Electronic document location indication and navigation method, system and program

• US 20040190011A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cimpress Schweiz GmbH (Cimpress Plc)
• Original Assignee: Vistaprint Technologies Limited (Cimpress Plc)
• Inventors: Walker, Kenneth A. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,456,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

While a user is viewing in a first display area a portion of an electronic document intended to be printed to produce a printed product, presenting to the user in a second display area a representation of the physical outline of the printed product and an indicator that indicates to the user the size and location of the electronic document portion relative to the printed product. When the user positions a cursor in the second display area, a second indicator image, visually distinctive from the first indicator image, is displayed. The user can position the second indicator at a desired location relative to the representation and request that the portion of the electronic document at that second indicator location be displayed in the first display area.

Claims

1. A method for at least displaying an electronic document to a user of a computer system, the method comprising

providing a first area,

displaying in the first area a portion of the electronic document,

providing a second area,

displaying in the second area a representation of the outline of the printed product to be produced from the electronic document,

displaying in the second area a first indicator, the first indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed in the first area,

displaying in the second area a second indicator, the second indicator being positionable by the user to indicate a different portion of the printed product, and

in response to a command from the user, displaying in the first area the portion of the electronic document corresponding to the location of the second indicator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic document includes a representation of the outline of the printed product.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second indicator is the same size as the first indicator.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the first indicator at the location of the second indicator in response to the command from the user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising repetitively recalculating the position of the first and second indicators and updating the display of the indicators a plurality of times per second.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second indicator is displayed only if the user has positioned a cursor in the second area.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises providing zooming and scrolling capability such that the user can modify the portion of the electronic document displayed in the first area by zooming and scrolling.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second indicators are displayed in a manner such that the user can distinguish the first indicator from the second indicator.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the printed product is intended to be folded after printing and wherein the representation displayed in the second area includes indications of where the printed product will be folded.

10. A system for at least displaying an electronic document to a user of a computer system, the system comprising

a first display area having a portion of the electronic document displayed therein, and

a second display area having displayed therein a representation of the outline of the printed product to be produced from the electronic document, a first indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed in the first display area, and a second indicator positionable by the user to indicate a different portion of the printed product.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the electronic document includes a representation of the outline of the printed document.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the second indicator is the same size and the first indicator.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the second indicator is displayed only if the user has positioned a cursor in the second display area.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the first and second indicators are displayed in a manner such that the user can distinguish the first indicator from the second indicator.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the printed product is intended to be folded after printing and wherein representation displayed in the second display area includes indications of where the printed product will be folded.

16. A computer program for at least displaying an electronic document to a user of a computer system comprising

computer code for providing a first area,

computer code for displaying in the first area a portion of the electronic document,

computer code for providing a second area,

computer code for displaying in the second area a representation of the outline of the printed product to be produced from the electronic document,

computer code for displaying in the second area a first indicator, the first indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed in the first area,

computer code for displaying in the second area a second indicator, the second indicator being positionable by the user to indicate a different portion of the printed product, and

computer code, responsive to a command from the user, for displaying in the first area the portion of the electronic document corresponding to the location of the second indicator.

17. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the electronic document includes a representation of the outline of the printed document.

18. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising computer code for displaying the first indicator at the location of the second indicator in response to the command from the user.

19. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising computer code for recalculating the position of the first and second indicators and updating the display of the indicators a plurality of times per second.

20. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the second indicator is displayed only if the user has positioned a cursor in the second area.

21. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising computer code for zooming and scrolling such that the user can modify the portion of the electronic document displayed in the first area.

22. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising computer code for displaying the first and second indicators in a manner such that the user can distinguish the first indicator from the second indicator.

23. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the program executes in a browser program in the computer system and further comprising program code to repetitively obtain information from the browser program regarding the portion of the electronic document displayed in the first area and computer code to recalculate the positions of the first and second indicators using the obtained information.

29. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising computer code for zooming and scrolling such that the user can modify the portion of the electronic document displayed in the first area.

24. In a computer system for editing an electronic document intended to be subsequently printed to produce a printed product, an edit location method comprising

providing an edit area in which a user of the system can view and edit the electronic document,

displaying in the edit area a portion of the electronic document, the electronic document including a representation of the outline of the printed product,

providing a second area,

displaying in the second area a representation of the outline of the printed product,

displaying a location indicator in the second area, the indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed in the edit area.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising responding to zooming and scrolling commands from the user to control the portion of the electronic document displayed in the edit area.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the printed product is intended to be folded after printing and wherein the representation includes indications of where the printed product will be folded.

27. A system for indicating the current edit location to a user of a computer system engaged in editing an electronic document intended to be printed to produce a printed product, the system comprising

a first display area having a portion of the electronic document displayed therein for editing, the document including a representation of the outline of the printed product, and

a second display area having displayed therein a representation of the outline of the printed product and a location indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed for editing in the first display area.

28. A computer program for indicating the current edit location to a user of a computer system engaged in editing an electronic document intended to be printed to produce a printed product, the program comprising

computer code for providing a first display area having a portion of the electronic document displayed therein for editing, the document including a representation of the outline of the printed product, and

computer code for providing a second display area having displayed therein a representation of the outline of the printed product and a location indicator indicating the size and location in the printed product of the electronic document portion currently displayed for editing in the first display area.

30. The computer program of claim 28 further comprising computer code for recalculating the position of the indicator and updating the display of the indicator a plurality of times per second.

31. The computer program of claim 28 wherein the program executes in a browser program in the computer system.

32. The program of claim 28 further comprising program code to repetitively obtain information from the browser program regarding the portion of the electronic document displayed in the first area and computer code to recalculate the position of the indicator using the obtained information.