Method and system for dynamically adapting the layout of a document to an output device

• US 6,023,714 A
• Filed: 04/24/1997
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meltzer, David M., Daniels, Simon J., Earnshaw, Simon D., Hill, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US08/847,427
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 707/513, 707/514, 707/526, 707/528-531, 707/515, 707/522-523, 707/501, 345/339, 345/340-342, 345/348-351, 395/109, 395/110, 395/117, 395/200.31-39
• US Class Current: 715/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191

Abstract

Dynamically adapting the layout of a document to a particular output device. The layout of a document can be adapted to a particular output device so that the document fully utilizes the capabilities of the output device. A layout generator interrogates the output device to determine the capabilities of the output device. Based upon the capabilities of the output device, the layout generator selects a style sheet to accommodate the particular output device. The style sheet assigns values to format properties such as font properties, color and background properties, and text properties. The layout of the document is adapted to the particular output device by rendering the document on the output device using the values defined in the style sheet.

Claims

1. In a computer network comprising a server system and a client system, a client-controlled method for formatting a document for presentation on an output device coupled to the client system comprising the steps of:

receiving the document and a layout generator from the server, the layout generator operative for selecting one of a plurality of style sheets based upon a capability of the output device;

receiving the selected style sheet from the server; and

formatting the document for presentation on the output device using the selected style sheet.

2. The client-controlled method of claim 1, further comprising the step of using the layout generator to interrogate the output device to determine the capability of the output device prior to selecting one of the style sheets.

3. The client-controlled method of claim 1, wherein the layout generator is embedded in the document.

4. The client-controlled method of claim 1, wherein the layout generator is external to the document.

5. The client-controlled method of claim 1, wherein the output device is a display device and the capability of the output device is resolution.

6. The client-controlled method of claim 1, wherein the selected style sheet comprises a style definition which defines a format value for a format property, and wherein the format value is supported by the capability of the output device.

7. The client-controlled method of claim 6, wherein the format property is a text property.

8. The client-controlled method of claim 6, wherein the format property is a font property.

9. The client-controlled method of claim 6, wherein the format property is a color property.

10. The client-controlled method of claim 6, wherein the format property is a page property.

11. In a computer network comprising a server system and a client system, a server-controlled method for generating a style sheet used by the client system to format a document for presentation on an output device attached to the client system comprising the steps of:

retrieving the document and a layout generator; and

using the layout generator to perform the steps of;

interrogating the output device coupled to the client system to determine a set of capabilities of the output device;

based upon the set of capabilities of the output device, generating a style sheet having a plurality of style definitions; and

sending the style sheet and the document to the client system.

12. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein the output device is a display device and the set of capabilities comprises resolution and supported colors of the display device.

13. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein each of the style definitions assigns a format value to a format property, and wherein the step of generating a style sheet having a plurality of style definitions comprises generating a plurality of style definitions with format values supported by the set of capabilities of the output device.

14. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein the layout generator is embedded in the document.

15. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein the layout generator is external to the document.

16. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein the style sheet is embedded in the document.

17. The server-controlled method of claim 11, wherein the style sheet is external to the document.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for formatting a document for an output device comprising:

a document component comprising document content;

a plurality of style sheet components, each style sheet component defining format values for a plurality of format properties;

a layout generator component for determining a capability of the output device and for selecting one of the style sheet components as a selected style sheet component based upon the capability of the output device; and

a presentation component for formatting the document content for the output device using the selected style sheet component.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the document component is a generalized markup language document.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein one of the format properties is a text property.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein one of the style sheet components defines a format value for a text property by defining a format value for letter spacing.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein one of the format properties is a font property.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein one of the style sheet components defines a format value for a font property by defining a format value for font size.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein one of the format properties is a color property.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein one of the style sheet components defines a format value for a color property by defining a format value for background color.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein one of the format properties is a page property.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein one of the style sheet components defines a format value for a page property by defining a format value for page margins.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for formatting a document for an output device comprising:

a document component comprising document content;

a layout generator component for interrogating the output device to determine a capability of the output device and for generating a style sheet component based upon the capability of the output device; and

a presentation component for formatting the document content for the output device using the style sheet component.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the layout generator generates a style sheet component by selecting a style definition which defines a format value for a format property, the format value supported by the capability of the output device.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the format property is selected from one of the following format properties:

a font property;

a color and background property;

a text property; and

a page property.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the output device is a display device, the format property is a font property, and the capability of the output device is high resolution, and wherein the layout generator generates a style sheet component by generating a style definition which defines a font value for a high resolution display device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the output device is a display device, the format property is a text property, and the capability of the output device is a resolution, and wherein the layout generator generates a style sheet component by:

if the resolution is within a first predetermined resolution range, then generating a style sheet definition which defines a text value for a high resolution display device;

if the resolution is within a second predetermined resolution range, then generating a style definition which defines a text value for a medium resolution display device; and

if the resolution is within a third predetermined resolution range, then generating a style definition which defines a text value for a low resolution display device.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the layout generator embeds the style sheet component in the document component.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the style sheet component is external to the document component.