Method and system for separating content and layout of formatted objects

• US 20010014900A1
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Published: 08/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Brauer, Michael, Breuer, Matthias, Lippka, Christian
• Application Number:
  US09/782,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20010014900A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191

Abstract

A method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a structured mark-up document. A computer readable document containing content data and formatting data is converted into an XML-document whereby the content data and formatting data are separated and are arranged as separate elements in the XML-document. The computer readable document contain first formatting data which are directly assigned to a formatted object and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template. On the XML-document, the first formatting data are then arranged in a formatting element and the second formatting data in a parent formatting element referring back to the child formatting element.

Claims

1. A method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a structured mark-up document, the method comprising:

separating content data and formatting data; and

arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein;

the structured mark-up document is an XML-document.

3. The method of

claim 2

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

4. The method of

claim 3

, wherein;

the formatted objects of the computer readable document include pages, paragraphs, text portions, images, tables, drawing, mathematical formula and other formatted objects.

5. The method of

claim 3

, further comprising:

assigning a hard formatting identifier to a formatting element representing first formatting data.

6. The method of

claim 2

, wherein;

the computer readable document contains first formatting data, which are directly assigned to a formatted object, and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template, and further comprising;

in the XML-document, arranging the first formatting data in a formatting element and the second formatting data in a parent formatting element, wherein;

the formatting element comprises a reference to the parent formatting element.

7. The method of

claim 6

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

8. The method of

claim 6

, further comprising:

assigning a hard formatting identifier to a formatting element representing first formatting data.

9. The method of

claim 6

, wherein;

the formatted objects of the computer readable document include pages, paragraphs, text portions, images, tables, drawing, mathematical formula and other formatted objects.

10. The method of

claim 9

, further comprising:

assigning a hard formatting identifier to a formatting element representing first formatting data.

11. A computer system for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a an XML-document, comprising:

program code separating the content data and formatting data; and

means for arranging the content data as content elements and the formatting data as formatting elements in the XML-document.

12. The computer system of

claim 11

, wherein;

the computer readable document contains first formatting data which are directly assigned to a formatted object and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template, further wherein, in the XML-document;

the first formatting data are arranged in a formatting element and the second formatting data are arranged in a parent formatting element, further wherein;

the formatting element comprises a reference to the parent formatting element.

13. The computer system of

claim 12

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

14. The computer system of

claim 12

, wherein;

the formatted objects of the computer readable document include pages, paragraphs, text portions, images, tables, drawing, mathematical formula and other formatted objects.

15. The computer system of

claim 11

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

16. The computer system of

claim 15

, wherein;

the formatted objects of the computer readable document include pages, paragraphs, text portions, images, tables, drawing, mathematical formula and other formatted objects.

17. A computer program for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a structured mark-up document, the program comprising:

program code adapted for separating content data and formatting data; and

program code adapted for arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document.

18. The computer program of

claim 17

, wherein;

the structured mark-up document is an XML-document.

19. The computer program of

claim 18

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

20. The computer program of

claim 19

, further comprising:

program code adapted for inserting a hard formatting flag into a formatting element of the XML-document representing first formatting data of the original document to be converted.

21. The computer program of

claim 18

, wherein;

the computer readable document contains first formatting data which are directly assigned to a formatted object and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template, the computer program further comprising;

program code adapted for, in the XML-document, arranging the first formatting data in a formatting element and the second formatting data in a parent formatting element, wherein;

the formatting element comprises a reference to the parent formatting element.

22. The computer program of

claim 21

, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

23. The computer program of

claim 21

, comprising program code adapted for inserting a hard formatting flag into a formatting element of the XML-document representing first formatting data of the original document to be converted.

24. A stored data structure for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into an XML-document, the stored data structure comprising:

program code adapted for separating content data and formatting data; and

program code adapted for arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the XML-document.

25. A stored data structure comprising a method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects, said method comprising:

converting a computer readable document into;

first data elements in a mark-up code containing content data;

second data elements in a mark-up code containing formatting data obtained by converting formatting data contained in a formatting template of a computer readable document; and

third data elements in a mark-up code containing formatting data obtained by converting formatting data directly assigned to objects contained in the computer readable document.

26. The stored data structure of

claim 25

, wherein;

the mark-up code is XML code.

27. The stored data structure of

claim 25

, wherein;

the third data elements contain hard formatting flags.

28. The stored data structure of

claim 27

, wherein;

the mark-up code is XML code.

29. A method of for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a XML-document, the method comprising:

separating content data and formatting data; and

arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

30. A method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a XML-document, the method comprising:

separating content data and formatting data;

arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document, wherein;

the computer readable document contains first formatting data, which are directly assigned to a formatted object, and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template; and

in the XML-document, arranging the first formatting data in a formatting element and the second formatting data in a parent formatting element, wherein;

the formatting element comprises a reference to the parent formatting element.

31. A method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a structured mark-up document into a XML-document, the method comprising:

separating content data and formatting data;

arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document; and

assigning a hard formatting identifier to a formatting element representing first formatting data, wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document.

32. A method for separating content and layout of formatted data objects to convert a computer readable document into a structured mark-up document into a XML-document, the method comprising:

separating content data and formatting data; and

arranging the content data and the formatting data in separate elements of the structured mark-up document, wherein;

the computer readable document contains first formatting data, which are directly assigned to a formatted object, and second formatting data contained in a separate formatting template;

in the XML-document, arranging the first formatting data in a formatting element and the second formatting data in a parent formatting element, wherein;

the formatting element comprises a reference to the parent formatting element, further wherein;

one formatting element of the XML-document is referenced by a plurality of content elements and/or formatting elements of the XML-document; and

assigning a hard formatting identifier to a formatting element representing first formatting data.