Automatic font management within an operating system environment

• US 6,323,865 B1
• Filed: 11/22/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Colletti, John C.
• Inventors: Colletti, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US09/447,135
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 345/467, 707/542, 358/1.11
• US Class Current: 345/467
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography

Abstract

A system and methods automatically provide access and management of installed and noninstalled fonts in a computer system. Installed fonts are resident in computer memory, whereas the noninstalled fonts are preferably described in a compact database including the computer-accessible location of the physical font. Broadly, the invention provides user applications with the capability of automatic selection of both installed and noninstalled fonts without modifications to the application itself.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a memory capable of containing one or more installed fonts and nonvolatile storage means, a font management method comprising the steps of:

providing a noninstalled font in the nonvolatile storage means;

providing a font database containing information relating to one of the noninstalled fonts;

receiving a request for a desired font;

searching in the memory for the installed font corresponding to the desired font; and

if the search for the installed font fails, searching the font database for the noninstalled font corresponding to the desired font, and,

if the search for the noninstalled font succeeds, satisfying the request with the noninstalled font.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of satisfying the request with the noninstalled font is accomplished by installing the noninstalled font into the memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of satisfying the request with the noninstalled font is accomplished by including the noninstalled font into a list which is returned to an application program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired font is specified by name in the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired font is included in a list of available fonts.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the font database contains information as to the location of the font.

7. In a computer system having a memory capable of containing installed fonts and non-volatile storage means, a font management system comprising:

at least one noninstalled font located in the nonvolatile storage means;

a font database including information relating to the noninstalled fonts; and

a font management program capable of performing the following functions;

receiving a request for at least one desired font,

searching in the memory for the installed font corresponding to the desired font, and

if the search for the installed font fails, searching the font database for the noninstalled font corresponding to the desired font, and

if the search for the noninstalled font

succeeds, satisfying the request with the noninstalled font.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the font management program satisfies the request by installing thus noninstalled font into the memory.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the font management system satisfies the request by including these noninstalled font in a list returned to an application.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the information relating to the noninstalled fonts includes the location of the non-installed fonts.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the information relating to the noninstalled fonts includes a description of the non-installed fonts.