Method of filing stapled documents with a staple relationship involving one or more application programs

Claim 1

In an electronically automated information processing system having a plurality of documents stored thereon, a method for a user of said system to file documents having a directed relationship within said system, said method comprising the steps of: identifying in said system two of said plurality of documents to have said direct relationship within said system; defining in said system a staple relationship between said two documents and identifying a staplee document and a stapler document; specifying in said system history attributes for said identified documents; indicating a location within said information processing system for each of said identified documents; specifying at least one application program operable in said system within whose context said staple relationship exists; and creating and directly relating a data object to said identified stapler document, which data object contains a unique identifier for each document attached by staple relationship to said stapler document and any history attributes for documents attached by staple relationship to said stapler document.