System and method for dynamically creating a destination template

• US 7,383,499 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cirrincione, Cory J., Carlson, John T., Dolin, Robert M., Kraft, Tara M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Basehoar; Adam L
• Application Number:
  US11/027,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/517, 715/520, 715/523, 715/513, 715/514, 715/515, 715/522, 715/243, 715/246, 715/277, 715/253, 715/249
• US Class Current: 715/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

The techniques and mechanisms described herein are directed to a method for dynamically creating a destination template based on content within a source document. The destination template may be published in a variety of mediums including as a body of an email message, a web site, and a print-friendly document. A portion of content objects within the source document are grouped into content objects based on a relationship between the content objects, such as a physical relationship, a functional relationship, or a combination of both. For each content block, one of several module templates is dynamically selected and arranged to create the destination template. The module templates may be stretchable and designed to render in an email client using HTML.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

selecting a medium for publishing a destination template;

determining a plurality of content objects within a source document, each content object holding information;

grouping a portion of the content objects into a plurality of content blocks based on a prepared content schematic, wherein the content schematic comprises;

a list of object properties for each content object;

a proximity graph that represents physical relationships between the content objects within the source document;

a relationship tree that represents functional relationships between content objects in the source document; and

a priority list that lists the content objects based on pre-determined priority indicators;

identifying at least one key property for each of one or more module templates, the at least one key property of each module template indicating the suitability of the module template for a content block;

dynamically selecting a module template for each content block, the dynamic selection based on the selected medium and the at least one identified key property of each module template,

wherein the selected module template includes one or more pre-formatted content placeholders configured to accommodate the information associated with each content object in the content block; and

arranging the selected module templates into the destination template.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the content objects is grouped based on a physical relationship between the content objects.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the content objects is grouped based on a functional relationship between the content objects.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically selecting other module templates to accommodate the information within the content objects that have not been grouped into one of the plurality of content blocks and arranging the other module templates with the selected module templates into the destination template.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising mapping the information from the corresponding content objects into the destination template.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein selecting a medium includes selecting an email medium, further comprising creating an email document having the mapped information in the destination template.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically selecting the module template for each content block comprises looking-up properties associated with each module template in a database and correlating the look-up properties with the list of object properties identified within the content schematic.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically selecting a module template for each content block includes omitting one or more content blocks that are not suited for the selected medium.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the module template includes a multi-purpose placeholder for receiving variable content types.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

a content analysis means for analyzing a plurality of content portions within a source document;

a group means for grouping one or more content blocks based on a relatedness of the plurality of content portions as indicated by a prepared content schematic, wherein the content schematic comprises;

a list of object properties for each content object;

a proximity graph that represents physical relationships between the content objects within the source document;

a relationship tree that represents functional relationships between content objects in the source document; and

a priority list that lists the content objects based on pre-determined priority indicators;

an identifier means for identifying at least one key property for each of the one or more module templates, the at least one key property of each module template indicating the suitability of the module template for a content block; and

a dynamic template creation means for dynamically creating a destination template based on content within the source document, a medium for publishing the destination template, and the at least one identified key property of each module template,

wherein dynamically creating the destination template comprises arranging a plurality of dynamically selected pre-formatted module templates, each selected module template corresponding to at least one of the one or more content blocks grouped within the source document.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the medium comprises one out of a group comprising a body of an email, a website, and a print-friendly document.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each content block represents a set of related content objects in the source document.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the dynamic template creation means comprises a database that correlates properties of each module template with each identified content block.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the module template is stretchable.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the selected module templates includes a multi-purpose placeholder that receives one of a variety of content types.

17. A system configured to convert publishable content from a first medium to a second medium, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory into which a plurality of instructions are loaded, the plurality of instructions performing a method comprising;

accepting a source document in a first medium;

determining a plurality of content objects within the source document where each content object holds information;

grouping a portion of the content objects into a plurality of content blocks based on a prepared content schematic, wherein the content schematic comprises;

a list of object properties for each content object;

a proximity graph that represents physical relationships between the content objects within the source document;

a relationship tree that represents functional relationships between content objects in the source document; and

a priority list that lists the content objects based on pre-determined priority indicators;

identifying at least one key property for each of one or more module templates, the at least one key property of each module template indicating the suitability of the module template for a content block;

dynamically selecting a module template for each content block based on the information within each content block and the at least one identified key property of each module template; and

arranging the selected module templates into a destination template.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising dynamically selecting the module template based on a second medium, wherein a destination document is published in the second medium and the destination document comprises the destination template and the mapped information from the corresponding content objects.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each content block represents a set of related content objects in the source document.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising mapping the information from the corresponding content objects into the destination template.