System for automatically allocating layout and the allocation method thereof

• US 20020078097A1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Chen, Mu-Ann, Hsu, Jung-Yuan, Lee, Tsun-Yi
• Application Number:
  US09/837,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078097A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/517
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

A system for automatically allocating a layout suitable for a web page. The system of the present invention utilizes an editing unit provided with a layout template having a plurality of display areas for inputting data and an integrating unit for integrating display areas that contain data with adjacent display areas that do not contain data. The systems can also include a data unit for providing a plurality of data to input into the display areas, a previewing unit with an integrated layout, and a memory unit for storing the integrated layout. The integration unit determines whether display areas adjacent to a selected display area contain data. If not, the display areas are merged.

Claims

1. A system for automatically allocating layout, comprising:

an editing unit having a layout template comprising a plurality of display areas, wherein data is inputted into a least one display area; and

an integrating unit for automatically merging display areas that contain data with adjacent display areas that do not contain data.

2. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrating unit selects a first display area of the plurality of display areas, and determines whether a second display area adjacent to the first display area in the horizontal direction contains data, and merges the first and second display areas if the second display area does not contain data, and determines whether a third display area adjacent to the first display area in the vertical direction contains data, and merges the first and third display areas if the third display area does not contain data.

3. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a data unit for storing data to be inputted into the display areas.

4. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a previewing unit for providing a preview of a layout after automatic merging by the integrating unit.

5. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory unit for saving a layout that is automatically merged by the integrating unit.

6. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of display areas in the layout template comprise a grid with at least one row or one column.

7. The system for automatically allocating layout as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layout template is a web page.

8. A method for automatically allocating layout, comprising:

inputting a least one piece of data into at least one display area of layout template with a plurality of display areas;

selecting a first display area;

determining whether a second display area adjacent to the first display area in a first direction contains data; and

merging the first display area with the second display area if the second display area does not contain data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

outputting the layout template with merged display areas into a web page.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

saving the web page in a memory unit.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first direction is horizontal.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first direction is vertical.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a third display area adjacent to the first display area in a second direction contains data;

merging the first display area with the third display area if the third display area does not contain data;

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second direction is horizontal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second direction is vertical.