Quick styles for formatting of documents

• US 20070061714A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stuple, Stuart, Rahman, Mashiur, Burch, Nathan, Namba, Katsuhiro, Gong, Xue, Friend, Joseph, Baker, Susan
• Application Number:
  US11/301,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/235
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Users may quickly format their document in a natural way without having to understand the intricacies of how styles work. With quick formatting, the user can easily capture the look of an element, assign a name, and then have that element available in their document as well as their user interface. For example, a user could format a paragraph by indenting and italicizing the content and then store that style as an item within a quick format user interface (UI). A user may also capture one or more styles from a first document and make them available in a second document without having to copy the previously formatted content from the first document to the second document. These styles may be stored within the quick format UI such that they may easily be accessed at a later time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for quickly formatting a document, comprising:

determining quick styles that are available to the document;

wherein one or more of the quick styles may be applied to content within the document and wherein a quick style may be defined by selecting content within the document that has formatting applied to it and saving the style as a quick style;

arranging the quick styles within a user interface for selection;

determining when one of the quick styles that is arranged within the user interface is selected; and

applying the quick style to content within the document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the quick styles that are available to the document comprises determining quick styles that are available within at least one of:

a second document that is currently open and a file that includes a saved quick style.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining the quick styles and placing the obtained quick styles within the user interface for selection;

wherein obtaining the quick styles from the second document is completed without copying formatted content from the second document to the first document.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising associating a theme with at least one of the quick styles.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the theme includes fonts and colors that are associated with the theme.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising selecting content within the document and providing a preview of at least a portion of the content using one of the quick styles.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the quick styles that are available to the document comprises determining quick styles that relate to at least one of:

a bullet scheme and a numbering scheme.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein applying the quick style maintains direct formatting that is applied to the content.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein applying the quick style comprises painting the quick style onto the document.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein arranging the quick styles within the user interface for selection comprises arranging the quick styles according to a recommended priority.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising associating a theme with at least one of the quick styles.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein associating the theme comprises defining a theme by associating colors and fonts with the theme.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising providing a preview of the content using one of the quick styles.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining the quick styles that are available to the document comprises determining quick styles that relate to at least one of:

a bullet scheme and a numbering scheme.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein applying the quick style comprises painting the quick style onto the document.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer executable operations for quickly formatting content within a document by applying a quick style, comprising:

obtaining quick styles;

wherein obtaining the quick styles involves obtaining quick styles from a second document that is currently open and wherein the document does not include the quick styles from the second document and from any saved quick styles that are selected to be obtained from a file;

arranging the quick styles within a user interface for selection;

determining when one of the quick styles is selected; and

applying the quick style to content within the document.

17. A system for quickly formatting content within a document, comprising:

means for obtaining quick styles;

wherein obtaining the quick styles involves obtaining quick styles from at least one of;

a saved quick style set; and

a second document that is currently open and wherein the document does not include the quick styles from the second document;

means for arranging the quick styles within a user interface for selection;

means for determining when one of the quick styles is selected; and

means for applying the quick style to content within the document.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for associating a theme with at least one of the quick styles;

wherein associating the theme comprises defining a theme by associating colors and fonts with the theme.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for providing a preview of the content using one of the quick styles.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for painting the quick style onto the document.