Resolving document object collisions

• US 20040003350A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Alex J., Griffin, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,188,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/517
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Collisions between document objects on a document page are resolved. A collision is identified and a two-dimension resolution of the collision is provided by moving the object the shortest distance from a pre-collision location that would avoid the collision. The process calculates the shortest distance to move the object. The invention also may establish logic that designates some objects as “not able to collide” and the process will not move those objects to resolve a collision.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for resolving collisions between document objects on an electronic document page, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object;

determining the shortest distance to move the second document object to resolve the collision; and

moving the second document object in the direction of the shortest distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

repeating the steps in claim 1 until all collisions are resolved.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

15. The method, of claim 9, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.

17. A computer-implemented method for resolving collisions between document objects on an electronic document page, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object;

determining the shortest distance to move the second document object to resolve the collision;

moving the second document object in the direction of the shortest distance;

recording the original location of the document object to be moved; and

returning the document object to its original location if the document layout is further modified to allow the document object to return to its original location without resulting in a collision.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

repeating the steps in claim 17 until all collisions are resolved.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

32. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.

33. A computer-implemented method for resolving collisions between document objects on an electronic document page, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object;

determining the shortest distance to move the second document object to resolve the collision;

moving the second document object in the direction of the shortest distance

determining if the document object is not able to move to resolve a collision; and

skipping process steps related to resolving a collision for document objects not able to be moved to resolve a collision.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.

41. The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of:

repeating the steps in claim 33 until all collisions are resolved.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is initiated by a page modification.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on space occupied by the rectangular boundaries of the document object.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the space occupied by the content of the document object.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects overlapping.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein the step for identifying the occurrence of a collision of a first document object and a second document object is based on the document objects coming within a set distance of each other.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein the second document object is moved either straight down or straight to one side.

48. The method of claim 41, further comprising the steps of:

recording the original location of the document object to be moved;

determining if a document object moved to the side to resolve a collision has been moved off the page; and

moving a document object that was moved to the side to resolve a collision and as a result has been moved off the page straight down from its original location.