Multi-layered data model for determining image choice across a set of audience-specific documents

• US 7,805,666 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brookler, David
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, THU V
• Application Number:
  US11/204,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20060288265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234, 715/209, 715/262, 715/200, 715/229, 715/255, 715/277
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

A multi-layered data model for determining image choice across a set of audience-specific documents comprising language, regional, regulatory and/or cultural differences. Enables generation of audience-specific documents with audience specific images and audience-specific image placement based on inheritance of images and image metadata associated with hierarchical audiences. For data entry, enables a user to rapidly determine if images in an audience specific document conform to the expectations or requirements of an intended audience. The data entry and edit interface distinguishes between current and inherited audience levels through the use of color or any other mechanism that allows a user to quickly identify data that is missing and needs to be populated, changed or remain unchanged if the inherited image or image title or placement is suitable for the given audience. Documents are generated to any number of media types such as HTML, XML and paper.

Claims

1. A computer system for utilizing a multi-layered data model for determining image choice across a set of audience-specific documents comprising:

a data storage medium storing instructions and a computer configured to process said instructions comprising;

obtaining a current audience identifier from a user, wherein said current audience identifier is associated with a current audience comprising a group of document consumers;

obtaining an audience inheritance hierarchy for said current audience identifier, wherein said audience inheritance hierarchy comprises a first audience identifier and a second audience identifier, wherein said second audience identifier is not determined by said first audience identifier;

obtaining image data for said current audience identifier from said data storage medium;

determining that said image data for said current audience identifier does not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said first audience identifier;

when that said image data associated with said current audience identifier and said inherited image associated with said first audience identifier do not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said second audience identifier;

wherein the obtaining inherited image data associated with the first and second audience identifiers corresponding to a parent audience of said current audience using said audience inheritance hierarchy, and the existence of inherited image data associated with said first audience identifier is checked before the existence of inherited image data associated with said second audience identifier is checked; and

generating a document comprising said obtained inherited image data corresponding to said current audience and said parent audience.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

obtaining image metadata for said current audience identifier and inherited image metadata associated with at least one of said first audience identifier and said second audience identifier; and

,

utilizing said image metadata for image placement based on said current audience identifier.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

displaying said obtained inherited image data having a visual representation that signifies an audience inheritance level.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

searching for an image data value utilizing an audience layer operator for specifying a set of inheritance levels in which to perform a search.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

not publishing data associated with a secondary audience identifier.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

editing an image value that signifies association with said current audience other than said current audience identifier wherein said image value is set to a new image value and displayed with a visual representation denoting association with said current audience.

7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

editing an image value that signifies association with said current audience identifier wherein said image value is set to a new image value; and

,

generating a second document comprising audience data corresponding to another audience identifier wherein said new image value is obtained without altering said image value more than one time.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said generating said second document further comprises formatting said second document for a desired media type and wherein said second document requires no alteration when said image value is altered to said new image value.

9. The computer system claim 1 wherein said process instructions further comprise:

outputting said document to a plurality of media types.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein a media type of said plurality of media types is markup.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said a media type of said plurality of media types is paper.

12. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

obtaining information from an environment variable on a computer associated with said user.

13. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said instructions further comprise:

obtaining information from a browser session variable.

14. A computer system for utilizing a multi-layered data model for determining image choice across a set of audience-specific documents comprising:

a data storage medium storing instructions; and

a computer configured to process said instructions comprising;

obtaining a current audience identifier from a user, said current audience identifier describing a current audience comprising a group of document consumers;

obtaining an audience inheritance hierarchy for said current audience identifier, wherein said audience inheritance hierarchy comprises a first audience identifier and a second audience identifier corresponding to a parent audience of said current audience, wherein said second audience identifier is not determined by said first audience identifier;

obtaining image data for said current audience identifier from said data storage medium;

determining that said image data for said current audience identifier does not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said first audience identifier;

when said image data associated with said current audience identifier and said inherited image associated with said first audience identifier do not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said second audience identifier;

obtaining image metadata for said current audience identifier and inherited image metadata from the parent audience of said current audience included in said audience inheritance hierarchy of said current audience identifier; and

,

generating a document comprising said obtained inherited image data corresponding to said current audience and said parent audience by utilizing said image metadata and inherited image metadata for image placement based on said current audience and said parent audience.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said instructions further comprise:

displaying said obtained image data having a visual representation that signifies an audience inheritance level.

16. The computer system of claim 14 wherein said instructions further comprise outputting said document to a plurality of media types.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein a media type of said plurality of media types is markup.

18. The computer system of claim 16 wherein a media type of said plurality of media types is paper.

19. A computer system for utilizing a multi-layered data model for determining image choice across a set of audience-specific documents comprising:

a data storage medium storing instructions; and

a computer configured to process said instructions comprising;

obtaining a current audience identifier, said current audience identifier identifying a current audience comprising a group of document consumers;

obtaining an audience inheritance hierarchy associated with said current audience identifier from said data storage medium, wherein said audience inheritance hierarchy comprises a first audience identifier and a second audience identifier corresponding to a parent audience of said current audience, wherein said second audience identifier is not determined by said first audience identifier;

obtaining image data associated with said current audience identifier from said data storage medium;

determining that said image data for said current audience identifier does not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said first audience identifier from said data storage medium using the audience inheritance hierarchy;

when said image data associated with said current audience identifier and said inherited image data associated with said first audience identifier do not exist, obtaining inherited image data associated with said second audience identifier from said data storage medium;

obtaining image metadata for said current audience identifier and inherited image metadata from the parent audience of said current audience included in said audience inheritance hierarchy of said current audience identifier; and

,

displaying said obtained inherited image data having a visual representation that signifies an audience inheritance level.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said instructions further comprise:

editing an image value that signifies association with said audience other than said current audience identifier wherein said image value is set to a new image value and displayed with a visual representation denoting association with said current audience.