Method, apparatus and computer-readable medium for managing specific types of content in an electronic document

• US 20060069987A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Davis, Tristan A., Sawicki, Marcin
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium are provided for managing specific types of content in an electronic document. A user interface is provided for displaying a specific type of content in a predefined area of and electronic document. The user interface includes a content region for receiving the specific type of content and displaying the specific type of content within a predefined boundary. The user interface also includes a selection region for receiving a selection of content for insertion into the content region. The user interface validates the content received in the content region based on the specific type of content defined for the content region and based on a predefined content limit. The specific type of content received in the content region may be formatted according to a predetermined format and may also be bound to a data source external to the electronic document.

Claims

1. An interactive content pane for receiving and displaying specific types of content for insertion in at least one predefined area of an electronic document, comprising:

a content region for receiving and displaying a specific type of content in at least one predefined area of the electronic document;

a selection region for selecting the specific type of content to be displayed in the content region from a plurality of content; and

a label for identifying the specific type of content selected in the selection region.

2. The interactive content pane of claim 1 further comprising a boundary for defining the content region for receiving and displaying the specific type of content.

3. The interactive content pane of claim 1 further comprising a notification region for communicating error messages when content received in the content region does not correspond to the specific type of content and when the specific type of content received in the content region exceeds a predefined content restriction.

4. The interactive content pane of claim 1 further comprising a handle for moving the content pane from the at least one predefined area in the electronic document.

5. The interactive content pane of claim 1, wherein, prior to receiving and displaying the specific type of content, the content region comprises instructional text located in the content region for identifying the specific type of content to be received.

6. The interactive content pane of claim 1 further comprising an embedded interactive content pane for receiving the specific type of content received in the content region.

7. The interactive content pane of claim 6, wherein the embedded interactive content pane is operative to share data associated with the specific type of content received in the content region.

8. The interactive content pane of claim 1, wherein the specific type of content comprises at least one of text data, date data, table data, and graphics data.

9. The interactive content pane of claim 1, wherein the specific type of content received in the content region is automatically formatted according to a predetermined format.

10. The interactive content pane of claim 1, wherein the specific type of content is received in the content region from a data source external to the electronic document.

11. A method for receiving and displaying specific types of content for insertion in at least one predefined area of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of an interactive content pane for displaying a specific type of content in the at least one predefined area in the electronic document;

displaying a content region for receiving the specific type of content in the interactive content pane;

receiving the specific type of content in the content region; and

displaying the specific type of content within a predefined boundary, wherein the area of the predefined boundary is based on the specific type of content received in the content region.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the specific type of content in the content region comprises:

displaying instructional text in the content region for identifying the specific type of content; and

receiving the specific type of content in replacement of the instructional text in the content region.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the specific type of content in replacement of the instructional text in the content region comprises:

displaying in a selection region a plurality of content based on the specific type of content;

receiving a selection from the plurality of content in the selection region; and

receiving the selected content from the selection region as the specific content in replacement of the instructional text in the content region.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

validating content received in the content region based on the specific type of content;

validating the specific type of content received in the content region based on a predefined content restriction;

if the content received in the content region does not correspond to the specific type of content, then generating a first error message in a notification region; and

if the specific type of content exceeds the predefined content limit, then generating a second error message in the notification region.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising formatting the specific type of content received in the content region according to a predetermined format.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising restricting the deletion of the specific type of content in the content region.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising binding the specific content in the content region to a data source external to the electronic document.

18. A method for navigating among specific types of content in a plurality of predefined areas of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a specific type of content in a first content region in a first predefined area of the plurality of predefined areas in the electronic document;

receiving the specific type of content in a second content region in a second predefined area of the plurality of predefined areas in the electronic document;

receiving a jump command in the first content region; and

in response to receiving the jump command, moving an insertion point in the first content region to the second content region.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising sharing data in the second content region associated with the specific type of content received in the first content region.

20. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform a method for receiving and displaying specific types of content for insertion in at least one predefined area of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of an interactive content pane for displaying a specific type of content in the at least one predefined area in the electronic document;

displaying instructional text for describing the specific type of content in a content region in the interactive content pane;

receiving the specific type of content in replacement of the instructional text in the content region; and

displaying the specific type of content within a predefined boundary, wherein the area of the predefined boundary is based on the specific type of content received in the content region.