Patent attributes
An object sharing system instantiates or defines an object container that can be cloned and return a reference to a “saved” object, allowing an object to be passed between applications while maintaining a consistent reference to the object. The object sharing system places a reference to an object in the object container. A serialization module serializes the object container; the serialized object container is passed to a second application comprising the object sharing system. A deserialization module in the second application deserializes the object container, instantiating an object container clone and extracting a reference clone. The reference clone allows the second application to manipulate the saved object as desired without further interaction with the first application.