Apparatus, method and program for performing layout operations on space

• US 20050097461A1
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Funabashi, Kei, Yazaki, Takashi, Sumita, Masato, Itoh, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,518,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

An apparatus for performing a layout operation on space includes a display with a touch panel for displaying space on which a layout operation is performed and controller for tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the display and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field. A method of performing a layout operation on space including the steps of displaying space on which a layout operation is performed on a monitor with a touch panel, tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the monitor, and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field. A program to perform the method.

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing a layout operation on space, comprising:

display means with a touch panel for displaying space on which a layout operation is performed; and

control means for tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the display means, and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the space is a newspaper space, and the control means comprises figure tracing means for tracing the figure drawn by the operator on the touch panel, field determining means for determining the field to be inputted on the newspaper space from the figure traced by the figure tracing means, figure discriminating means for discriminating between clockwise and counterclockwise figures drawn by the operator, and input mode determining means for determining the input mode of the field as a headline input mode or an article input mode according to the discrimination result of the figure discriminating means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the figure tracing means traces the figure drawn by the operator, and detects n points, n>

1, in which each of X and Y coordinates has a maximum or minimum value, and coordinates of a point immediately before each of the four points.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the field determining means selects, as upper, lower, left and right boundary lines of the field to be inputted, boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the X and Y coordinates detected by the figure tracing means from among a plurality of horizontal and vertical boundary lines which define fields on the newspaper space.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the field determining means determines column boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the Y coordinates detected by the figure tracing means as the upper and lower boundary lines of the field to be inputted, and determines character row boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the X coordinates detected by the figure tracing means as the left and right boundary lines of the field.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the figure discriminating means discriminates between clockwise and counterclockwise figures drawn by the operator by comparing the coordinates of the four points detected by the figure tracing means with the coordinates of the points immediately before the four points.

14. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein n=4.

7. A method of performing a layout operation on space, comprising:

displaying space on which a layout operation is performed on a monitor with a touch panel; and

tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the monitor, and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the space is newspaper space, and the tracing comprises tracing the figure drawn by the operator on the touch panel, determining the field to be inputted on the newspaper space from the figure traced at the figure tracing;

discriminating between clockwise and counterclockwise figures drawn by the operator; and

determining the input mode of the field as a headline input mode or an article input mode according to the discrimination result at the figure discriminating.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the figure tracing traces the figure drawn by the operator, and detects four points in which each of the X and Y coordinates has a maximum or minimum value, and coordinates of points immediately before the four points.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the field determining selects, as upper, lower, left and right boundary lines of the field to be inputted, boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the X and Y coordinates detected at the figure tracing from among a plurality of horizontal and vertical boundary lines which define fields on the newspaper space.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the field determining determines column boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the Y coordinates detected at the figure tracing as the upper and lower boundary lines of the field to be inputted, and determines character row boundary lines closest to the maximum and minimum values of the X coordinates detected at the figure tracing as the left and right boundary lines of the field.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the figure discriminating step discriminates between clockwise and counterclockwise figures drawn by the operator by comparing the coordinates of the four points detected at the figure tracing step with the coordinates of points immediately before the four points.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

a media on which a computer program is recorded, said computer program including

first instruction module which traces a figure generated in a space;

second instruction module responsive to information gathered during the trace to determine a field to be inputted in said space;

third instruction module to distinguish between a first figure and a second figure generated in said space; and

fourth instruction module responsive to information from the third instruction module to determine an input mode of the field.

22. The computer program of claim 13 wherein the space includes a newspaper space.

23. The computer program of claim 22 wherein the input mode includes a headline input mode.

24. The computer program of claim 22 wherein the mode includes an article input mode.

15. An apparatus for performing a layout operation on space, comprising:

a monitor including a touch panel to display the space on which a layout operation is performed; and

a controller for tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel; and

determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the space is a newspaper space, and the controller comprises figure tracing function for tracing the figure drawn by the operator on the touch panel, field determining function for determining the field to be inputted on the newspaper space from the figure traced by the figure tracing function, figure discriminating function for discriminating between clockwise and counterclockwise figures drawn by the operator, and input mode determining function for determining the input mode of the field as a headline input mode or an article input mode according to the discrimination result of the figure discriminating function.

17. Apparatus for performing layout operations on a figure drawn in predefined space comprising:

a computer including figure tracking function to trace the figure;

field determining function to determine a field to be inputted on the space from the figure traced by the figure tracing function;

figure discriminating function to distinguish between clockwise and counterclockwise figures; and

input mode determining function to determine the input mode of the field as a headline input mode or an article input mode according to results of the discriminating function.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each recited function is being implemented in software.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each recited function is being implemented in hardware.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein recited functions are being implemented in a mix of hardware and software.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 including a stylus operatively coupled to said computer to be used by an operator to specify an edit field in said predefined space.