Hypermedia document authoring

• US 6,964,019 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.), Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.), Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Takeshi, Smollar, Stephen W.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US09/974,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/530, 715/513, 715/500, 715/500.1, 715/515, 715/104.1, 707/501.1, 707/500.1, 707/515, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A hypermedia authoring system enables an author to generate a document using a goals outline and a presentation outline. The goals outline is generated by instantiating document prototypes. A display of the goals outline permits the author to select a prototype document from a directory of prototype documents and instantiate the selected prototype document that corresponds to a node of the goals outline. The instantiated document prototype is linked to cards in a card database. The presentation outline is displayed as Bento-boxes. Each Bento-box includes spacer objects which are defined spatially and temporally. The spacer objects may be linked to cards. The goals outline is related to the presentation outline based on commonly linked cards. The Bento-boxes may be linked to each other in a stack or hyperlinked to other Bento-boxes via anchors. A display of all the Bento-boxes of a hypermedia document shows a linkage path established by the hyperlinks between Bento-boxes/Bento-box stacks. If both the presentation outline and the goals outline are displayed, selecting a Bento-box or a node of the goals outline causes related nodes or Bento-boxes, respectively, to be highlighted. If a complete goals/presentation outline is selected, the highlighting shows a measure of completeness between the presentation outline and the goals outline. A navigation facility is also provided such as a kitchen, an office or a studio.

Claims

1. A document authoring device for a document which contains a goals outline and a presentation outline, comprising:

a user interface;

a memory;

a controller coupled to the user interface and the memory, wherein;

the controller links the goals outline and the presentation outline of the document together based on an input received through the user interface and data stored in the memory to at least partially author the document,

the goals outline comprises organization of document information content and the presentation outline comprises appearance characteristics of the document,

the user interface includes a display device, and

the controller displays a goals outline display on the display device and generates the goals outline based on the input that relates to the goals outline display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory contains at least one document prototype, the controller generating a logical structure of the goals outline by instantiating the document prototype selected by the input.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the memory contains a card, the controller linking the instantiated document prototype to the card selected by the input.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the controller generates a card and links the card to the goals outline based on the input.

5. A method of authoring a document which contains a document goals outline and a document presentation outline, comprising:

storing data in memory;

receiving an input through a user interface;

displaying a goals outline display on a display device;

generating the document goals outline based on the inputs that relate to the goals outline display; and

linking the document goals outline to the document presentation outline based on the input and the data to at least partially author the document, wherein the document goals outline comprises organization of document information content and the presentation outline comprises appearance characteristics.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a logical structure of the document goals outline by instantiating a document prototype selected by the inputs; and

linking the instantiated document prototype to a card selected by the inputs.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a card; and

linking the card to the document goals outline based on the inputs.

8. A method of authoring a document, comprising:

storing data in a memory;

receiving inputs through a user interface;

generating a goals outline by instantiating at least one of a description document prototype, an argument document prototype, an author generated prototype and a narrative document prototype to a selected node of the goals outline;

linking the goals outline to a presentation outline based on the inputs and the data;

receiving external information;

generating at least one card based on the external information; and

storing the at least one generated card as data in the memory, wherein at least one of the goals outline and the presentation outline is linked to the card wherein the presentation outline outlines at least one of an appearance characteristic and a sound characteristic of the document being authored using at least one spacer object in at least one of a spatial layout area and a temporal layout area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of

generating a card comprises accepting the external information already in a desired card structure as the imported card.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of

generating a card comprises translating the external information into a desired card structure.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the document prototype includes at least one predetermined slot type.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one predetermined slot type is linked to a corresponding card stored in the memory.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the link to a corresponding card is classified as mandatory, optional and user defined.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein linking the goals outline to a presentation outline comprises linking at least one node of the goals outline to at least one of a node of the presentation outline and at least one card to which a node of the presentation outline is linked.

15. A method of authoring a document, comprising:

storing data in a memory;

receiving an input through a user interface;

generating a goals outline for the document being authored by instantiating a document prototype to a selected node of the goals outline;

generating a presentation outline which outlines at least one of an appearance characteristic and a sound characteristic of the document being authored using at least one spacer object in at least one of a spatial layout area and a temporal layout area;

linking the goals outline to the presentation outline based on the input and the data; and

displaying on a display device a meta-level display of the goals outline and the presentation outline for the document being authored.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the meta-level display is one of a kitchen image, an office image, and a studio image.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an assessment of at least one of a completeness and comprehensiveness of a relationship between the goals outline and the presentation outline.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein generating a goals outline comprises instantiating one of a description document prototype, an argument document prototype, an author generated prototype and a narrative document prototype to a selected node of the goals outline.