Apparatus, system, and method for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation

• US 20060150089A1
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Infoprint Solutions Company LLC (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Buskirk, Ronald Earl Van II, Jensen, Michael R., Woehr, Ivan Valentine
• Granted Patent: US 7,337,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation. The apparatus includes an input module, a function module, an identification module, a document editing module, and an output module. The input module receives a description of a region of a document. The region intersects a plurality of content component types. The function module obtains a function to be applied to the region. The identification module identifies a set of content components intersecting the region. The document editing module processes intersecting portions of the content components using the function. The output module updates the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components. The apparatus may additionally include a format module that determines an acceptable content component format for the function and a conversion module that converts the intersecting portions of the content components to the acceptable format.

Claims

1. An apparatus for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple:

content component types in a single operation, the apparatus comprising;

an input module configured to receive a description of a region of a document, the region intersecting a plurality of content component types;

a function module configured to obtain a function to be applied to the region;

an identification module configured to identify a set of content components intersecting the region;

a processing module configured to process intersecting portions of the content components using the function; and

an output module configured to update the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a format module configured to determine an acceptable content component format for the function.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a conversion module configured to convert the intersecting portions of the content components to the acceptable format.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each content component has a type selected from the group consisting of text, image, and graphic.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the document comprises a scanned document held in memory.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises stand-alone software executing on a computer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises plug-in software for use with a host software application.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the host software application comprises Adobe®

Acrobat®

.

9. A system for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation, the system comprising:

a scanner;

a document editing module including;

an input module configured to receive a description of a region of a document scanned by the scanner and held in memory, the region intersecting a plurality of content component types;

a function module configured to obtain a function to be applied to the region;

an identification module configured to identify a set of content components intersecting the region;

a processing module configured to process intersecting portions of the content components using the function; and

an output module configured to update the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the document editing module further comprises a format module configured to determine an acceptable content component format for the function.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the document editing module further comprises a conversion module configured to convert the intersecting portions of the content components to the acceptable format.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the document editing module executes on the scanner.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the document editing module executes on a stand-alone computer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the scanner is coupled to the stand-alone computer through a network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the scanner is directly connected to the stand-alone computer.

16. A method for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation, the method comprising:

receiving a description of a region of a document, the region intersecting a plurality of content component types;

obtaining a function to be applied to the region;

identifying a set of content components intersecting the region;

processing intersecting portions of the content components using the function; and

updating the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining an acceptable content component format for the function.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising converting the intersecting portions of the content components to the acceptable format.

19. A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform operations to edit a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation, the operations comprising:

an operation to receive a description of a region of a document, the region intersecting a plurality of content component types;

an operation to obtain a function to be applied to the region;

an operation to identify a set of content components intersecting the region;

an operation to process intersecting portions of the content components using the function; and

an operation to update the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components.

20. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, further comprising an operation to determine an acceptable content component format for the function.

21. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, further comprising an operation to determine a plurality of acceptable content component formats for the function.

22. The signal bearing medium of claim 20 or 21, further comprising an operation to convert the intersecting portions of the content components to one of the acceptable formats.

23. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, wherein each content component has a type selected from the group consisting of text, image, and graphic.

24. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, wherein the function is selected from the group consisting of crop, erase, deskew, despeckle, brighten, darken, color adjust, reduce red-eye, color correct, and adjust contrast.

25. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, further comprising an operation to store the updated document in a single file.

26. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, wherein the region intersects a plurality of content components having a plurality of types.

27. The signal bearing medium of claim 19, wherein the document comprises a scanned document held in memory.

28. A apparatus for editing a region of a document intersecting multiple content component types in a single operation, the apparatus comprising:

a means for receiving a description of a region of a document, the region intersecting a plurality of content component types;

a means for obtaining a function to be applied to the region;

a means for identifying a set of content components intersecting the region;

a means for processing intersecting portions of the content components using the function; and

a means for updating the document with processed intersecting portions of the content components.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a means for determining an acceptable content component format for the function.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a means for converting the intersecting portions of the content components to the acceptable format.