EXTRAPOLATING TABULAR STRUCTURE IN A FREEFORM DOCUMENT

• US 20120089896A1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lu, Yahui, Harasemchuk, Christopher, Siegel, Mark, Wong, Ken, Poon, Madison
• Granted Patent: US 8,887,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors

Abstract

Various embodiments of systems and methods for extrapolating tabular structure to facilitate manipulation of elements in the freeform document are described herein. The freeform document includes an unstructured canvas providing users the ability to place one or more elements in the canvas. A primary column is determined by the selection of at least one element in the freeform document. Further, one or more secondary columns in the freeform document corresponding to the primary column are determined. A tabular structure in the freeform document is extrapolated based on the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns to facilitate manipulation of elements in the freeform document, such as reordering, resizing and deleting the one or more elements, and inserting one or more new elements in the freeform document.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture including a computer readable storage medium to tangibly store instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive selection of at least one element in a freeform document;

determine a primary column for the selected at least one element;

determine one or more secondary columns in the freeform document corresponding to the determined primary column; and

extrapolate a tabular structure in the freeform document based on the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns to facilitate manipulation of one or more elements in the freeform document.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the freeform document comprises an unstructured canvas providing ability to place the one or more elements.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein determining the primary column for the selected at least one element comprises:

identifying a left side border and a right side border of the at least one element;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified left side border and the right side border; and

assembling the at least one element and the identified one or more additional elements to form the primary column.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column comprises:

identifying a top border or a bottom border for each element in the primary column;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified top border or the bottom border;

determining one or more secondary columns for each of the identified one or more additional elements; and

removing one or more duplicate columns from the determined one or more secondary columns to determine the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the computer readable storage medium tangibly stores further instructions, which when executed by the computer cause the computer to identify one or more spanning elements in the freeform document from the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns, wherein the one or more spanning elements span one or more columns consisting the primary column and the one or more secondary columns, to extrapolate tabular structure in the freeform document.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein manipulating the elements in the freeform document comprises reordering, resizing and deleting the one or more elements in the freeform document.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein manipulating the elements in the freeform document further comprises inserting one or more new elements in the freeform document.

8. A computerized method for extrapolating a tabular structure in a freeform document, the method comprising:

receiving selection of at least one element in a freeform document;

determining a primary column for the selected at least one element;

determining one or more secondary columns in the freeform document corresponding to the determined primary column;

extrapolating a tabular structure in the freeform document based on the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns to facilitate manipulation of one or more elements in the freeform document; and

updating a computer display including the freeform document to include the tabular structure.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the freeform document comprises an unstructured canvas providing ability to place the one or more elements.

10. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein determining the primary column for the selected at least one element comprises:

identifying a left side border and a right side border of the at least one element;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified left side border and the right side border; and

assembling the at least one element and the identified one or more additional elements to form the primary column.

11. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein determining the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column comprises:

identifying a top border or a bottom border for each element in the primary column;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified top border or the bottom border;

determining one or more secondary columns for each of the identified one or more additional elements; and

removing one or more duplicate columns from the determined one or more secondary columns to determine the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column.

12. The computerized method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying one or more spanning elements in the freeform document from the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns, wherein the one or more spanning elements span a plurality of columns consisting the primary column and the one or more secondary columns, to extrapolate tabular structure in the freeform document.

13. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein manipulating the elements in the freeform document comprises reordering, resizing and deleting the one or more elements in the freeform document.

14. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein manipulating the elements in the freeform document further comprises inserting one or more new elements in the freeform document.

15. A computer system for extrapolating a tabular structure in the freeform document, the computer system comprising a processor, the processor communicating with one or more memory devices storing instructions, the instructions operable to:

receive selection of at least one element in a freeform document;

determine a primary column for the selected at least one element;

determine one or more secondary columns in the freeform document corresponding to the determined primary column; and

extrapolate a tabular structure in the freeform document based on the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns to facilitate manipulation of one or more elements in the freeform document.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the freeform document comprises an unstructured canvas providing ability to place the one or more elements.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein determining the primary column for the selected at least one element comprises:

identifying a left side border and a right side border of the at least one element;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified left side border and the right side border; and

assembling the at least one element and the identified one or more additional elements to form the primary column.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column comprises:

identifying a top border or a bottom border for each element in the primary column;

identifying one or more additional elements in the freeform document with the identified top border or the bottom border;

determining one or more secondary columns for each of the identified one or more additional elements; and

removing one or more duplicate columns from the determined one or more secondary columns to determine the one or more secondary columns corresponding to the primary column.

19. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the computer cause the computer to identify one or more spanning elements in the freeform document from the determined primary column and the one or more secondary columns, wherein the one or more spanning elements span one or more columns consisting the primary column and the one or more secondary columns, to extrapolate tabular structure in the freeform document.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein manipulating the elements in the freeform document comprises reordering, resizing and deleting the one or more elements in the freeform document, and inserting one or more new elements in the freeform document.