Method and system for generating colors using constrained color properties

• US 7,500,189 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huh, Da Hye, Li, Barn-Wan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Queler; Adam M
• Application Number:
  US11/080,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 715/256, 715/275, 345/593
• US Class Current: 715/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

Generally, the present invention provides embodiments of systems and methods for extrapolating formats to create pleasing format templates. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for creating a color template for a document comprises receiving at least one color for the document. Then, the colors received become constraints of at least one document parameter. A color template is then selected and automatically applied to the constrained document parameters to extrapolate one or more other colors for the unset color parameters. Finally, the color template with the extrapolated colors is provided with the received colors and the extrapolated colors.

Claims

1. A method for creating a color template for a document, the method comprising:

receiving at least one color for the document;

constraining at least one document parameter to the at least one color to generate at least one constrained color parameter;

automatically comparing the at least one constrained color parameter to one or more example color templates;

automatically selecting one or more of the example color templates based on the comparison;

automatically applying the selected one or more example color templates to the at least one constrained color parameter to extrapolate one or more other colors for unset document parameters;

providing the color template based on the received colors and the extrapolated colors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically comparing comprises:

comparing one or more constrained parameters to one or more attributes of one or more example color template in a template example library.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a constrained parameter is one of a color setting or a relationship between two color settings.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the color setting is a value for hue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically applying comprises:

determining one or more relationships between a base color, corresponding to the at least one constrained color parameter, and a second color; and

applying the one or more relationships to the constrained color parameter corresponding to the base color to extrapolate one or more new colors related to the second color.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving selection of the color template; and

automatically applying the coloring to one or more portions of the document based on the color template.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one or more colors set by the user are changed when automatically applying the coloring.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more applications apply the color template to color portions of documents generated by the two or more applications.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user created document having one or more colors;

extracting the color settings from the user created document; and

providing the extracted color settings as the at least one color for the document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting comprises

automatically selecting one or more example color templates that closely compare to the at least one constrained color parameter.

11. A computer system for creating a color template for a document, the system comprising:

a matching engine that receives one or more constrained color parameters and compares the one or more constrained color parameters to one or more colors of one or more example color templates and extracts one or more example color templates that relate to one or more of the constrained color parameters;

an algorithm engine that applies the color relationships in the one or more example color templates to the constrained color parameters to extrapolate one or more color templates; and

a template application module that receives a choice of a color template and automatically applies the chosen color template to the document.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a color template example library where the matching engine extracts the one or more example color templates.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the matching engine calculates a mathematical distance between the constrained color parameter and the one or more colors of the one or more example color templates.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mathematical distance is between two hue settings for two colors.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the mathematical distance is between offsets for two sets of two colors having a relationship.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the algorithm engine determines one or more relationships between a base color, corresponding to one of the constrained color parameters, in the color template and a second color and applies the one or more relationships to the constrained color parameter corresponding to the base color to extrapolate one or more new colors related to the second color.

17. A computer storage medium encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer implemented method for creating a color template for a document, the method comprising:

receiving at least one color for the document;

constraining at least one document parameter to the at least one color, to generate at least one constrained color parameter;

comparing the at least one constrained color parameter to one or more attributes of one or more example color templates in a template example library;

automatically selecting one or more example color templates based on the comparison;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more example color templates;

automatically applying the selected example color template to the constrained color parameters to extrapolate one or more other colors for unset document parameters; and

providing the selected example color template based on the received colors and the extrapolated colors.

18. A computer storage medium defined in claim 17, wherein the constrained color parameter is one of a color setting or a relationship between two color settings.

19. A computer storage medium defined in claim 18, wherein the color setting is a value for hue.