Method and system for previewing computer output

• US 5,652,901 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 07/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Consuegra, Mark A., Slayden, Glenn Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US08/477,894
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 395/128, 395/139, 395/144, 395/145, 395/148, 395/155, 395/157, 395/161
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

A method and system for previewing computer output that preserves the horizontal and vertical adjacency of the output. The computer output is previewed in a preview area. The computer output has several elements, or pages, arranged in rows and columns. A magnification factor is calculated that is directly related to one of the dimensions of the preview area and inversely related to either the sum of the vertical dimensions of the elements in one of the columns or the sum of the horizontal dimensions of the elements in one of the rows. At least a portion of the computer output is selected for display. The selected portion of the computer output is then displayed in the preview area at the calculated magnification factor.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for previewing within a preview area on a display device a plurality of pages to be printed by a printer, each page to be printed on a single sheet of paper, each page having data that is vertically adjacent to data of another page and that is horizontally adjacent to data of another page, each page having an actual width and height, the printer having a printer aspect ratio and the display device having a display aspect ratio, comprising:

setting a maximum horizontal magnification factor that will permit the data of each horizontally adjacent page to be displayed within the preview area;

setting a maximum vertical magnification factor that will permit the data of each vertically adjacent page to be displayed within the preview area;

setting a horizontal magnification factor as the minimum of the maximum horizontal magnification factor and the maximum vertical magnification factor;

setting a vertical magnification factor from the horizontal magnification factor based on the ratio of the printer aspect ratio to the display aspect ratio;

setting a display width from the horizontal magnification factor;

setting a display height from the vertical magnification factor;

when then the display width is less than a predefined minimum,

resetting the display width to the predefined minimum;

resetting the display height to the predefined minimum times a ratio of the actual width to the actual height;

resetting the vertical magnification factor to the ratio of the predefined minimum to the actual height; and

resetting the horizontal magnification factor to the ratio of the display width to the actual width;

when the display height is less than a predefined minimum,

resetting the display height to the predefined minimum;

resetting the display width to the predefined minimum times a ratio of the actual height to the actual width;

resetting the horizontal magnification factor to the ratio of predefined minimum to the actual width; and

resetting the vertical magnification factor to the ratio of the display height to the actual height; and

displaying the data of the pages in accordance with the horizontal and vertical magnification factors.

2. A method in a computer system for previewing within a preview area on a display device a plurality of pages to be printed by a printer, each page to be printed on a single sheet of paper, each page having data that is vertically adjacent to data of another page and that is horizontally adjacent to data of another page, each page having an actual width and height, comprising:

determining a width and height of the preview area;

calculating a display width and a display height that will permit the data of each page to be displayed in the preview area based on the ratio of the actual width and height to the determined width and height of the preview area;

when then the display width is less than a predefined minimum or the display height is less than the predefined minimum, recalculating the display width and the display height so that the display width and display height is not less than the predefined minimum;

displaying within the preview area the data of the pages in accordance with the display width and the display height so that the data of horizontally adjacent pages are displayed horizontally adjacent and the data of vertically adjacent pages are displayed vertically adjacent; and

when not all the pages are simultaneously displayed within the preview area, scrolling the pages in the horizontal or vertical directions in response to user input.

3. A computer-readable medium containing instruction for causing a computer system to display within a preview area on a display device a plurality of pages to be printed by a printer, each page to be printed on a single sheet of paper, each page having data that is vertically adjacent to data of another page and that is horizontally adjacent to data of another page, each page having an actual width and height, by:

determining a width and height of the preview area;

calculating a display width and a display height that will permit the data of each page to be displayed in the preview area based on the ratio of the actual width and height to the determined width and height of the preview area;

when then the display width is less than a predefined minimum or the display height is less than the predefined minimum, recalculating the display width and the display height so that the display width and display height is not less than the predefined minimum;

displaying within the preview area the data of the pages in accordance with the display width and the display height so that the data of horizontally adjacent pages are displayed horizontally adjacent and the data of vertically adjacent pages are displayed vertically adjacent; and

when not all the pages are simultaneously displayed within the preview area, scrolling the pages in the horizontal or vertical directions in response to user input.