OBJECTS HAVING USAGE RULES THAT EXIST OUTSIDE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THE OBJECT IS USED

• US 20090254811A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark A. Weiss
• Original Assignee: Colorquick, LLC
• Inventors: Freiman, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An electronically manipulative object that is usable in a plurality of different electronic document environments comprises at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule that affects the object or the electronic document environment that the object is used in. The at least one electronically stored property and associated rule are elements of the object. The object and at least one of electronically stored property and associated rule exists outside of an environment that the object is used in. The rule associated with the at least one property is enforced in the plurality of different environments.

Claims

1. A method of employing an electronically manipulative object that is usable in a plurality of different electronic document environments, the object comprising at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule that affects the object, the at least one property and associated rule being elements of the object, and wherein the object and the at least one property and associated rule exists outside of an electronic document environment that the object is used in, the rule associated with the at least one property being enforced in the plurality of different electronic document environments, the method comprising:

(a) importing a copy of the object, including the object'"'"'s at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule, into an electronic document environment; and

(b) enforcing the rule associated with the at least one property of the object imported in step (a) in the electronic document environment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the rule is an invariant.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the rule affects the appearance of the object.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different electronic document environments is a plurality of different electronic documents, the electronic document environment in steps (a) and (b) thereby being an electronic document.

5. A method of employing an electronically manipulative object that is usable in a plurality of different electronic document environments, the object comprising at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule that affects the electronic document environment that the object is used in, the at least one property and associated rule being elements of the object, and wherein the object and the at least one property and associated rule exists outside of an electronic document environment that the object is used in, the rule associated with the at least one property being enforced in the plurality of different electronic document environments, the method comprising:

(a) importing a copy of the object, including the object'"'"'s at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule, into an electronic document environment; and

(b) in the electronic document environment, enforcing the rule associated with the at least one property of the object imported in step (a).

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the rule is that certain text and/or images must be used in the electronic document environment whenever the object is used in the electronic document environment.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of different electronic document environments is a plurality of different documents, the electronic document environment in steps (a) and (b) thereby being an electronic document.

8. An article of manufacture comprising an electronically manipulative object configured to be usable in a plurality of different electronic document environments, the object comprising at least one electronically stored property that includes an associated rule that affects the object, the at least one property and associated rule being elements of the object, and wherein the object and the at least one property and associated rule exists outside of an electronic document environment that the object is used in, the rule associated with the at least one property being enforced in the plurality of different electronic document environments.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the rule is an invariant.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the plurality of different electronic document environments is a plurality of different documents, the electronic document environment thereby being an electronic document.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the rule affects the appearance of the object.