System and method for implementing compound documents in a production printing workflow

• US 8,386,945 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2000
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Hansen, David R., Holzwarth, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US09/572,341
• Time in Patent Office: 4,668 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/765, 345/766, 345/767, 715/762, 715/760, 715/765, 715/759, 715/711, 715/783, 715/738, 715/835, 715/209, 715273-274, 399/8, 399/81, 358 313- 317, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method for managing production printing workflow is disclosed. The system includes workflow management software which manages and facilitates the procedural stages of the workflow including job origination, job preparation, job submission and job fulfillment. The workflow management software provides an integrated object oriented interface which visually reflects and interacts with the workflow. The software further provides functionality to create, manage and manipulate compound documents as ordered collections of documents.

Claims

1. An interface, implemented in a computer, for representing and controlling a production printing workflow comprising:

a display;

a first document object representing a document, said document further comprising content and formatting, said formatting defining at least one page in said document, said first document object being associated with a first visual representation on said display;

a document ticket object representing global document attributes, said document ticket object being associated with a second visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document object;

a page object representing a page attribute of one of said at least one page, said page object being associated with a third visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document object;

a book object capable of representing an ordered association of at least one of said first document object with a second document object, said second document object being associated with a book document containing an ordered assembly of all of the respective documents in each of said at least one of said first document object, said book object being further associated with a fourth visual representation on said display; and

a first user input device for selectively associating at least two of said first, second, third and fourth visual representations;

wherein association of said first, second, third and fourth visual representations results in association of said respective objects.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein said interface further comprises a graphic user interface.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein said first user input device comprises a pointing device.

4. The interface of claim 1, wherein said ordered association of said book object further includes associations among said at least one of said first document and one or more of said page objects.

5. The interface of claim 1, wherein said book document is automatically created from said at least one of said first document object.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein said ordered association of said book object further includes associations with one or more document ticket objects.

7. The interface of claim 6, wherein said association of said document ticket object with said book object is operative to cause said global document attributes to apply to each of said document in said at least one of said first document object.

8. The interface of claim 7, wherein said global document attributes comprises annotation.

9. The interface of claim 1, further comprising logic to detect modification of any of said at least one of said first document object and update said book document in said second document object.

10. The interface of claim 9, wherein said detection is automated.

11. The interface of claim 9, wherein said update is automated.

12. The interface of claim 9, wherein said update is manual.

13. The interface of claim 9, wherein said update occurs when said book document is selected for printing.

14. The interface of claim 9, wherein only a subset of said modified of any of said at least one of said first document object are updated to said book document.

15. The interface of claim 14, wherein said subset is manually determined.

16. The interface of claim 1, further comprising:

a table of contents generator operative to read the respective of said content in each of said at least one of said first document object and generate a table of contents in said book document.

17. The interface of claim 16, wherein said table of contents generator is capable of being selectively disabled.

18. The interface of claim 16, wherein said table of contents generator is further operative to determine which of said one of at least one of said first document object comprises a cover and place said table of contents in order behind said cover in said book document.

19. The interface of claim 1, wherein said ordered association is non-exclusive among more than one of said book objects.

20. The interface of claim 1, wherein a user may selectively print said documents corresponding to one or more of said at least one first document object as they would appear if said second document object were printed.

21. The interface of claim 1, wherein a user may selectively print one or more of said respective documents in said ordered assembly.

22. The interface of claim 21, wherein said selectively printed documents retain associated formatting as part of said ordered assembly.

50. The interface of claim 1, wherein the association comprises data about different production output device capabilities which allows an operator to set the page attribute made possible by the production output device capabilities.

23. An interface, implemented in a computer, for representing and controlling a production printing workflow comprising:

a display;

a first document entity representing a document, said document further comprising content and formatting, said formatting defining at least one page in said document, said first document entity being associated with a first visual representation on said display;

a document ticket entity representing global document attributes, said document ticket entity being associated with a second visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document entity;

a page entity representing a page attribute of one of said at least one page, said page entity being associated with a third visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document entity;

a book entity capable of representing an ordered association of at least one of said first document entity with a second document entity, said second document entity being associated with a book document containing an ordered assembly of all of the respective documents in each of said at least one of said first document entity, said book entity being further associated with a fourth visual representation on said display; and

a first user input device for selectively associating at least two of said first, second and third visual representations;

wherein association of said first, second and third visual representations results in association of said respective entities.

24. The interface of claim 23, wherein said interface further comprises a graphic user interface.

25. The interface of claim 23, wherein said first user input device comprises a pointing device.

26. The interface of claim 23, wherein associations of said first, second and third visual representations are visually represented on said display.

27. The interface of claim 26, wherein said associations are represented on said display in a hierarchical format.

28. The interface of claim 23, wherein said ordered association of said book entity further includes associations among said at least one of said first document and one or more of said page entities.

29. The interface of claim 23, wherein said book document is automatically created from said at least one of said first document entity.

30. The interface of claim 23, wherein said ordered association of said book entity further includes associations with one or more document ticket entities.

31. The interface of claim 30, wherein said association of said document ticket entity with said book entity is operative to cause said global document attributes to apply to each of said document in said at least one of said first document entity.

32. The interface of claim 31, wherein said global document attributes comprises annotation.

33. The interface of claim 23, further comprising logic to detect modification of any of said at least one of said first document entity and update said book document in said second document entity.

34. The interface of claim 33, wherein said detection is automated.

35. The interface of claim 33, wherein said update is automated.

36. The interface of claim 33, wherein said update is manual.

37. The interface of claim 33, wherein said update occurs when said book document is selected for printing.

38. The interface of claim 33, wherein only a subset of said modified of any of said at least one of said first document entity are updated to said book document.

39. The interface of claim 38, wherein said subset is manually determined.

40. The interface of claim 23, further comprising:

a table of contents generator operative to read the respective of said content in each of said at least one of said first document entity and generate a table of contents in said book document.

41. The interface of claim 40, wherein said table of contents generator is capable of being selectively disabled.

42. The interface of claim 40, wherein said table of contents generator is further operative to determine which of said one of at least one of said first document entity comprises a cover and place said table of contents in order behind said cover in said book document.

43. The interface of claim 23, wherein said ordered association is non-exclusive among more than one of said book entities.

44. The interface of claim 23, wherein a user may selectively print said documents corresponding to one or more of said at least one first document entity as they would appear if said second document entity were printed.

45. The interface of claim 23, wherein a user may selectively print one or more of said respective documents in said ordered assembly.

46. The interface of claim 45, wherein said selectively printed documents retain associated formatting as part of said ordered assembly.

47. The interface of claim 23, wherein said document is encoded in a ready for printer format.

48. The interface of claim 47, wherein said ready for printer format is a format selected from the group consisting of Portable Document Format, PostScript and Printer Control Language.

49. An interface, implemented in a computer, for representing and controlling a production printing workflow comprising:

a display;

a first document object representing a document, said document further comprising content and formatting, said formatting defining at least one page in said document, said first document object being associated with a first visual representation on said display;

a document ticket object representing global document attributes, said document ticket object being associated with a second visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document object;

a page object representing a page attribute of one of said at least one page, said page object being associated with a third visual representation on said display and capable of being associated with said first document object;

a book object capable of representing an ordered association of at least one of said first document object with a second document object, said second document object being associated with a book document containing an ordered assembly of all of the respective documents in each of said at least one of said first document object, said book object being further associated with a fourth visual representation on said display; and

a first user input device for selectively associating at least two of said first, second, third and fourth visual representations;

wherein association of said first, second, third and fourth visual representations results in association of said respective objects such that modifications to the document ticket object may be globally applied to the entire document.