Method and apparatus for generating structured documents for various presentations and the uses thereof

• US 20010032217A1
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xmlcities
• Original Assignee: Xmlcities
• Inventors: Huang, Evan S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,910,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/157 using dictionaries or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/216 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

The use of a method/apparatus for generating structured documents is disclosed. A counter is coupled for a product implementing the method/apparatus. When the counter is permitted to increment, the structured documents can be generated from unstructured documents. Identifiers in user-defined document type definitions are used to associate selected objects or group objects in the unstructured documents so that association information of the selected objects or group objects can facilitate the generation of files in a markup language suitable for presentations on various media.

Claims

1. A method for providing document conversion process, the method comprising:

activating a counter having a numbering system;

converting an unstructured document into a metafile, wherein the metafile including a number of displayable objects and respective decoration attributes about each of the displayable objects;

receiving a definition file including document type definitions (DTD) relating to the unstructured document;

generating a modified metafile including association information of at least one of the displayable objects associated with one of the definitions in the definition file; and

causing the counter to increment as soon as the modified metafile is to be saved.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the numbering system includes a first number from which the counter can increment and a second number the counter can not exceed.

3. The method of

claim 2

, wherein both of the first and second numbers are re-configurable by a business entity.

4. The method of

claim 3

, wherein the business entity charges fees in accordance with the first and second numbers.

5. The method of

claim 3

, wherein both of the first and second numbers are stored in a dongle that must be consulted every time the modified metafile is to be saved.

6. The method of

claim 5

further comprising:

consulting the dongle whenever the modified metafile is to be saved; and

displaying a message that the first and second numbers are to be reconfigured when the first number is substantially close to the second number in the dongle.

7. The method of

claim 1

further comprising converting modified metafile to a markup language file in accordance with a set of mapping rules.

8. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the definition file includes a structure for document elements, each corresponding to one of the displayable objects in the metafile.

9. The method of

claim 8

, wherein at least some of the document elements include respectively a number of identifiers, each of the identifiers being assigned to one of the at least some of the document elements.

10. The method of

claim 9

, wherein some of the identifiers are numerals and/or alphabets.

11. The method of

claim 9

, wherein some of the identifiers are selected from a group consisting of a font name, a color name, a style, a size and an effect.

12. The method of

claim 1

, wherein some of the displayable objects are respective groups of characters and/or graphic representations.

13. The method of

claim 12

, wherein some of the decoration attributes include at least positions, font color, font size, font type, style and effect for each of the groups of characters.

14. A method for providing document conversion process, the method comprising:

activating a product loaded in a computing device, the product controlled by a dongle coupled to the computing device and including a set of instructions to start the document conversion process when an unstructured document is needed to be converted to a file format presentable to a media, wherein the unstructured document includes a number of displayable objects and respective decoration attributes about each of the displayable objects therein;

receiving a definition file including document type definitions (DTD) relating to the unstructured document;

generating a modified metafile including association information of at least one of the displayable objects associated with one of the definitions in the definition file; and

causing a counter in the dongle to increment as soon as the modified metafile is to be saved.

15. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the dongle includes a first number from which the counter can increment and a second number the counter can not exceed.

16. The method of

claim 15

, wherein both of the first and second numbers are re-configurable by a business entity.

17. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the business entity charges fees in accordance with the first and second numbers in the dongle.

18. The method of

claim 14

further comprising:

converting modified metafile to a markup language file in accordance with a set of mapping rules.

19. The method of

claim 18

wherein the unstructured document is a metafile generated from a file composed/edited/managed by authoring tool.

20. A method for providing document conversion process, the method comprising:

offering a product executable on a computing device the product controlled by a dongle coupled to the computing device and including a set of instructions to start the document conversion process when an unstructured document is needed to be converted to a file format presentable to a media;

wherein the unstructured document includes a number of displayable objects and respective decoration attributes about each of the displayable objects therein;

wherein a counter is associated with the dongle that includes a first number from which the counter can increment and a second number the counter can not exceed;

causing the counter to increment as soon as the file format is to be saved;

wherein the file format is generated from a modified metafile including association information of at least one of the displayable objects being associated with one of definitions in a definition file prepared in reference to the unstructured document.