Panoptic Visualization Of A Document According To The Structure Thereof

• US 20140075294A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hadley, Brent L., Eames, Patrick J., Miller, Stephen P., Floyd, Joseph F., Laponza, Carrie A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,268,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

A system is provided for panoptic visualization of a document having a structure defined according to a particular schema. The system is configured to generate a layout of pages of the document, panoptically arranged in a manner that reflects logical relationships between the pages according to the structure of the document, which may in turn reflect relationships between the subjects or their objects depicted by the content. These logical relationships may be established by links between pages, which may be identified by information provided in associated metadata for the pages. This type of arrangement may enable a user to see the content in a single view, and in an arrangement that facilitates a better understanding of the relationships between the content and their subjects or objects, which may be otherwise difficult to comprehend.

Claims

1. A system for panoptic visualization of a document, the system comprising:

a document parser configured to receive and disassemble an electronic document into a plurality of constituent pages that are groupings of media content of the electronic document between basic breaking points, each page including respective media content, the document having a structure defined according to a particular schema;

a colligater coupled to the document parser and configured to colligate the pages, including being configured to provide associated metadata for each page of the plurality, the associated metadata for each page being according to some metadata schema and providing structured information identifying a link between the page and one or more other pages of the plurality, and including a unique identifier for each of the one or more other pages, the link establishing a logical relationship between the respective pages according to the structure of the document; and

a layout engine configured to generate a layout of pages of the document, the layout including a panoptic arrangement of visual representations of the pages of the layout according to the associated metadata of the respective pages, the associated metadata for at least one page of the layout including information identifying one or more links between the respective page and one or more other pages of the layout, and including the unique identifier for each of the respective one or more other pages of the layout,

wherein the layout engine is configured to communicate the layout, and

wherein the system is implemented by an apparatus including a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to implement the document parser, colligater and layout engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure of the document is reflected in the media content of the one or more pages of the document, or encoded in the document.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a search engine coupled to the layout engine and configured to receive a request for media content and identify a page including the requested media content, the identified page being of the document,

wherein the layout engine is configured to retrieve pages of the document including the identified page and one or more other pages identified according to the associated metadata for the identified page, the respective associated metadata including information identifying one or more links between the identified page and respective one or more other pages, and

wherein the layout engine being configured to generate the layout of pages includes being configured to generate a layout of the retrieved pages.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a navigation engine coupled to the layout engine and configured to select one or more navigation options from a plurality of navigation options for navigating a visual presentation of the layout, the navigation options being selected according to the associated metadata for the pages of the layout,

wherein the navigation engine is configured to communicate the selected navigation options.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated metadata for each page also includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of the pages of the layout, the layout engine is configured to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the page is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the page, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the layout engine being configured to generate the layout includes being configured to retrieve the page for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, the size being specified relative to one or more others of the retrieved pages.

8. A method comprising:

receiving and disassembling an electronic document into a plurality of constituent pages that are groupings of media content of the electronic document between basic breaking points, each page including respective media content, the document having a structure defined according to a particular schema;

colligating the pages, including providing associated metadata for each page of the plurality, the associated metadata for each page being according to some metadata schema and providing structured information identifying a link between the page and one or more other pages of the plurality, and including a unique identifier for each of the one or more other pages, the link establishing a logical relationship between the respective pages according to the structure of the document;

generating a layout of pages of the document, the layout including a panoptic arrangement of visual representations of the pages of the layout according to the associated metadata of the respective pages, the associated metadata for at least one page of the layout including information identifying one or more links between the respective page and one or more other pages of the layout, and including the unique identifier for each of the respective one or more other pages of the layout; and

communicating the layout.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the structure of the document is reflected in the media content of the one or more pages of the document, or encoded in the document.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a request for media content and identify a page including the requested media content, the identified page being of the document; and

retrieving pages of the document including the identified page and one or more other pages identified according to the associated metadata for the identified page, the respective associated metadata including information identifying one or more links between the identified page and respective one or more other pages,

wherein generating the layout of pages includes generating a layout of the retrieved pages.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selecting one or more navigation options from a plurality of navigation options for navigating a visual presentation of the layout, the navigation options being selected according to the associated metadata for the pages of the layout; and

communicating the selected navigation options.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated metadata for each page also includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of the pages of the layout, the layout is generated according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the page is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the page, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, generating the layout includes retrieving the page for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, the size being specified relative to one or more others of the retrieved pages.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that is non-transitory and has computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive and disassemble an electronic document into a plurality of constituent pages that are groupings of media content of the electronic document between basic breaking points, each page including respective media content, the document having a structure defined according to a particular schema;

colligate the pages, including being caused to provide associated metadata for each page of the plurality, the associated metadata for each page being according to some metadata schema and providing structured information identifying a link between the page and one or more other pages of the plurality, and including a unique identifier for each of the one or more other pages, the link establishing a logical relationship between the respective pages according to the structure of the document;

generate a layout of pages of the document, the layout including a panoptic arrangement of visual representations of the pages of the layout according to the associated metadata of the respective pages, the associated metadata for at least one page of the layout including information identifying one or more links between the respective page and one or more other pages of the layout, and including the unique identifier for each of the respective one or more other pages of the layout; and

communicate the layout.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the structure of the document is reflected in the media content of the one or more pages of the document, or encoded in the document.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further:

receive a request for media content and identify a page including the requested media content, the identified page being of the document; and

retrieve pages of the document including the identified page and one or more other pages identified according to the associated metadata for the identified page, the respective associated metadata including information identifying one or more links between the identified page and respective one or more other pages,

wherein the apparatus being caused to generate the layout of pages includes being caused to generate a layout of the retrieved pages.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further:

select one or more navigation options from a plurality of navigation options for navigating a visual presentation of the layout, the navigation options being selected according to the associated metadata for the pages of the layout; and

communicate the selected navigation options.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the associated metadata for each page also includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of the pages of the layout, the apparatus is caused to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the page is in a state including visual representations at respective resolutions of the page, and the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, and

wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the apparatus being caused to generate the layout includes being caused to retrieve the page for the visual representation at a resolution that matches the size specified by the information provided in the associated metadata.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein for each of one or more of the pages of the layout, the associated metadata provides information specifying at least the size of the visual representation of the respective page in the layout, the size being specified relative to one or more others of the retrieved pages.