System and method for locating on a physical document items referenced in another physical document

• US 20020101447A1
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando Incertis
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to interactive hypermedia systems and more particularly to a method and system for locating on a physical document items referenced in another physical document. The present invention discloses a method and system for creating hyperlinks from items (e.g. words, pictures, foot notes, symbols, icons) on a first physical document to particular points on a second physical document (manuscript or printed document), for activating these hyperlinks simply by touching the first document, and for highlighting by means of a light emitting source, the position of the items on the second document. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention discloses a method and system for highlighting on a hard-copy map the geographic positions of places referenced in a hard-copy document.

Claims

1. A method, for use on a user system, of creating hyperlinks from hyperlinked items referenced in a first physical document to particular points on a second physical document, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a hyperlink table for the first physical document;

storing in said hyperlink table an identification of the first physical document;

storing in said hyperlink table an identification of a page of the first physical document and an identification of a hyperlinked item defined on said page;

associating with the hyperlinked item a point on a page of a second physical document;

storing in said hyperlink table absolute coordinates of the associated point;

determining position of a point pressed on a first opto-touch foil, the first opto-touch foil being aligned with the first physical document, said point corresponding to position of the hyperlinked item; and

storing in the hyperlink table, position of the point pressed, said hyperlink table comprising for the hyperlinked item, an indication of its position on the page of the first physical document.

2. The method according to claim 1 further including the steps of:

computing from the absolute coordinates, foil coordinates corresponding to position on a second opto-touch foil aligned with the page of the second physical document; and

storing the foil coordinates in the hyperlink table.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

storing in said hyperlink table an identification and a location of information associated with each defined hyperlinked item of a plurality of hyperlinked items.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said user system is connected to a communication network comprising at least one server, and wherein the information associated with the hyperlinked items is located on said at least one server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the hyperlinked items is located on the user system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of storing in said hyperlink table an identification and a location of information associated with each defined hyperlinked item further includes the step of:

storing a destination address in the communication network where the information associated with the hyperlinked item can be accessed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second physical document is a geographic map and said absolute coordinates are geographic coordinates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said first physical document and said second physical document are a same and single physical document; and

said first opto-touch foil and said second opto-touch foil are a same and single opto-touch foil.

9. A system comprising:

a first opto-touch foil to be aligned with a page of a first physical document;

a user system;

a connection between said first opto-touch-foil and said user system;

a second opto-touch foil to be placed and aligned with a second physical document; and

a connection between said second opto-touch-foil and said user system.

10. A method, for use on a user system, of activating hyperlinks from hyperlinked items referenced in a first physical document to particular points on a second physical document, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying a first physical document;

identifying a page in the first physical document;

determining position of a point pressed on a first opto-touch foil aligned with the identified page, said first opto-touch foil being pressed at a point corresponding to a selected hyperlinked item;

identifying the selected hyperlinked item referring to a hyperlink table associated with the first physical document, the hyperlink table comprising an indication of position of each hyperlinked item referenced in the identified page of the first physical document;

identifying position on a page of a second physical document of a point associated with the identified selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlinked table, said hyperlinked table comprising for each hyperlinked item referenced in the first physical document, position of a point on a page of a second physical document; and

sending to a second opto-touch foil position of the point associated with the selected hyperlinked item on the page of the second physical document, said second opto-touch foil being aligned with the page of the second physical document;

said second opto-touch foil being used for highlighting the point associated with the selected hyperlinked item.

11. The method according to claim 10, further including the step of:

sending, to the first opto-touch foil, position of the hyperlinked items referenced in the identified page for visualizing said hyperlinked items on said first physical document.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

sending, to the second opto-touch foil, position of the points associated with the hyperlinked items for visualizing said points on said second physical document.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

identifying and locating information associated with the selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlink table, said hyperlink table comprising for each hyperlinked item the identification and location of the information associated with the hyperlinked item; and

accessing the information associated with the selected hyperlinked item.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said user system is connected to a communication network comprising at least one server and wherein the information associated with the hyperlinked items is located on said at least one server.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the information associated with the hyperlinked items is located on the user system.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

accessing the hyperlink table associated with the identified first physical document.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of identifying and locating information and service associated with the selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlink table, further includes the step of:

determining a destination address in the communication network where the information associated with the selected hyperlinked item can be accessed referring to said hyperlink table.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of identifying position on a page of a second physical document of a point associated with the identified selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlinked table, further includes the steps of:

identifying absolute coordinates of the associated point referring to the hyperlink table; and

computing, from the absolute coordinates, foil coordinates corresponding to position on the second opto-touch foil of the point associated with the hyperlinked item.

19. The method according claim 10, wherein said second physical document is a geographic map, said hyperlinked items are related to geographic locations, and said absolutes coordinates are geographic coordinates.

20. The method according to claim 10 wherein:

said first physical document and said second physical document are a same and single physical document; and

said first opto-touch foil and said second opto-touch foil are a same and single opto-touch foil.

21. A system comprising:

a first opto-touch foil to be aligned with a page of a first physical document;

a user system;

a connection between said first opto-touch foil and said user system;

a second opto-touch foil to be aligned with a second physical document; and

a connection between said second opto-touch foil and said user system.