US Patent 10489032 Rich structured data interchange for copy-paste operations

An example method includes, during execution of a first application, and responsive to receiving an indication of a first event, sending, to the first application, a request to obtain data associated with graphical elements that are output by the first application for display, and receiving, from the first application, the data associated with the graphical elements, wherein the data comprises data items that each include one or more representations of the respective data item, and wherein each data item is stored in a system clipboard. The example method further includes, during execution of a second application, and responsive to receiving an indication of a second event, determining a group of data items that each satisfy at least one criterion, retrieving at least one data item of the group of data items from the system clipboard, and sending the at least one data item to the second application for output.