JavaScript Patterns 6.5 Inheritance by Copying Properties

Shallow copy pattern

function extend(parent, child) {

    var i;

    child = child || {};

    for (i in parent) {

        if (parent.hasOwnProperty(i)) {

            child[i] = parent[i];

        }

    }

    return child;

}

Deep copy pattern

function extendDeep(parent, child) {

    var i,

    toStr = Object.prototype.toString,

        astr = "[object Array]";

    child = child || {};

    for (i in parent) {

        if (parent.hasOwnProperty(i)) {

            if (typeof parent[i] === "object") {

                child[i] = (toStr.call(parent[i]) === astr) ? [] : {};

                extendDeep(parent[i], child[i]);

            } else {

                child[i] = parent[i];

            }

        }

    }

    return child;

}

var dad = {

    counts: [1, 2, 3],

    reads: {

        paper: true

    }

};

var kid = extendDeep(dad);

kid.counts.push(4);

kid.counts.toString(); // "1,2,3,4"

dad.counts.toString(); // "1,2,3"

(dad.reads === kid.reads).toString(); // false

kid.reads.paper = false;

kid.reads.web = true;

dad.reads.paper; // true

Firebug (Firefox extensions are written in JavaScript) has a method called extend()that makes shallow copies  and  jQuery’s  extend() creates  a  deep  copy.  YUI3  offers  a  method  called Y.clone(), which creates a deep copy and also copies over functions by binding them to the child object.

Advantage

There are no prototypes involved in this pattern at all; it’s only about objects and their own properties.

References: 

JavaScript Patterns - by Stoyan Stefanov (O`Reilly)