SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ONLINE VERSIONS OF PRINT-MEDIUM PUBLICATIONS

• US 20110161806A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite Olive Software Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Olive Software, Inc. (Ignite Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: STERN, Yonatan P., Shteinvil, Emil
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1512 Print-to a presentation device other than a printer, e.g. e-reader, e-paper, tablet
• 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 40/151 Transformation

Abstract

Apparatus and method for automatic adaptation of an image of a print page into a version suitable for an electronic screen. An input obtains an electronic image of a page of the print publication, the page comprising items, such as headlines, images and articles, arranged in a print version layout. A layout parser parses the page layout, the parsing comprising identifying the items arranged therein, including identifying boundaries of the items within the layout, and text belonging to the items. A text sizing unit selects text sizes for respective items to render the items readable when the text is shown on screen as part of the page. The resized text may no longer fit into the boundaries so a text flowing unit flows text of the item dynamically, thereby to provide an electronic screen version of the image of the page, the screen version retaining the print version layout and having text sized to be readable when shown on a screen.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing an electronic screen version of a print publication, the electronic screen version being adapted for reading from a screen, the apparatus comprising an electronic processor, the electronic processor comprising:

an input for obtaining an electronic image of a page of said print publication, the page comprising a plurality of items arranged in a print version layout;

a layout parser adapted to parse said page layout, said parsing comprising identifying said items arranged therein, said identifying comprising identifying boundaries of said items within said layout, and text belonging to said items;

a text sizing unit adapted to select text sizes for respective items, said sizes to render said items to be readable when the text is shown on screen as part of said page, and

a text flowing unit adapted to flow text of a respective item on said page at said selected size into item boundaries of said item, thereby to provide an electronic screen version of said image of said page, said screen version retaining said print version layout and having text sized to be readable when shown on a screen.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said text sizing unit is configured to use feedback from an end user indicating an end user screen size, in order to select a text sized for a respective end user screen.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said item boundaries are said identified boundaries and said text flowing unit is adapted to fill said respective identified boundaries of a given item with text, and to retain remaining text associated with said respective item for later flowing into said boundaries following user interaction.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said user interaction comprises scrolling.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said user interaction comprises hovering over said given item with a cursor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said text flowing unit is adapted to enlarge respective identified boundaries of a given item in response to interaction with a user, and said item boundaries into which said text is flowed are said enlarged boundaries.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an image flowing unit, adapted to show a subset of images of a respective image item on said page at a selected size within corresponding boundaries and to exchange said subset with other images of said image item following user interaction with said item.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said page is a newspaper page and said plurality of items comprise each of headlines, pictures and articles.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said articles comprise body text and captions and wherein text belonging to each one of body text and captions are arranged for reflowing according to respectively different predetermined rules.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said articles comprise body text and captions and wherein text belonging to each one of body text and captions are assigned respective sizes according to respectively different predetermined rules.

11. Computerized method for converting an image of print version of a page to a screen version of said page, the screen version being adapted for reading from an electronic screen, method comprising:

obtaining an electronic image of a page of said print publication, the page comprising a plurality of items arranged in a print version layout;

parsing said page layout, said parsing comprising identifying said items arranged therein, said identifying comprising identifying image boundaries of said items within said layout, and text belonging to said items;

selecting text sizes for respective items, said sizes to render said items to be readable when the text is shown on screen as part of said page, and

flowing text of a respective item on said page at said selected size into item boundaries, thereby to provide an electronic screen version of said image of said page, said screen version retaining said print version layout and having text sized to be readable when shown on a screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said text sizing uses feedback from an end user indicating an end user screen size, in order to select a text sized for a respective end user screen.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said image boundaries are said item boundaries and said text flowing comprises filling respective item boundaries of a given item with text, and retaining remaining text associated with said respective item for later flowing into said boundaries following user interaction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said user interaction comprises scrolling.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said user interaction comprises hovering over said given item with a cursor.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said text flowing comprises enlarging respective image boundaries of a given item in response to interaction with a user to form said item boundaries and flowing currently hidden text into said enlarged item boundaries.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising image flowing, said image flowing comprising showing a subset of images of a respective image item on said page at a selected size within corresponding boundaries and exchanging said subset with other images of said image item following user interaction with said item.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said page is a newspaper page and said plurality of items comprise each of headlines, pictures and articles.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said articles comprise body text and captions and wherein text belonging to each one of body text and captions are arranged for reflowing according to respectively different predetermined rules.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said articles comprise body text and captions and wherein text belonging to each one of body text and captions are assigned respective sizes according to respectively different predetermined rules.