Document link description/generation method, apparatus and computer program product

• US 7,058,883 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Oda, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): HILLERY, NATHAN
• Application Number:
  US09/708,599
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/538, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces

Abstract

An operation of describing a document link for linking a first document of a link source and a second document of a linking destination. An abstract link is described in the first document of the link source, and the abstract link describes a link establishing condition for determining the document link between the first document of the link source and the second document of the linking destination on a basis of a retrieval of document information of the first document of the link source and the second document of the linking destination.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically forming a document link that links a portion of a first document with a portion of a second document, the method comprising:

describing at least two characteristics of portions of respective documents using an Atom predicate expression, wherein the portions are less than the whole of each respective document;

describing at least one link establishing condition configured to specify portions of first and second documents to be linked using a Horn clause predicate expression including the Atom predicate;

registering the at least one link establishing condition in a file;

running a prescribed program configured to calculate the at least one link establishing condition while referring to the file; and

forming at least one document link between the at least one pair of the portions of the first and second documents, specified by the prescribed program, wherein the at least one link describes a nature of document elements of the first document and the second document, wherein the first document is a link source and the second document is a linking destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one link derives document elements of the first document of the link source and the second document of the linking destination satisfying the link establishing condition on a basis of a backtrack calculation to bind a variable based upon a document information retrieval.

3. A system for automatically forming a document link that links a portion of a first document with a portion of a second document, the system comprising:

a processor including;

means for describing at least two characteristics of portions of respective documents using an Atom predicate expression, wherein the portions are less than the whole of each respective document;

means for describing at least one link establishing condition configured to specify portions of first and second documents to be linked using a Horn clause predicate expression including the Atom predicate;

means for registering the at least one link establishing condition in a file;

means for running a prescribed program configured to calculate the at least one link establishing condition while referring to the file; and

means for forming at least one document link between the at least one pair of the portions of the first and second documents, specified by the prescribed program, wherein the at least one link describes a nature of document elements of the first document and the second document, wherein the first document is a link source and the second document is a linking destination.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one link derives document elements of the first document of the link source and the second document of the linking destination satisfying the link establishing condition on a basis of a backtrack calculation to bind a variable based upon a document information retrieval.

5. A medium storing a computer program product for automatically forming a document link that links a portion of a first document with a portion of a second document, comprising:

a first computer code configured to describe at least two characteristics of portions of respective documents using an Atom predicate expression, wherein the portions are less than the whole of each respective document;

a second computer code configured to describe at least one link establishing condition configured to specify portions of first and second documents to be linked using a Horn clause predicate expression including the Atom predicate, wherein the first document is a link source and the second document is a linking destination;

a third computer code configured to register the at least one link establishing condition in a file;

a forth computer code configured to run a prescribed program configured to calculate the at least one link establishing condition while referring to the file; and

a fifth computer code configured to form at least one document link between the at least one pair of the portions of the first and second documents, specified by the prescribed program, wherein the at least one link describes a nature of document elements of the first document and the second document, wherein the first document is a link source and the second document is a linking destination.

6. The medium of claim 5, wherein the at least one link derives document elements of the first document of the link source and the second document of the linking destination satisfying the link establishing condition on a basis of a backtrack calculation to bind a variable based upon a document information retrieval.