transmission line of a wired transmission interface that is connected to the source device and the destination device through wired transmission ports, or a wireless connection established by wireless transmission devices connected to the source device and the destination device, the source data associated with the selected object icon can be transmitted to a storage device of the destination device.
The technical solution provided by the present invention allows for copy and transfer of selected files or file folders to a selected destination device without additionally employing function keys, such as Ctrl key plus a character key “C”, or without additionally pulling down a menu for working with the right mouse button for execution of the function of copying, whereby the intuitive file transfer method in accordance with the present invention may directly transmit source data associated with an object icon of selected file or file folder to a selected destination device.
To copy or transfer the selected file or file folder by moving the associated object icon by dragging to a boundary of a display area or moving to an unoccupied location in the display area is an intuitive manner of operation of moving the file or file folder out of the source device, which complies with the recognition and behavior of a user, providing a function of simply identifying file transferring and learning of the operation of transferring files.
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention and the best mode for carrying out the present invention, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
With reference to the drawings and in particular to
The micro-controller 12 is connected to a random access memory 14, a storage device 15, and a wired transmission interface 16. The storage device 15 stores an intuitive file transfer program 151 and source data 152. The wired transmission interface 16 is in connection with the wired transmission port 31. Further, the destination device of the embodiment of
Referring to
To perform the intuitive file transfer method in accordance with the present invention, the source device and the destination device are loaded with intuitive file transfer programs in storage devices thereof and the programs are executed in the random access memories connected to the micro-controllers (Step 103). The intuitive file transfer programs start and detect an object icon 134 to be transferred, as indicated by a phantom line circle of
Further, the intuitive file transfer programs also detect a pointing operation performed by the user, such as dragging the object icon 134 (see
After confirmation, the intuitive file transfer programs transmit the source data, such as files or file folders, which are associated with the object icon and stored in the source device, through the wired data transmission device connected between the source device and the destination device to the storage device of the destination device (Step 107). If the confirmation is denied, then the flow skips Step 107 and ends.
Referring to
In the flow of the embodiment of
A touch screen 18 is composed of a touch panel 181 that is composed of upper and lower touch layers and a display screen 182, which are respectively connected to the micro-controller 12 by the operation interface 111a and the display interface 131. The touch screen 18, upon touched, generates a touch signal that is transmitted to the micro-controller 12 through the operation interface 111a, and the display screen 182 receives, through the display interface 131, an image signal generated by the micro-controller 12 and displays the image signal on the screen.
Further, the destination device of the embodiment of
Referring to
To perform the intuitive file transfer method in accordance with the present invention, the source device and the destination device are loaded with intuitive file transfer programs in storage devices thereof and the programs are executed in the random access memories connected to the micro-controllers (Step 203). The intuitive file transfer programs start and detect an object icon 185 to be transferred, as indicated by a phantom line circle of
Further, the intuitive file transfer programs also detect a pointing operation performed by the user, such as the user's finger touching and moving on the touch screen 18 to drag the object icon 185 (see
After confirmation, the intuitive file transfer programs in accordance with the present invention transmit the source data, such as files or file folders, which are associated with the object icon, through connection established with wireless transmission protocols between the wireless data transmission devices to the storage device of the destination device (Step 207). If the confirmation is denied, then the flow skips Step 207 and ends.
Referring to
In the flow of the embodiment of
Referring to
To perform the intuitive file transfer method in accordance with the present invention, the source device and the destination devices are loaded with intuitive file transfer programs in storage devices thereof and the programs are executed in the random access memories connected to the micro-controllers (Step 303). The intuitive file transfer programs start and detect an object icon 185 to be transferred in a display area of a touch screen selected by a user touching his or her finger to the object icon (Step 304).
Further, the intuitive file transfer programs also detect a pointing operation performed by the user, such as the user's finger touching and moving on the touch screen to drag the object icon to a designated boundary of the display area (Step 305). When the object icon is moved to the designated boundary of the display area, the intuitive file transfer programs generate an additional dialog window that shows a list of destination devices for selection of a desired one or ones of the destination devices by the user (Step 306).
After the selection of the desired destination device(s), the intuitive file transfer programs generate a further additional dialog window for confirmation of performing transfer of the source data that are associated with the selected object icon to the destination devices selected by the user (Step 307).
After confirmation, the intuitive file transfer programs in accordance with the present invention transmit the source data of the source device, such as files or file folders, which are associated with the object icon, through the piconet established among the wireless data transmission devices to the storage device(s) of the selected destination device(s) (Step 308). If the confirmation is denied, then the flow skips Step 308 and ends.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof and the best mode for carrying the invention, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2008 1 0219482 | Nov 2008 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5764873 | Magid et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5845282 | Alley et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5886699 | Belfiore et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
6344861 | Naughton et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6545669 | Kinawi et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6757698 | McBride et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6820094 | Ferguson et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
7913179 | Sheha et al. | Mar 2011 | B2 |
20020060701 | Naughton et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
20030132967 | Gangadharan | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20040044723 | Bell et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
20040044724 | Bell et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
20060136828 | Asano | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20070076102 | Date | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070146347 | Rosenberg | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20070211159 | Hara et al. | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20080256471 | Okamoto | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20100257471 | Ang et al. | Oct 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1386213 | Dec 2002 | CN |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100138743 A1 | Jun 2010 | US |