Automatically converting text to business graphics

• US 9,529,786 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldman, Lawrence Fubini, Wright, Dawn M., Pritting, Gary A., Gerhard, Lutz, Kotler, Matthew J., Shelly, Cynthia C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, TAM T
• Application Number:
  US13/855,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20130232410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 715/732, 715/271, 715/730, 715/235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

A facility for generating a graphic image is described. The facility receives from a user a body of text whose creation is not subject to any rules or prototypes. The facility discerns from the body of text a textual organization. The facility then generates a graphic image conveying the discerned textual organization.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for transforming textual content into a hierarchical graphic, comprising:

receiving a selection of textual content comprising at least a first line of text and a second line of text that are not included in a hierarchical graphic, wherein there is a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

receiving a selection of a conversion command;

generating the hierarchical graphic from the selected textual content, the hierarchical graphic comprising;

at least a first graphical shape encapsulating the first line of text; and

at least a second graphical shape encapsulating the second line of text, wherein there is a graphical hierarchical relationship between the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape that corresponds to the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text; and

replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first graphic design from a gallery, wherein the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape are determined by the selected first graphic design.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

before receiving the selection of the first graphic design, displaying one or more available graphic designs in the gallery.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second graphic design from the gallery, wherein a third graphical shape and a fourth graphical shape are determined by the selected second graphic design.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic, automatically adjusting the selected textual content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected textual content occupies a portion of a document before the replacing, and wherein the hierarchical graphic is scaled to occupy substantially the same portion of the document after the replacing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

substantially simultaneously displaying the hierarchical graphic with the selected textual content;

receiving edits to the selected textual content; and

in response to receiving the edits, displaying edits to the hierarchical graphic that correspond to the edits to the selected textual content.

8. A computer storage device having instructions that when executed by a processing unit cause a computing system to perform a method of generating a hierarchical graphic, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of textual content comprising at least a first line of text and a second line of text that are not included in a hierarchical graphic, wherein there is a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

receiving a selection of a conversion command;

generating the hierarchical graphic from the selected textual content, the hierarchical graphic comprising;

at least a first graphical shape encapsulating the first line of text; and

at least a second graphical shape encapsulating the second line of text, wherein there is a graphical hierarchical relationship between the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape that corresponds to the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text; and

replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic.

9. The computer storage device of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first graphic design from a gallery, wherein the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape are determined by the selected first graphic design.

10. The computer storage device of claim 9, further comprising:

before receiving the selection of the first graphic design, displaying one or more available graphic designs in the gallery.

11. The computer storage device of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second graphic design from the gallery, wherein a third graphical shape and a fourth graphical shape are determined by the selected second graphic design.

12. The computer storage device of claim 8, further comprising:

before replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic, automatically adjusting the selected textual content.

13. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the selected textual content occupies a portion of a document before the replacing, and wherein the hierarchical graphic is scaled to occupy substantially the same portion of the document after the replacing.

14. The computer storage device of claim 8, further comprising:

substantially simultaneously displaying the hierarchical graphic with the selected textual content;

receiving edits to the selected textual content; and

in response to receiving the edits, displaying edits to the hierarchical graphic that correspond to the edits to the selected textual content.

15. A computing system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having computer-readable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the computing system to perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving a selection of textual content comprising at least a first line of text and a second line of text that are not included in a hierarchical graphic, wherein there is a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

receiving a selection of a conversion command;

generating the hierarchical graphic from the selected textual content, the hierarchical graphic comprising;

at least a first graphical shape encapsulating the first line of text; and

at least a second graphical shape encapsulating the second line of text, wherein there is a graphical hierarchical relationship between the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape that corresponds to the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text; and

replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic.

16. The computing system of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first graphic design from a gallery, wherein the first graphical shape and the second graphical shape are determined by the selected first graphic design.

17. The computing system of claim 15, further comprising:

before replacing the selected textual content with the hierarchical graphic, automatically adjusting the selected textual content.

18. The computing system of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second graphic design from the gallery, wherein a third graphical shape and a fourth graphical shape are determined by the selected second graphic design.

19. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the selected textual content occupies a portion of a document before the replacing, and wherein the hierarchical graphic is scaled to occupy substantially the same portion of the document after the replacing.

20. The computing system of claim 15, further comprising:

substantially simultaneously displaying the hierarchical graphic with the selected textual content;

receiving edits to the selected textual content; and

in response to receiving the edits, displaying edits to the hierarchical graphic that correspond to the edits to the selected textual content.