Document format transforations for converting plurality of documents which are consistent with each other

• US 6,393,442 B1
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cromarty, Valerie Christensen, Gordon, Joni Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B.
• Application Number:
  US09/074,784
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 707/523, 707/513, 707/205, 707/501, 707/511
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats. The method and system comprise providing a document type definition for formatting the source document. The method and system further comprise providing a transform to convert the source document into the plurality of documents. At least one of the plurality of documents has a binary code format. The method and system enable production of the plurality of documents, each representing a version of the source document, such that the versions are consistent with each other.

Claims

1. A method for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each document being defined by a corresponding version, wherein the source document contains information about all of the versions of the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a document type definition (DTD) for formatting the source document; and

b) providing a plurality of transforms to convert the source document into the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents being created by filtering out all the versions except the corresponding version, wherein at least one of the plurality of documents is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted version for on-line help, at least one of the plurality of documents is a printable book in a postscript format, and at least one of the plurality of documents is a binary code formatted version for system messages, wherein the binary code formatted version is embedded in an Operating System Service (OSS), and whereby the plurality of documents are consistent with each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source document and the plurality of documents are operating system independent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a source document format resulting from the formatting step (a) includes an standard generalized markup language (SGML) format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the DTD includes an Information Development Document (IDDOC®

) workbench.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the source document is compatible with a plurality of any operating systems.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of documents are compatible with one of a plurality of operating systems.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the transforms converts the source document into a softcopy book including in a Page Description Format (PDF) version.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the transforms comprises an OmniMark transform.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the transforms comprises a Xyvision transform.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the OSS is incorporated in a server program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the OSS is incorporated in a client program.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the client program is connected to a server-resident program.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein a particular version of the source document is created by filtering out other version-specific segments and leaving in particular version-specific segments thereof.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein a particular operating system-specific version of the source document is created by filtering out other operating system-specific segments and leaving in particular operating system segments thereof.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein a particular version of the source document is created by filtering out other version-specific segments and leaving in particular version-specific segments thereof.

13. A method for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each document being defined by a corresponding version, wherein the source document contains information about all of the versions of the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a document type definition (DTD) for formatting the source document; and

b) providing a plurality of transforms to convert the source document into the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents being created by filtering out all the versions except the corresponding version, wherein at least one of the plurality of documents is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted version for on-line help, at least one of the plurality of documents is a printable book in a postscript format, and at least one of the plurality of documents is a binary code formatted version for system messages, wherein the binary code formatted version is incorporated in a server program, and whereby the plurality of documents are consistent with each other.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a client program is incorporated in a server-resident program.

15. A system for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each document being defined by a corresponding version, wherein the source document contains information about all of the versions of the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats, the system comprising:

means for providing a DTD for formatting the source document;

means for providing a plurality of transforms for converting the source document into the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents being created by filtering out all the versions except the corresponding version, wherein at least one of the plurality of documents is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted version for on-line help, at least one of the plurality of documents is a printable book in a postscript format, and at least one of the plurality of documents is a binary code formatted version for system messages, whereby the plurality of documents are consistent with each other; and

at least one computer, the at least one computer functioning as a server executing a server program, the server program including an Operating System Service (OSS) for making the server program compatible with the operating system, wherein the at least one binary code formatted version of the source document is embedded in the OSS.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the source document and the plurality of documents are operating system independent.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of computers, and wherein the at least one computer is capable of communicating with at least one other computer from among the plurality of computers.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein a client program is not resident in the server.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the server program comprises a client program.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein a particular operating system-specific version of the source document is created by filtering out other operating system-specific segments and leaving in particular operating system segments thereof.

20. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each document being defined by a corresponding version, wherein the source document contains information about all of the versions of the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats, the program instructions for:

providing a document type definition (DTD) for formatting the source document;

providing a plurality of transforms to convert the source document into the plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents being created by filtering out all the versions except the corresponding version, wherein at least one of the plurality of documents is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted version for on-line help, at least one of the plurality of documents is a printable book in a postscript format, and at least one of the plurality of documents is a binary code formatted version for system messages, whereby the plurality of documents are consistent with each other; and

providing an Operating System Service (OSS) for making a server program compatible with an operating system, wherein the at least one binary code formatted document is embedded in the OSS.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the source document and the plurality of documents are operating system independent.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein a particular version of the source document is created by filtering out other version-specific segments and leaving in particular version-specific segments thereof.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein a particular operating system-specific version of the source document is created by filtering out other operating system-specific segments and leaving in particular operating system segments thereof.

28. A method for converting a source document into a plurality of documents, each of the plurality of documents having one of a plurality of formats, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a document type definition (DTD) for formatting the source document; and

b) providing a transform to convert the source document into the plurality of documents, wherein the source document and the plurality of documents are operating system independent, wherein the transform comprises a plurality of transforms, wherein at least one of the transforms converts the source document into an on-line help including a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format version, wherein at least one of the transforms converts the source document into a printable book including a postscript format version, wherein at least one of the transforms converts the source document into a softcopy book including a Page Description Format (PDF) version, at least one of the plurality of documents having a binary code format, wherein at least one of the transforms converts the source document into the binary code format version thereof, wherein the binary code formatted version is embedded in an Operating System Service (OSS).