Apparatus and method for market-based document layout selection

• US 20040122806A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beretta, Giordano B., Untulis, Charles A., Clearwater, Scott H., Sang, Henry W. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,240,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• 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: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for market-based document layout selection use an automated auction or bartering system, i.e., an automated page layout system, to place objects within a page and automatically generate a page layout that is pleasing to a user. An object refers to any item that can be individually selected and manipulated, and may include shapes and pictures that appear on a display screen. The method and apparatus improve the quality of page layout in terms of user preferences, and optimize the speed at which various objects are arranged on a page in a pleasing manner. In addition, the resulting page layout may be consistent among pages because all pages are arranged according to a common algorithm.

Claims

1. A method for market-based document layout selection, comprising:

selecting a plurality of page layouts from a database, wherein the page layouts are generated by placing objects within a page of a document;

constructing a plurality of virtual documents using the plurality of selected page layouts;

evaluating the plurality of selected page layouts with respect to user preferences;

calculating values of the plurality of virtual documents based on the evaluation;

consummating a trade from an old layout to one of the plurality of selected layouts, if the value of the corresponding virtual document increases; and

generating a preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts for document rendering, after a stopping criterion is met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step includes evaluating the plurality of selected layouts with respect to an explicit selection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step includes evaluating the plurality of selected layouts with respect to a user profile.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising comparing the user profile to a customer resource management (CRM) system to construct the plurality of virtual documents, wherein the CRM system includes a collection database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step includes evaluating the plurality of selected layouts with respect to user preferred parameters, wherein the user preferred parameters include symmetry rules.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the selection of the plurality of page layouts.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the user preferences based on the preferred layout.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step includes generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after one of the plurality of selected layouts matches the user preferences.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step includes generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after the values of the plurality of virtual documents cannot be improved.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step includes generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after a set number of cycles are completed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step comprises:

identifying a worst page with respect to the user preferences from the virtual documents; and

consummating a trade between the worst page and a second page if both pages are improved as a result of the trade.

12. An apparatus for market-based document layout selection, comprising:

a system configuration input for setting configuration parameters for a layout selection algorithm;

a user preference input for setting user preferences for the layout selection algorithm; and

an automated page layout system capable of using the layout selection algorithm to automatically generate a page layout based on the user preferences, wherein the automated page layout system includes a layout broker for supervising and coordinating the page layout generation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the automated page layout system comprises a market-based trading system that generates the page layout.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the user preference input includes an explicit selection of a set of layouts.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the user preference input includes a selection based on a user profile.

16. A computer readable medium providing instructions for market-based document layout selection, the instructions comprising:

selecting a plurality of page layouts from a database, wherein the page layouts are generated by placing objects within a page of a document;

constructing a plurality of virtual documents using the plurality of selected page layouts;

evaluating the plurality of selected page layouts with respect to user preferences;

calculating values of the plurality of virtual documents based on the evaluation;

consummating a trade from an old layout to one of the plurality of selected layouts, if the value of the corresponding virtual document increases; and

generating a preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts for document rendering, after a stopping criterion is met.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for evaluating include instructions for evaluating the plurality of selected layouts with respect to an explicit selection.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for evaluating include instructions for evaluating the plurality of selected layouts with respect to user preferred parameters, wherein the user preferred parameters include symmetry rules.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for validating the selection of the plurality of page layouts.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for modifying the user preferences based on the preferred layout.

21. An apparatus for market-based document layout selection, comprising:

means for selecting a plurality of page layouts from a database, wherein the page layouts are generated by placing objects within a page of a document;

means for constructing a plurality of virtual documents using the plurality of selected page layouts;

means for evaluating the plurality of selected page layouts with respect to user preferences;

means for calculating values of the plurality of virtual documents based on the evaluation;

means for consummating a trade from an old layout to one of the plurality of selected layouts, if the value of the corresponding virtual document increases; and

means for generating a preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts for document rendering, after a stopping criterion is met.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for modifying the user preferences based on the preferred layout.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for generating includes means for generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after one of the plurality of selected layouts matches the user preferences.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for generating includes means for generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after the values of the plurality of virtual documents cannot be improved.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for generating includes means for generating the preferred layout from the plurality of selected layouts, after a set number of cycles are completed.