Serving Font Files in Varying Formats Based on User Agent Type

• US 20110093565A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Celartem Incorporated (Celartem Technology Inc.), Extensis (Celartem Technology Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Extensis (Celartem Technology Inc.)
• Inventors: Bacus, Mike, Hammond, Bruce Quincy
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

To resolve compatibility issues between font file formats and user agents such as web browsers, a font repository may determine a compatible font file format upon receiving a request from the user agent for a font. The determination may be made based on the type of user agent making the request. In one or more arrangements, if a font file in the compatible font file format is not available at the repository, a request may be transmitted to another repository. A font reference in a style sheet or code defining the network document may be unique to the font, but common to all font files corresponding to the font. An application for facilitating the generation of a network document may thus automatically generate such a code in response to a user selecting a desired font.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a font server, a request for a font, wherein the request indicates a type of user agent in which the font is to be displayed;

determining, by the font server, a first font file format compatible with the type of user agent from a plurality of font file formats, wherein the type of user agent is incompatible with a second font file format;

retrieving, by the font server, a first font file in the first font file format; and

transmitting the first font file to a requesting device from the font server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a uniform resource identifier and wherein the method further comprises extracting the type of user agent from the uniform resource identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first font file format is compatible with the type of user agent includes determining whether the first font file format is understandable by a type of web browser.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the first font file includes selecting the first font file from a plurality of font files corresponding to the font, wherein each of the plurality of font files includes data enabling a user agent to render a set of characters in the font and wherein each of the plurality of font files is in a different font file format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes a font identifier unique to the font, wherein the font identifier is common to a plurality of font files corresponding to the font.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second font file in a second font file format prior to receiving the request; and

generating the first font file in the first font file format using the second font file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the font file in response to receiving the request based on a second font file in a second font file format corresponding to the font.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the font is legally distributable based on information included in the request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request corresponds to an HTTP GET request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving, by the font server, a first font file in the first font file format includes:

determining whether the first font file in the first font file format is stored in the font server; and

in response to determining that the first font file is not stored in the font server, requesting the first font file from another font server.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the first font file from the other font server; and

storing the first font file in the font server.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor and storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to;

receive a request for a font, wherein the request indicates a type of user agent in which the font is to be used;

determine a first font file format compatible with the type of user agent from a plurality of font file formats, wherein the type of user agent is incompatible with a second font file format;

retrieve a first font file in the first font file format; and

transmit the first font file to a requesting device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein determining whether the first font file format is compatible with the type of user agent includes determining whether the first font file format is understandable by a type of web browser.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein retrieving the first font file includes selecting the first font file from a plurality of font files corresponding to the font, wherein each of the plurality of font files includes data enabling a user agent to render a set of characters in the font and wherein each of the plurality of font files is in a different font file format.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

receive a second font file in a second font file format prior to receiving the request; and

generate the first font file in the first font file format using the second font file.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to generate the font file in response to receiving the request based on a second font file in a second font file format corresponding to the font.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein retrieving the first font file in the first font file format includes:

determining whether the first font file in the first font file format is stored in the apparatus; and

in response to determining that the first font file is not stored in the apparatus, requesting the first font file from a remote server.

18. One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus storing one or more fonts to:

receive a request for a font, wherein the request indicates a type of user agent in which the font is to be used;

determine a first font file format compatible with the type of user agent from a plurality of font file formats, wherein the type of user agent is incompatible with a second font file format;

retrieve a first font file in the first font file format; and

transmit the first font file to a requesting device.

19. The one or more computer readable media of claim 18, wherein determining whether the first font file format is compatible with the type of user agent includes determining whether the first font file format is understandable by a type of web browser.

20. The one or more computer readable media of claim 18, wherein retrieving the first font file includes selecting the first font file from a plurality of font files corresponding to the font, wherein each of the plurality of font files includes data enabling a user agent to render a set of characters in the font and wherein each of the plurality of font files is in a different font file format.

21. The one or more computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

receive a second font file in a second font file format prior to receiving the request; and

generate the first font file in the first font file format using the second font file.

22. The one or more computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to generate the font file in response to receiving the request based on a second font file in a second font file format corresponding to the font.

23. The one or more computer readable media of claim 18, wherein retrieving the first font file in the first font file format includes:

determining whether the first font file in the first font file format is stored in the apparatus; and

in response to determining that the first font file is not stored in the apparatus, requesting the first font file from another apparatus configured to store fonts.

24. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a request to create a network document;

receiving, by the computing device, a selection of a font to be used in a portion of the network document; and

generating a code referencing the selected font, wherein the code identifies a remote location where a font file corresponding to the font is stored, wherein the font file includes data enabling the computing device to render characters in the selected font and wherein the code is unique to the font and common to a plurality of font files corresponding to the font.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising retrieving, by the computing device, a list of available fonts from the remote location, wherein the list of available fonts includes the code.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a first font of the available fonts is referenced by a first code and a second font of the available fonts is referenced by a second code different from the first code.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of font files corresponding to the font is of a different font file format.

28. One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

receive a request to create a network document;

receive a selection of a font to be used in a portion of the network document; and

generate a code referencing the selected font, wherein the code identifies a remote location where a font file corresponding to the font is stored, wherein the font file includes data enabling the computing device to render characters in the selected font and wherein the code is unique to the font and common to a plurality of font files corresponding to the font.

29. The one or more computer readable media of claim 28, the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to retrieve a list of available fonts from the remote location, wherein the list of available fonts includes the code.

30. The one or more computer readable media of claim 29, wherein a first font of the available fonts is referenced by a first code and a second font of the available fonts is referenced by a second code different from the first code.

31. The one or more computer readable media of claim 28, wherein each of the plurality of font files corresponding to the font is of a different font file format.

32. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor and storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive a request to create a network document;

receive a selection of a font to be used in a portion of the network document; and

generate a code referencing the selected font, wherein the code identifies a remote location where a font file corresponding to the font is stored, wherein the font file includes data enabling the computing device to render characters in the selected font and wherein the code is unique to the font and common to a plurality of font files corresponding to the font.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to retrieve a list of available fonts from the remote location, wherein the list of available fonts includes the code.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein a first font of the available fonts is referenced by a first code and a second font of the available fonts is referenced by a second code different from the first code.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein each of the plurality of font files corresponding to the font is of a different font file format.